Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Just when Pierce lowered his head to load arrows and was distracted for a moment, Zhong Chenmu rolled to the right and hid behind a pile of wood on the side of the road.

When Pierce found that his crossbow was pointing at the air, he reacted instantly, looked to the left, and simultaneously raised the crossbow with arrows loaded on it and pointed it in the same direction.

As soon as Zhong Chenmu appears in his sight, he will shoot without hesitation.

However, Zhong Chenmu was peeking at Pierce from the gap in the pile of wood. At the same time, he slowly picked up a broken short piece of wood from the floor with his right hand, and then suddenly threw it at Pierce from behind the pile of wood.

Pierce looked up and quickly dodged, while subconsciously aiming his crossbow at the direction of the flying short wood.

"This is the time!"

Zhong Chenmu muttered to himself, and instantly exerted force with his right foot. He pushed hard and rushed out from the pile of wood, bending over and charging towards Pierce.

Considering Pierce's age, his reaction was quite fast. He quickly dodged before Zhong Chenmu hit him. His right hand holding the crossbow drew a half circle in the air and then aimed at Zhong Chenmu again, who was already very close and had his back to him.

"Oops!"

Zhong Chenmu no longer had time to look back at Pierce's actions, he didn't even have time to think.

However, at the moment when he hit the air, his whole body was sensitive to the extreme threat.

Based on an instinctive reaction to avoid this extreme threat that could be life-threatening, Zhong Chenmu immediately used inertia to change his direction the moment he hit air, and rolled hard to the left.

However, the distance between him and Pierce was too close, and no matter how fast his reaction was, it could not be as fast as the arrow shot from the crossbow. Before he finished rolling, he felt a sharp pain in the calf of his right leg.

He turned his head and saw that the arrow Pierce had just shot had left a bloody mark on his calf.

Fortunately, the bullet didn't penetrate his calf directly, but just passed by it. However, it was enough to penetrate his pants and cut his calf.

"Ah ah ah..."

A piercing pain directly hit his brain, but he gritted his teeth and endured it without crying out.

At this time, you must not be discouraged!

He limped and struggled to his feet, looking at Pierce, only to see that the old man had no intention of giving him any chance to breathe. He had already taken out another arrow and was about to load it onto the crossbow.

Zhong Chenmu did a quick calculation, glanced at the quiver behind Pierce, and immediately came to a conclusion: "This is his last arrow!"

Then, an idea came to his mind.

Due to the roll just now, the distance between him and Pierce was now ten meters away. However, Pierce seemed to have firmly believed that the injured boy had nowhere to escape.

At the same time, he did not intend to start a long speech like those movie villains who were doomed to die for talking too much. Instead, he raised his hand and aimed at Zhong Chenmu, pulling the trigger of the crossbow again.

"What a cruel heart! They even skipped the step of persuading him to surrender..." Although he expected Pierce to pursue him relentlessly, Zhong Chenmu still complained in his heart, and then actually went towards the direction of the arrow!

Pierce's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This kid is going to commit suicide???"

However, he saw Zhong Chenmu take out a thick wooden board the size of a book from behind his back and catch the crossbow!

The crossbow shot through the wooden board, but quickly got stuck in it and ultimately failed to completely penetrate it. Instead, it got stuck in the middle of the wood. The arrow ultimately failed to pierce Zhong Chenmu, but the powerful impact force caused Zhong Chenmu to take several steps back.

Just now when he was hiding behind the pile of wood, he not only found a short piece of wood that could attract Pierce's attention, but also discovered the wooden board in his hand. It was thick enough and not too large, so it could be hidden behind clothes without attracting attention. At critical moments, it could be used as a shield.

The only risk was whether it could fully or partially block the crossbow's impact. Zhong Chenmu knew Pierce was a cold and cautious man. He wouldn't easily fire his final arrow unless he felt certain of victory. Therefore, he could only take the risk and expose his vitals to him, tempting him to deliver a final blow, and then use the wooden board to block it.

But whether the wooden board can block the damage and how much it can block is entirely up to fate, because there are no better tools available on site.

Soon the critical moment arrived, and the piece of wood completed its historical mission, successfully restraining the last arrow carrying Pierce's anger.

Zhong Chenmu threw the wooden board with the crossbow embedded in it behind him and looked at Pierce coldly: "You have no arrows left, surrender. How can an old man like you beat me without the support of tools? Besides, I have weapons too."

After saying that, he took out the short knife he carried with him from his trouser pocket.

He could have just rushed up and killed the old man without saying a word, just like Pierce did, but he still wanted to try harder.

If Pierce could surrender and call on both the Germinal Crescent and the Vinca Crescent teams to surrender, the result would be much more meaningful than simply killing one person.

He stared at Pierce and limped over slowly.

The pain in my right calf became more and more specific. If the initial impact was felt only in my brain, now it felt as if my entire right side was ablaze, a slight pain spreading through my body. I couldn't tell if this was real or just an illusion.

Pierce threw his crossbow aside and spread his hands. "Tell me, why can't we join forces? Why do we have to fight to the death?"

Zhong Chenmu was so angry that he laughed: "Just now you didn't say a word and almost shot me to death. Now I gave you a chance to speak, but you blame me? Do you believe that I will stab your artery with a knife right now?"

"No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is that we have very powerful thermal weapons and can completely rule the entire Wuming City. Wouldn't it be good to rule together? What Mr. Liang? What Gu Shen family? Their wealth is all ours! Why do we have to go out? The Hydrogen Clan is much stronger than us. After we go out, can we control our own destiny? Can the so-called 'incomplete civilization' be completed? Can you find the person you are looking for?" Pierce's hands trembled with excitement, and the wrinkles on his face were jumping.

Zhong Chenmu gasped, staring at the old man in disbelief. "So, whether it's the so-called 'incomplete civilization' theory or the Prophet Society, you actually don't believe anything you've claimed before, right? Your real purpose is to hide in this dark place like a rat, create those powerful weapons, and then become a local tyrant who rules Wuming City."

Countless moments from the past flashed through his mind: his first meeting with Pierce in the library at the "Singularity Moment", his first time hearing the "Incomplete Civilization" theory from him at the City God Temple, his joining the Prophet Society, following his conversations with Pu Yue and Hydrogen Nian, accepting the appointment as the captain of the advance team in Linjiang Tower, that night in Leyou Pavilion... After that, the two slowly drifted apart, but Zhong Chenmu always believed that Pierce's desire to get out of Wuming City was at least the same as his own, just like Master Liang.

But now, he actually admitted: All of this was just a show! And the purpose of the show was to gain overwhelming advantage through violence, so as to become the unshakable ruler of Wuming City.

Zhong Chenmu felt angry: This old man who deceives the world and steals his reputation!

Facing the undisguised fury in Zhong Chenmu's eyes, Pierce still tried to argue, "Don't be so harsh. We are actually the same kind of people. We both have extraordinary talents and have come here on our own. Why can't we rule over them? Compared to me, you are younger and more capable. You can even communicate directly with the Hydrogen Clan. Why do you want to hang out with this group of mediocre people?"

Having said that, Pierce took two steps back.

"Stop! If you move again, I will attack you!" Zhong Chenmu's eyes never stopped observing Pierce, and he immediately stopped him.

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. I'm just tired of standing. I want to stretch my body a little. I'm old..." Pierce said as he stopped.

Zhong Chenmu looked around Pierce vigilantly, but didn't find anything unusual, so he felt relieved.

Only then did he respond to Pierce's words with a furious look: "I'm not your kind! You're extremely selfish. Although you've successfully used everyone, you don't look down on them. I guess your twelve apostles were probably just the harem you once fantasized about, right? It's a pity... only Pu Yue submitted. And I'm very grateful to everyone on the Jigsaw Team. Even though I have some extraordinary abilities, I wouldn't be here without you all. Our Jigsaw Team has been able to grow to where it is today, and to attract the people of Nameless City to voluntarily help us fight you up there, because every one of them is a hero, not a mediocre one!"