Forge a path to success

"You're not human."

VV pressed on: "10 seconds. Is he doing well?"

"It's great, isn't it? Fame and fortune, success and invincibility. From any perspective, he's a successful person. It's just that he's always thinking about how he used to live like a widower!"

Lico yelled, "If your boyfriend is a widower, then aren't you a dead man?"

"Xiao Li, please be quiet for now. This topic is not your concern," Vande whispered a reminder.

Another wave of Black Death soldiers arrived and concentrated their fire. Lico made a sharp turn to avoid the gunfire. VV's speech quickened, and this time it didn't count down: "Where is he now?"

"I told you he's in a secret room on the third floor of the Third Team headquarters!"

Ji Huaisu turned and fired continuously, but this time the Black Death Army seemed to have optimized their algorithm again, dodging all the lightning arrows, forcing her to unleash Dustbreaker. "Li Ke, didn't you ask him for help when you came?"

"I can't find him! He's vanished! I can't even find that shabby room where he used to cultivate!!" Lico complained. "How many more targets do we have to find before this ends? A huge wave of life force is surrounding us; I think we're going to crash if this keeps up!"

"3."

"Three more?"

“2.1.” From afar, Velbert pressed the button. “Analysis complete. Main antenna coordinates transmitted. Please proceed to the target location for the first phase as quickly as possible.”

"There's a second phase?!"

The new coordinates in Ji Huaisu's eyes turned into bright red dots, located in the central part of the third vein sequence, also known as the "Unity Grand Theater" of Jingsha Municipal Grand Theater.

Lico groaned loudly, "Tell me this is fake... This place is showing 'Bloody Thorns' today, the national drama of Thorns!"

"So, does that mean we can listen to music while we fight?" Ji Huaisu said.

"She means the theater is packed today!" Van der screamed. "We're trying to find a main antenna that's nowhere to be found in a crowd of nearly 700 people!"

"No need for that. You just need to smash up the Grand Theater," VV said casually.

·

The exterior of the Jingsha Municipal Grand Theatre resembles a combination of a Western church and a sports field. The oval building is entirely painted in seven colors, and its semi-transparent facade is adorned with murals depicting significant events commemorated by the people of Jingsha over the past three thousand years. This grand theatre has thus become a must-see for tourists; even without purchasing opera tickets, a mere glance from the entrance is enough to immerse one in the city's rich cultural heritage.

This immortal cultural treasure has suffered its most devastating destruction in 3000 years: a fiery meteor crashed through the opera house's dome, and the blast from its impact smashed the transparent long wall into brand-new shards of glass.

"The otter editor will eat me alive!" Lico wailed.

"Let Jing Sha rebuild one tomorrow, as long as it looks similar!" Ji Huaisu jumped out of the pit. "Ladies and gentlemen, the performance is suspended. This is an anti-terrorism operation. Everyone please evacuate immediately—"

The theater was completely silent. Not a single audience member showed any displeasure. The audience members obediently stood up, along with the performers on stage.

They uniformly ripped off their masks, revealing the dark, ghostly faces beneath their disguises. All the spectators were Black Iron Soldiers, who simultaneously brandished their cold gun barrels.

A low swearing broke the silence: "Damn it."

Chapter 343 Starry Chessboard, Dark Serpent Staff Rises (4)

In an instant, a fierce battle was about to erupt. Ji Huaisu's iceberg defensive barrier was formed first, followed by a rain of dust falling straight towards the top of the grand theater. However, the usually effective wide-range attack failed this time. A transparent energy stream rose above the theater, and the dust swept by it spontaneously decomposed into light and shadow.

Pure elemental power flowed through the soldiers' bodies; this level of attack posed no threat to the Black Death Army. They fired illusory bullets, which pierced through Lico's thorn bushes and were barely intercepted by Ji Huaisu's magic array. Both of them felt intense pain simultaneously, this time the pain even came from the depths of their hearts.

Lico groaned in anguish, "What...is this...!"

"Retreat! It's a mental virus!" Vande screamed. "That Holy Grail analyzed your mental characteristics. He just disguised himself as Ji Huaisu and issued the deactivation order to prevent the Dust Break from activating. Now your thoughts are completely defenseless against him! Run!!"

"Vander, what did you say? I can't hear you!!"

"■■■■■■"

They couldn't hear Vande's voice clearly, or rather, they heard it but couldn't "interpret" it. They couldn't even hear their own words clearly anymore; it was as if many roars overlapped in their ears, and everything became blind noise. The only things they could recognize were the actions in reality: the soldiers starting to load physical bullets, the anxious eye demons, and their own selves nearing collapse due to the sense of disorientation.

The ghostly bodies beneath their shells were trembling; from the moment they stepped into the theater, the invisible virus had become incurable.

·

“GAME OVER, ladies.”

In the basement of the Grand Theater, there is a secret room filled with screens.

Guo Yutu removed his disguise, revealing yet another expressionless, black iron face.

Even Blood Smoke believed he was in the third meridian sequence, but that was certainly not the case. Aside from ultimate-body true machines, any Floating Light Path Ascendant with basic intelligence would stay far from the center of the battle. Their pitiful cybernetic modifications were far inferior to their hard-earned flesh, and their wide-range firepower couldn't match the overwhelming bombardment of a Supreme Being. Diverse methods and unique techniques were the core of the Floating Light Path. Their victory was decided from afar, just like their opponent hidden beyond Dust Island.

“Impressive, Miss Vilbert.” He contacted the infected analytical terminal. “I know it was you. This kind of desperate, all-or-nothing approach has made me stumble too many times. You’ve ruined my plans to this extent with just two pawns. To be honest, I’ve lost so badly that I’m too ashamed to show my face.”

Verus did not respond, and naturally, the woman wouldn't waste a single moment. But Guo Yutu was happy to waste time: "However, it's a pity that you failed to achieve a complete victory again this time, and we both know the reason. This is not Earth anymore. Your sacrificial serpents are always invincible, but they alone cannot defeat me, a point 5."

He sent images to Velbert, showing her that he had changed the virus's target from "lethal" to "harmless".

"We'll handle this as a business, without making enemies," he said sincerely.

“Others don’t seem to think so,” Wilbert said coldly.

The "harmless" status on the display suddenly changed to "coma," then to "lethal," followed by a data stream explosion, the red warning light coalescing into a laughing skull. The virus in the coma mode suddenly activated, mutating rapidly at a speed that caught him completely off guard.

Guo Yutu suddenly stood up, slammed his fist on the table, and roared, "Hazama Naruya, you bastard!!"

"Have you been living a life of ease for too long, you puppet maker?" Blood Smoke's maniacal laughter rang out. "On the battlefield, there is only life and death, victory and defeat!!"

·

High in the third vein, the blood-red smoke drew out a "mirror" of condensed smoke. The deep fog reflected the interior of the grand theater, where Ji Huaisu and Li Ke stood motionless behind the iceberg, their lips moving mechanically, yet unable to utter a single word.

Their bodies were "melting," literally melting into a viscous mist, their gradually blurring outlines making them look like two wax figures. The contamination from the blood-smoke implant had taken effect; it was the poison planted when they met Ji Huaisu. Just as the Floating Light Path is always adept at using tools, the strong on the Supreme Path can always easily infect others, regardless of their wishes.

Trek knelt on one knee before the fogged mirror, bleeding from all seven orifices from the chaotic contamination. The one-sided struggle was nearly draining his life force. Blood Smoke, on the other hand, was unharmed. To him, this was hardly a battle, merely a side project for amusement while carrying out his plan.

"Now it's time to make a choice again. I've always believed that a person's beliefs are most revealed when they make a choice." He conjured up another mirror, in which a bright red bomb was swelling inside the fruit stand.

“Daughter, or citizen, you can only choose one.” Blood Smoke smiled maliciously. “Please, Mr. Justice.”

Trek disappeared, and Bloodsmoke looked back and forth between the two mirrors. Unsurprisingly, he found a blood-soaked hand in front of the fruit stand. He laughed and placed the new mirror in the cathedral.

His laughter, synchronized with the video, pierced the girl's heart: "Congratulations, 20 years after the war, Mr. Jastry has once again upheld his justice. This time, he sacrificed his own daughter!"

·

Ji Huaisu forced herself to think. Her cognitive abilities were gradually fading, but she could still take "action." She began to make ice—the simplest action, for protection was her instinct.

She created countless blocks of ice, so many that they pushed all the soldiers out of the theater. The mental attack seemed to weaken as a result, and she regained some of her cognitive abilities. She saw her and Lico's bodies melting, turning into smoke. But someone should still be able to hear her, if that person was in her mind.

—VV, I want to draw this.

She imagined the formation.

—Draw it for me.

She released a spark, allowing VV's communication to "flow" in, like remotely controlling those gadgets. It was simple. The fire moved, coalescing into shape. Then came water, and dust. A flicker. Another. Done.

start up.

The response is very slow.

Start. Start. Start...!

"—The Holy Trinity Formation!!"

The seal was activated, the array flowed, and the malevolent mist was purified by the holy light, along with the spiritual energy that served as its vessel, which was ejected from the body. Ji Huaisu felt as if she had instantly risen from the deep sea; the overwhelming sense of emptiness left her mind blank, and the world around her was so bright that she could barely see it.

She felt a little pain in her wrist, and Li Ke grabbed her arm, saying, "Hang in there!"

Blood was flowing from many places. Ji Huaisu took a deep breath: "I'm out of strength. You... smash the main antenna!"

She was indeed exhausted; her palms were melting, and the atomized pollution, though repelled, returned once more. The Holy Trinity Array could isolate special forces, but the difference in power between the two sides was a full two points, meaning even the knights' sealing techniques could only alleviate the problem, not eradicate it.

Lico's dissolution was slower; after all, she was a Skywing Ascendant, and her vitality was naturally much stronger than that of other Ascendants. She quickly made a decision, extending roots from her feet and digging into the earth to draw energy from the surface of the divine tree. The replenishment of vitality improved Lico's complexion considerably. She slapped Ji Huaisu on the back and shouted, "Transfer!"

Ji Huaisu's atomization process was instantly reversed, and in the blink of an eye, she returned to normal, her previous injuries also being healed by the immense life force. On the contrary, Li Ke's original state was broken again, and the atomization effect on her body was doubled.

Van der stared at her in shock: "You...transferred the damage?"

"Saving lives is what we Tree People are good at," Lico said nonchalantly, wiping her nose. "Let's get down to business and stay away!"

Lico clapped her hands together forcefully. The wooden wings behind her grew rapidly, from four meters to ten meters, and then to fifty meters, as tall as a building. The wildly growing wooden wings wove together into a gigantic form. The wooden figure and she punched simultaneously, the giant fist piercing through the secret chamber thirty meters below, crushing the densely packed screens and the surrounding iron soldiers into dust!

"The main antenna is fixed!" she shouted. "And then!"

"Frequency band analysis complete. Reverse signal transmission. Integrate into the satellite frequency band signal for the next scan..." Vilbert, focused in the distance, continued, "Deactivation complete. Proceed to the next designated location!"

At that moment, a sound like tearing silk rang out simultaneously throughout the Third Pulse. Bombs disguised as food, tableware, furniture, and other materials malfunctioned at the same time, and Wilbert's reverse signal was transmitted via a hacked relay antenna, causing its structure to collapse and turn into harmless wisps of smoke.

For the first time, the faint smell of smoke disappeared. Ji Huaisu, who had just recovered from her drowsiness, excitedly pumped her fist and shouted, "Well done! Li Ke, let's go!"

She grabbed Lico's wrist and ran forward, but the latter gently shook her off. Lico remained where she was, pointing to her feet, still rooted to the spot like a plant.

"I'm a little tired, so I won't take you with me for now." Lico smiled. "Take my encouragement with you! Don't hesitate at a time like this!"

She was unable to move. The misty attacks from the blood smoke were too terrifying, especially since she had already endured twice the damage. If she hadn't relied on rooting herself to sustain herself, she would have dissolved into smoke long ago.

Ji Huaisu nodded silently. She threw a ball of pure fire to help replenish energy, then turned and ran towards the decisive battle coordinates sent by VV. Li Ke scoffed, thinking that these people who had been on the battlefield were indeed different; they made decisions faster than anyone else. If it were her on the other side, she might have dragged her feet for ages, not only delaying the battle but also getting herself surrounded by pursuers.

She shouldered the wooden gun, didn't even glance at the approaching assassins, and gave the middle finger in the direction of the smoky mirror.

"Trying to play these tricks on us Thorn Robe Warriors?" she scoffed. "Go back to your hometown and eat shit!"

·

Trek thrust his wooden gun into the ground with all his might, then leaned against the tree and chuckled softly.

"You... with such a terrible personality, you probably don't even have a lover, let alone a family."

So you don't know, children are like saplings. If you nurture them well from the very beginning, you don't need to worry about them anymore... they'll grow naturally on their own!

He drew his wooden spear and kicked away yet another corpse. The area around the tree was piled high with corpses. Amidst the blood and smoke, a dozen assassins launched an attack in a rush to seize the opportunity, and without exception, they all met a swift end.

Xueyan shrugged slightly, seemingly amused.

“You’re right, Mr. Trek. I do lack experience in this area. It seems that for the sake of my next mission, I’d better experience the life of a middle-aged man.”

He took out his phone and dialed Wang Quan's number. His plan had clearly failed, yet he seemed rather pleased.

"Plan A failed, and Guo Yutu's work attitude wasn't very proactive. Would you mind using Plan B?"

"Is that so?" Wang Quan still spoke in his usual nonchalant tone. "Then you shall be the commander-in-chief."

"Thank you so much! Well then..."

The authorization was granted, and temporary command of the Blood Alliance was transferred to Bloodsmoke. A blood moon, a symbol of power, appeared in his palm, and his laughter echoed in the ears of all those involved.

"Prepared plan! NO.5, send all current Black Death soldiers to participate in killing Jas Trek. The rest of you, attack Ji Huaisu, Lico Trek, and the Divine Guard members on sight. Kill them all! NO.7, you will be the vanguard. Do you hear me?!"

“Received,” Lylena Barry said.

The 180-second countdown had long since ended; she had removed her blindfold two minutes earlier. Lylena, in her high heels, stepped into a pool of blood, and behind her, a massive body silently collapsed—the shopkeeper had fallen into her own blood.

"Mission objective confirmed. Kill without mercy."

Chapter 344 Starry Chessboard, Dark Serpent Staff Rises (5)

"VV, our first phase of the operation was a success, right?!"

"Theoretically yes."

"Then why is the enemy's attack even more ferocious?!" Ji Huaisu shouted at the top of his lungs, "They're like a pack of mad dogs now!"

She ran along the flower-lined avenue, the surrounding pedestrians being lifted up and flung aside by the dust. Time was of the essence, leaving no room for finesse; the poor citizens were tossed about by the wind like they were on a trampoline. But this time, unusually, there were no complaints, for they too could see the terrifying pursuers behind Ji Huaisu.

A convoy of motorcycles decorated with skeletons crushed flowers, leaving scorched marks, while the madman at the head lashed a long whip woven from sulfur and lava. His head was devoid of flesh and blood; it was a burning skull.

It howled and lashed out with its whip: "Go to hell, blonde woman!!"

"What grudge do you have against me?!"

“He is Sanoliv Capa, a cultist, an extreme racist, and a white woman-hate man,” VV said. “Your appearance may have triggered his psychological trauma.”

"Settling a personal score under the guise of official business!"

Ji Huaisu swerved to avoid the whip, but the long whip appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around her neck and pulling her to the front of the motorcycle wheel. Senoliwei's skeletal jaw opened and closed: "Become the ashes of hell!"

Ji Huaisu pulled hard on the whip, but couldn't break free. Seeing the enemy about to crush her, she leaped on her motorcycle and unleashed a black claw strike. The shadow claw tore through all of Senolivi's defenses, smashing him and the whip into a paper-thin sheet.

Ji Huaisu burned the flattened enemies to ashes with a single burst of fire, then turned in mid-air, mounted his motorcycle, and sped forward. The other motorcycles crashed to the ground in disarray due to the sudden braking, and Senor Livy's henchmen knelt in astonishment and prayed.

"The boss turned to ashes!" "It's Satan's evil magic." "She's the messenger of hell!"

“You’re quite popular,” Vande said.

"Get out of the way!" Ji Huaisu cursed as she turned around, then charged forward with all her might. The fools behind her scattered and fled, and a rain of arrows fell from the sky, piercing every inch of the battlefield in front of her. The Black Death Army's flying units followed closely behind, their numbers so great that she was too lazy to count them.