The aura of the Death Prelude erupted in a concentrated burst.
Yang Zicang silently sensed the phantom of the Mo Ying Hall, which was violently shaking and shifting around in every direction. Without the Grey Crow presiding over it, it moved chaotically in response to his perception of the Death Prelude. His sight always appeared beside those about to die, clinging like a shadow.
But at certain moments, it would shift to where Morri was.
Yang Zicang raised his eyes to the now-stabilized scene before him, where Lü Bu was slaughtering without restraint. No one could withstand even a single round against him—this man’s claim to the city championship of the Mo Ying Hall was as effortless as reaching into his own pocket.
Except for the teams gradually approaching the magic city’s formation eye today, the periphery of the Demon Hero Hall has swelled with numbers like a siphon. The monsters in the outer and middle ring grinding-tooth rooms have been almost completely slaughtered. As a result, almost all able-bodied people from both cities have rushed over, hoping to enter the Demon Hero Hall and stay until the end to obtain the –Impression Recovery- reward.
At this moment, a great many people have already pre-ordered this reward from these individuals—because it is equivalent to a precious opportunity for resurrection.
–I hope Yang Zicang can make it in time!- Director Yu gazed at the shattered city outside the glass, his heart sinking heavily.
……
[I sense many people hoping for me to appear.]
[It seems related to me, not sure.]
Yang Zicang lifted his face toward the sky, his fingers digging into the ground without raising a single speck of dust.
……
{You have obtained five heterochromatic markers.}
Julia looked at the last curved small iron claw of a certain color that appeared in her hand, and a genuinely joyful smile spread across her face.
She quickly walked toward the crack in front of her. This crack was a kind of hidden door mentioned in the non-five-color rooms behind the second water curtain, rooms that recorded various pieces of information about the Demon Hero Hall.
As long as one possessed the five-colored claws, they could use these cracks randomly scattered throughout the rooms to directly reach the entrance of the Whirlpool Lake Waterway on the top platform of the array eye. Among them, a small number of cracks were actually hidden doors that could skip the activation of the Whirlpool Lake Waterway and go straight to the location of the final demon hall of the Demon Hero Hall—the Hall of the Demon’s Throat.
–Pretty lucky. Maybe I’ll be the first to enter the demon hall.-
As the light in the crevice passage gradually dimmed, a vast hall appeared at the end of the passage.
……
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The squad following Morri was dumbfounded. This was no professional Chronos investor; he was clearly the strongest fist king.
One person swallowed and said, –Sir, do you usually do this alone?-
— –No, I have teammates.-
The few of them looked slightly disappointed at the man who could produce several fist shadows with a single punch. Most of the Chronos he obtained along the way, he had given to the squad members. A demon tooth room crashed into them, the force field shattered, revealing an empty room behind it.
— –However, if you have any small statues, I can resonate with them.-
–Really? That’s great! The statue was worth every penny!-
These people pulled out a small statue from their backpacks and resonated with Morri.
[I have left the statue resonance team: Park Myung Group.]
[I have resonated with a new statue team: Chengxuan Small Claw Team.]
–You’re already this strong, Morri.-
The scene shifted again.
Yang Zicang saw a momentarily paused scene where someone stared in astonishment at the void in front of them, clearly they were looking at a perception display.
— –That guy looks a bit like the captain of Yang Zicang’s team.-
Immediately after that sentence, the scene flashed again, and more than just one or two—many who were linked to this small team through the financing Moxel recognized Morri, who had blended in.
–The closer someone is to me, the earlier they can sense the other’s death prelude… and the easier it is to know how your path to death came about!-
Yang Zicang was so angry he could grind his teeth; he desperately wanted to give that guy a good beating.
The scene flashed again.
Lu Bu received a notification that the suspected Chronos investment manager from Yang Zicang’s team had actually come to the Demon Hero Hall, and was on his way to open the Whirlpool Lake Waterway Gate above the formation eye.
— –Is that Morri?-
Lu Bu’s usually indifferent face turned into one of intense hatred!
–Quick, send someone to block that place and capture him! I’ll tear him into ten thousand pieces! I want Yang Zicang to taste the fury of losing a powerful ally!-
Yang Zicang’s fists were clenched tight, his eyes already blazing with fiery rage.
–Is it really like this, is it really like this!!-
–Lü Bu!!!-
……
–What, Yang Zicang’s team leader also came to the Demon Hero Hall?-
Director Yu stood up, pondered for a moment, and his expression shifted slightly.
–Not good—Morri might be in trouble. We have to protect him.-
A jagged line shot out from the ring on his chest.
–Wenqi. We need to take a risk. Listen to me…-
After explaining, Tong Wenqi’s face changed several times across the sensing screen.
{If we fail, headquarters might be gone.}
–Even if we have to stall them, we must hold back their advance until dawn today.- Just as Director Yu finished speaking, another person reported that Morri had already stepped onto the platform of the array eye.
–What? Wasn’t he just in that last grinding-tooth room?-
–After leaving the room, everyone saw clearly—the person in that room earlier wasn’t Morri. The real one had already left that team ahead of time.-
Director Yu let out a half sigh of relief.
As long as that guy wasn’t completely brainless, this kind of preparation showed that the nominal captain of the Puming Group did have some capability after all.
On the vast, open platform.
Morri, his face half-covered by a scarf, approached a pool the size of an ordinary neighborhood. After activating the Five-Colored Thorn Claw, a boat emerged from beneath the surface, water droplets rolling off its hull as it glided.
–Hey, you’re all by yourself? Can we tag along and go down with you?-
Nearby, many teams were stuck, unable to obtain the final Grinding Tooth Thorn Claw, so they waited here hoping for a ride.
Morri paid no heed to them and simply jumped onto the boat.
–Excuse me, boss, how can you dare to go down into the Demon Throat Hall alone? Want to hire some hands?-
–Yeah, according to people who got intel on the final monster, the creature in that demon palace is no weaker than a Defender.-
–Several teams have already gone down. Boss, why not take more people? I can chip in some Chronos.-
As the chatter continued, some newly arrived people cast searching glances in their direction.
–It’s that guy!-
–When did he get here? Quick, after him!-
From inside the cabin, Morri glanced at the sky beyond the roof. As long as he made it inside here, any threat from above would be useless.
He then took out a different ability sphere.
[I can use –Dispatch-.]
He crushed it with force.
[I activated –Dispatch-.]
[I consumed 1N.]
The boat, already gliding along the pool’s current, suddenly accelerated. The group on the shore, shouting and giving chase, could only watch as the single-passenger vessel rode the current down the water slide that wound around the entire Demon Hero Hall.
Yang Zicang exhaled a breath and collapsed to the ground.
–That damned bastard… actually used the ability orb he bought earlier to sneak through.-
A glimmer of hope suddenly stirred within Yang Zicang.
Could Morri also find a new path to life here? He suddenly thought of Mr. Gray Crow—his death prologue had been the outcome with the highest probability among countless possibilities, but there were still other paths that wouldn’t lead to death.
A flicker of emotion came alive in his heart.
–It’s only a sliver, but you might just survive… Morri, hold on until I get there, no matter what!-
He glanced at the sky—a full seven or eight hours remained.
Yet in this moment, every second and every minute felt like a sharp thorn driving into the young man’s heart.
A wave of hunger washed over him.
Yang Zicang could feel the discomfort from his body after going two days without a single drop of water, but he had no heart to care.
He only gazed silently at the screen, unwilling to miss even one detail—for he might otherwise lose the last glimpse of someone who had sacrificed himself to change his own fate.
……
Pa pa pa!
Amidst the swirling chaotic auras, Yang Zicang suddenly heard the sound of incessant slapping, as if it came from beyond a dream.
–What’s going on?-
Pa! Pa!
The sound seemed to ring right beside his ear.
[I…]
As if realizing something, Yang Zicang quickly severed the –Mind Manifestation Authority.- Instantly, overwhelming fatigue and hunger flooded in.
Pa pa!
His face stung with searing pain. He opened his eyes weakly, only to see Wang Ding’s palm hurtling toward his vision again—smack!
The burning sensation flickered in the young man’s eyes, sharp yet laced with confusion.
–Ah, you’re finally awake! I’m dead tired!-
Wang Ding dropped the man he was holding onto the ground, plopped down panting, and Lele, who had been tossed aside, looked up.
{As expected of a box-pushing master, he still finds psychic levels to clear even out here.}
–Shut up.- Wang Ding clamped his hand over Lele’s eyes and stuffed it into his pocket.
Yang Zicang noticed a crowd gathered around watching him, including Boboli with a grim expression.
–Is it time already?- Yang Zicang stood up, dazed.
–No. Since you’ve been unconscious for two days, I’ve regained my eligibility to bail you out,- Boboli said.
Yang Zicang was stunned.
Boboli, wearing a standard-issue dark black coat with gold patterns, stepped forward and stood opposite Yang Zicang, looking up at him solemnly.
–Elite employee Yang Zicang, do you wish to resign immediately?-
–I… of course, I…-
Yang Zicang frantically fumbled over himself, then remembered the engine was in Moxel. He grabbed Boboli’s hand and pressed his own palm into the young man’s. Feeling the –Ether Tunnel Memory-Loss Engine,- Boboli’s eyes flickered slightly.
–I have to leave immediately, or I’ll be too late—Morri has already appeared in the Mo Ying Hall!- He spun around frantically and dashed for the door.
Boboli grabbed Yang Zicang’s arm. –Where are you going?-
–I need to find Secretary Huan Bao’er—I want to resign immediately!-
The young man in the black trench coat beside him shouted:
–I, Secretary Nuens Bob Poly, approve the resignation of employee Yang Zicang—effective immediately!-
Before Yang Zicang could react, a solemn voice suddenly resounded in his mind.
{You have obtained the qualification to enter the Hall of Mo Ying: the Demon-Toothed Grinding Wheel.}
A speck of light appeared before Yang Zicang, stretching into a golden thread.
–Brother, I’m counting on you!-
Yang Zicang seized the speck that had not yet fully taken shape as an invitation letter, and in an instant vanished into a swirling gray mist.
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