No wonder everyone here looked so insane — ever since waking up, several people had either tricked, lured, or outright tried to steal his Chronos.
That Bai Yuan even had the audacity to covet Liu Ming’s measly one month of Chronos.
It all boiled down to one thing: at the end of every month, three hundred years of life were deducted!
Yang Zicang thought that, perhaps in Bai Yuan’s eyes, the four of them had only a few days left to live.
Among the newcomers who survived each month, many likely fell for some scheme and lost decades of their lifespan without understanding how, only to realize at month’s end that they had been duped — and that their investment would never yield a return.
Because they themselves, as the creditors, will die soon.
Fortunately, as a newcomer, only one hundred and fifty years would be deducted in the first month—but even that was ten years per day!
–Not giving any information to the newcomers, huh…–
Yang Zicang ended the mental connection with that child.
Thump, thump, thump.
A knock sounded at the door.
–Come in.–
The door creaked open.
A woman—saved by him yesterday, yet now withered with age—stood at the threshold, dressed in worn-out clothes, her tone apologetic and restrained:
–Thank you, Mr. Yang. Yesterday…–
Suddenly, Yang Zicang felt his phone begin to vibrate faintly, the screen becoming mottled as if the chip were malfunctioning.
His expression twisted violently.
–Get out—now!–
The woman was taken aback.
She saw the phone in the man’s hand emanating faint streams of dark red mist, ghostly sounds of a heartbeat echoing eerily through the room.
Recalling the warnings the owner of this place gave her last night, she stammered in terror:
–Could it be… could what they said be true? I get close to these…–
–Get out! Now!–
Yang Zicang hastily tossed it into the box Chu Chiang had given him, pressing the lid down tight.
–How is this possible?– The woman at the doorway stood frozen, staring wide-eyed into the room.
Yang Zicang darted past her, carrying the box. As he neared her, he felt the thing inside give a thump, as if something was hammering from within.
Gripping this chest that could turn into a –bomb– at any moment, the young man’s Moxel on his chest lit up as he summoned again the only Indexed Keeper, Liang Xi.
The sensory image appeared—a dark, filthy channel, where a grimy-looking boy stared back in shock.
{Huh? Bro, what’s wrong with you?}
–Where is the entrance to the rat’s nest you’re in?!–
……
An off-road vehicle wove between the rows of dilapidated buildings.
Yu Fei on the vehicle played with the precious Interlace Crystal with great interest.
–Boss, although we’ve got the Frequency Crystal, that A-grade Modulator won’t be easy to obtain.–
Yu Fei sighed, tucked the Frequency Crystal into her bosom, and gazed at the road receding before the vehicle.
–Even if Nightmares are turned into Modulators, their abilities would still degrade significantly. What a pity about that Zhang Fei armor. Its inverted stance and Chronos-powered defense are treasures, each one a gem. But even making it into a Modulator to preserve a single effect is hard enough.–
–Still, better than nothing.–
One person on the vehicle said, –We need to find a way to get our hands on it. If it can also defend against Chronos attacks, stabilizing an A-level interlace won’t be more than a matter of minutes.–
Yu Fei’s face showed contemplation.
A man behind him sneered, –Brother Yu, although that Yang Zicang is a QuadMoxel, his ability is useless. Anyway, we haven’t driven far yet. Leave me here, and when he comes out, I’ll snatch him back for you.–
The Moxel on his chest flickered, and a long rope coiled around him, its end twisting and rising like a snake.
–I think it’s a go!–
The young man beside him chuckled, –Let Old Yuan go bind that kid up, and we can make amends with those lords on your behalf.–
Yu Fei, who had been somewhat hesitant, nodded upon hearing this: –Stop the car. Old Yuan, be careful. Oh, and take this telescope—don’t get too close over there.–
–Telescope? No need. This is the only road from their side. You go on ahead; I’ll hold out here for the next couple of days.–
He grabbed a bag of food and a few bottles of water, coiled the rope over his shoulder, and jumped out of the car.
Yu Fei gestured with two fingers to her temple and waved, –We’ll wait for your good news.–
Yuan Fubin laughed, watching the off-road vehicle—coated with a few scales—speed away. He raised the rope in his hand and sprinted into a building beside the road.
……
After running for about ten minutes, Yang Zicang gasped for breath, slowing his pace. The crate in his hands had stopped shaking much.
–Such desolation.–
The city felt drained of life. The phantom hustle and bustle of yesterday were nothing but bygone smoke.
Now and then—through shrill sounds and distant tremors born from explosions, carried from afar—the dead hollowness of the metropolis amplified and echoed them for miles.
Swiftly advancing, Yang Zicang was unaware that somewhere on a distant skyscraper, a stout figure had him locked in the lenses of a telescope.
[–I sensed another craving sponsorship.-****]
A jagged beam shot across the air.
[–Whoever out there give me some Invest, I’ve just run into two thick, meaty ones.-****]
Yang Zicang merely sensed the scene from the other side before cutting it off.
The Chronos of today couldn’t be recklessly used.
On the other hand, Liang Xi bounced excitedly, waiting for that man’s arrival.
After traveling a few more li, Yang Zicang arrived at an area that was clearly a jarringly conjoined zone.
Here, the sky bridges, floors, and roads all came to an abrupt halt ahead.
It was as if divine power had carved out a several-kilometer span between two cities, then pieced them together like a square puzzle.
–Such power—truly magnificent.–
Yang Zicang reached out and touched this junction, only a few centimeters wide yet stretching endlessly from left to right, before rising and striding swiftly into the distance.
A figure trailed far behind him. The man in a black tracksuit, wearing sunglasses, murmured to himself in his mind:
[His purpose is clear; he seems to be heading somewhere specific. When should I plant the mark on him?]
After a few seconds, he calmly muttered again in his thoughts:
[Hmm, I see.]
Suddenly, this man’s gaze flickered with surprise as he looked into the distance—a rope suddenly shot out from within a ruined building.
–Yuan Fubin from the Divine Sister Alliance?– The sunglass-wearing man furrowed his brow. –Why is he here too?–
……
An odd entity suddenly burst forth from the building.
As the rope shot toward him like a bolt, Yang Zicang seemed to have a natural instinct for such trajectories—his Moxel ring on his chest giving a sudden flash.
[Dispatch!]
[I, the great Quad, consumed 2R.]
Swoosh! The rope twisted violently before his body, as if two opposing forces were fighting for control.
Meanwhile, Yang Zicang had already backed up several steps in a mere second or two.
A tall, slender man with shoulder-length hair stepped out, a grin spreading across his face as a Moxel glow lit up his chest:
–Not bad—your ability also comes with control over ropes? Guess you’re fated to be my underling after all.–
–It’s you!–
Yang Zicang’s face twisted with fury.
–Don’t even think about getting funding—I’m part of the Goddess Brothers Alliance. Around here, anyone who sees me, Yuan Fubin, calls me Brother Yuan. When the time comes, my funding will probably be ten times what you scrape together.–
–What do you want?–
–Join our squad, and bring back that Zhang Fei armor. Otherwise, you won’t get a single Chronos for the next few months.–
Isn’t that just signing my death warrant by the end of the month!
Panic flickered in Yang Zicang’s heart as his eyes darted around his surroundings.
Suddenly, the case in his hand gave a soft tremor.
The rope floated beside Yuan Fubin, swaying without any wind, like a sentient tether that made one’s spine chill as it –watched– him.
A faint, shimmering white light gradually began to glow along the rope.
{Fubin, not bad—so quickly this guy’s come out.}
[He’s even carrying his luggage, hahaha—this is the beat of someone coming to join us.]
{Luggage? Oh, that box—I’ve seen it.}
Yuan Fubin was a bit puzzled as Yu Fei said to him via Sync-Link:
{There are enchantments carved by Zhao Anlong in that box. It’s more precious than Yang Zicang himself. Bring the whole thing back to us.}
Yuan Fubin grinned, his eyes gleaming with greed and excitement.
[Don’t worry. I’m cutting the link—otherwise, I might be too late to grab it if this little treasure adapts.]
{Alright.}
Yang Zicang’s gaze locked tightly onto the figure opposite him.
The moment the link was severed, the rope shot forth.
The opponent wielded triangle-like strength and could control its trajectory too, but even so, Yang could also interfere with that path.
Slap-slap-slap!
The incoming rope was suppressed by an invisible force, lashing against the ground. Simultaneously, golden phantom light wrapped Yuan Fubin’s hands as he charged forward.
–Quit struggling, just give up! Hahaha!–
The wooden box in Yang Zicang’s hand slowed him down, and he immediately felt the pressure increase.
–Get lost!–
With a clatter, Yang Zicang hurled the box.
Seeing the wooden box fly up, Yuan Fubin’s face lit up with ecstasy. The rope that had been hovering around Yang Zicang whisked back and coiled toward the box in mid-air.
Taking a couple of steps away, Yang Zicang looked back as a circular insignia on his chest lit up.
[Dispatch!]
The two latches of the wooden box had already popped open the moment it was thrown. Accelerated by the Dispatch ability, it shot into the air as if pushed by some unseen force, while its lid slammed open with a bang.
Clothes, earrings, a belt, shoes, papers—everything scattered out. Among the debris, a black object plummeted rapidly.
The rope swiftly bound the box and, with a flick of Yuan Fubin’s finger, yanked it downward.
But in that instant, Yuan Fubin seemed to hear countless ringing phones—dinging, buzzing, humming.
They clamored densely in his heart. These normally melodious soundwaves turned piercing, as if someone were scraping glass with sharp nails, setting his teeth on edge.
Thump! Fangthephon, emitting a thick mist of blood, smashed onto Yuan Fubin’s face but did not cut further.
–Ahh!–
Pfft pfft. Inside the discolored phone, several root-like tendrils rapidly pierced his skin.
–This is… Hun… gery… Ya…–
In the distance, Yang Zicang, seeing the thing instantly embed itself into Yuan Fubin’s face, felt a violent shock in his heart.
–Nightmare, that’s the Nightmare, how terrifying!–
Without looking back, he raced toward the distant stairwell as an intense, spine-tingling aura surged rapidly behind him.
–Ughhh! He… lp…–
Yuan Fubin writhed on the ground. Golden phantom light flashed quickly across his face, resisting the Nightmare’s devouring of his lifespan.
In the distance, Yu Fei, who was about to return to the station, suddenly received a thread of mental connection. The information it carried, however, was somewhat in chaos.
–Lao Yuan pulled it off, right?–
The others in the car sensed this faint silk-like thread shooting toward them.
–Probably so.–
The next second, the thread abruptly spread in front of a few people’s chests, then blazed with intense light, like a trembling, flickering filament.
{Save me!}
Everyone’s expressions shifted.
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