Chapter 74: A Boisterous Woman, An Elegant Gentleman
The ringing of the phone startled Cen Xiangyun, who was hiding in a toilet stall, trying to escape her overzealous fans.
It seemed she hadn’t overestimated her popularity after all… it was just those two sisters who were unusual.
As she was contemplating her escape strategy, the phone she used for Awakened matters rang. It was an unknown number.
Cen Xiangyun’s first thought was that it was some annoying person from the Company. After all, besides Awakened Ones from the Company, few people had this number.
So, her initial tone wasn’t very friendly, but unexpectedly… the caller was one of the “few,” the Grotesque-side Awakened girl she had just given her business card to.
“Hold on, tell me your approximate location. Hiss… it seems Uncle Shaoheng needs to make a move.”
Cen Xiangyun mentally praised Uncle Shaoheng’s judgment while relaying the situation to him through their communication app.
“South of Huolu Mountain… I don’t know how far I’ve walked.”
“That’s enough. Please hold on for three minutes, we’ll be right there.”
Cen Xiangyun sent her location and Luo Ling’s approximate location to Li Shaoheng.
Just as she was about to leave the stall, a knock came on the door.
“I’m here, let’s go,” Uncle Shaoheng’s voice.
An Order path Awakened One, codenamed Spatial Distortion, possessing the ability to manipulate space. The specifics of his ability were unknown.
Cen Xiangyun only knew that Uncle Shaoheng could enlarge or shrink a space relative to his own position, achieving a teleportation-like effect.
Simply put, if a place was three hundred meters away from him, he could shorten that distance to thirty centimeters, but only for himself.
And since Li Shaoheng’s stride was about thirty centimeters, he would effectively move three hundred meters in that direction.
Conversely, if someone was a few meters away from him, he could enlarge that distance to several hundred meters, preventing them from approaching.
He had other abilities, but Li Shaoheng rarely used them, as this one was usually sufficient.
“Ah… okay.”
Cen Xiangyun quickly opened the stall door and was met with several stunned faces.
A group of girls had just entered the restroom and saw a middle-aged man standing at the stall door, holding a woman’s hand.
Fortunately, Cen Xiangyun had instinctively stepped back, keeping her face hidden. Otherwise… the headlines in a few days would be quite interesting.
“Pervert!”
The girls screamed, but the next moment, the restroom was empty, only they remained.
“…Did we see wrong?”
Due to the cognitive barrier, after exchanging confused glances, they dismissed the strange incident.
“Uncle Shaoheng, you actually came inside… this is the women’s restroom.”
“Apologies, time is of the essence.”
Within a minute, Li Shaoheng and Cen Xiangyun arrived at the foot of Huolu Mountain.
Li Shaoheng’s expression was grim. He looked up at the crescent moon in the sky, tinged with a faint, blood-like hue.
“This isn’t good. We’re inside an incubation barrier. And it seems… it hasn’t been active for long.”
“Another… Dangerous Grotesquery?” Cen Xiangyun’s eyes widened. “Why are there so many Dangerous Grotesqueries in Jiangcheng County? Even in the capital, encountering one a year is rare…”
Ji Shinian had told them about Baiyan Village before they came. Initially, she and Uncle Shaoheng had thought he was exaggerating. Even the weakest Dangerous Grotesquery wasn’t something a few Mid-Order Awakened Ones could handle.
They were more inclined to believe that Performer, now deceased, had killed the Dangerous Grotesquery. After all, the Harbingers of Calamity had their unique methods of dealing with Grotesqueries.
As for the other theory, about “Ji Ying” also being a Dangerous Grotesquery, they were skeptical.
The probability of two Dangerous Grotesqueries appearing in the same place was incredibly low.
But now…
“I’ll consider requesting reinforcements from the Company, but that’s not what we should be discussing now. We have to prepare for the worst,” Li Shaoheng said grimly, taking out a radar device. Besides a map, it also displayed a series of complex parameters.
It clearly served a similar purpose to An Yu’s compass, but much more sophisticated.
“How is it?”
Cen Xiangyun asked nervously.
Li Shaoheng’s expression turned strange, then he looked up towards the mountain, his eyes narrowing.
“The incubation site is moving! And… it’s heading south.”
South?
Wasn’t that the direction little Luo Ling had run in?
Cen Xiangyun was startled.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go after it!”
But Li Shaoheng didn’t move, looking at Cen Xiangyun intently.
“Are you sure that Grotesque-side Awakened One… is really an Awakened One?”
“I think… so?”
Cen Xiangyun said, then hesitated.
The reason she had assumed Luo Ling was a Grotesque-side Awakened One, not a Grotesquery, was because she looked human and seemed rational.
Ordinary Grotesqueries couldn’t do that. They only acted on instinct, driven by their respective paths.
…Unless it was a High-Risk Grotesquery, or even worse, something close to a Taboo.
There was a rule in the Company’s commission handling guidelines: if they encountered a Grotesquery indistinguishable from a human in any mission, under any circumstances, they had to abandon everything and retreat immediately, even if it meant abandoning their teammates.
Bringing back information about such a Grotesquery, even a single sentence, could save tens of thousands of lives.
This was the only rule in the guidelines that explicitly allowed for abandoning teammates, but Cen Xiangyun had never heard of anyone actually following it, and she had always thought it was a joke.
“I hope so.”
Li Shaoheng looked at Cen Xiangyun intently, then strapped a pouch containing a dozen small, handleless knives to his waist.
Cen Xiangyun knew this was Uncle Shaoheng’s Sacred Tool, meaning he was taking this seriously. He had brought out his Authority-imbued Sacred Tool, the Edge of Demise.
Yes, although Awakened Ones couldn’t possess Authorities, they weren’t completely cut off from them.
Eighteen people in the Company possessed Sacred Tools imbued with Authorities, all crafted from the Sacred Relics of High-Risk Grotesqueries, containing a portion of their power.
Of course, they couldn’t compare to those half-human, half-Grotesquery old geezers in the Harbingers. “Using” and “possessing” were two entirely different concepts.
“I hope so too…”
Cen Xiangyun muttered. She didn’t want to lose her year-end bonus, which was so close.
The hairpin Sacred Tool was beckoning…
Just as they were about to leave, they heard a series of claps from behind them, followed by a playful, boisterous voice.
“Well, well, well, look who it is. The Company actually sent you here, Mr. Spatial Distortion. Those toddlers in Jiangcheng County are quite resourceful, aren’t they?”
Hearing this voice, Li Shaoheng stopped in his tracks.
“Besides Artist, you’re here too?” He turned and looked at the one-eyed woman sitting casually on a stone bench at the foot of the mountain, his expression cold. “Scientist.”
“So glad you still remember me. I apologize, but just like last time, you’re not going anywhere today.”
Scientist snapped her fingers, a playful smile on her lips.
“Xiangyun, you go ahead. I’ll deal with her first,” Li Shaoheng said, turning to Cen Xiangyun.
“Her ability can Retrospect my actions. Even with Spatial Distortion, I can’t escape. Don’t worry, we’re probably not unlucky enough to encounter something more terrifying than a High-Risk Grotesquery. It’s most likely just an ‘egg’ chasing after that girl.”
That was what he said, but who could say for sure with Grotesqueries?
Perhaps on an ordinary afternoon, a city-destroying, or even region-destroying, disaster would appear.
But Li Shaoheng didn’t say these things. There would be plenty of time to teach his juniors later.
“…Mm.”
Cen Xiangyun nodded, glancing curiously at Scientist. This was her first time meeting a member of the Harbingers of Calamity.
One of humanity’s greatest enemies.
Sensing Cen Xiangyun’s gaze, Scientist smiled at her and said,
“Empress, I really enjoyed your ‘Butterfly Dynasty’ series. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you… at least not before the series ends. I don’t like unfinished stories.”
Hearing this, Cen Xiangyun felt a strange sense of dissonance. Would a public enemy of humanity watch movies?
“If you still want your year-end bonus, you better hurry up and go.”
Li Shaoheng touched the Edge of Demise at his waist, his gaze fixed on Scientist.
Although he knew her ability countered his, making it difficult to kill her here, he had to try.
Because she was evil, truly evil.
Scientist, in the name of research, had once requested Philosopher’s help in slaughtering two entire cities, killing everyone except for children under three years old with Philosopher’s ability.
Then, she had collected the surviving infants and children and conducted inhumane experiments on them.
The ultimate goal of her experiments was unknown, but as far as the Company knew, there were no survivors.
Li Shaoheng had encountered Scientist several times in Victoria years ago. Her Retrospect ability completely countered his spatial manipulation.
Even if he teleported hundreds or thousands of meters away, Scientist could instantly bring him back to his original position.
A very troublesome opponent…
However, to Scientist, Li Shaoheng’s ability was also uniquely troublesome. Fighting someone who could manipulate space wasn’t something she could handle with just Retrospect.
As fellow Awakened Ones on the difficult Order path, they understood each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
While Scientist and Li Shaoheng faced off, Cen Xiangyun quickly took out an ice crystal staff and ran towards the south of Huolu Mountain.
“Artist is over there. Aren’t you worried he’ll kill your little niece? I didn’t kill her, but Artist might. He doesn’t like movies that are too commercial.”
Scientist reminded him with a smile, casually removing her cat-faced eye patch, revealing a prosthetic eye with a living pupil embedded in it.
“I believe she can handle herself,” Li Shaoheng said grimly, drawing three throwing knives. “My only mission now is to kill you.”
…
Luo Ling had noticed.
She stopped running.
Looking up, a blood-red crescent moon hung in the sky, a chilling sight.
A new “egg” had been born.
Luo Ling knew she couldn’t escape the incubation barrier because she was now its core.
She hadn’t been an “egg” before, but now, she had been chosen, just like the white reishi and Li Tianming.
A power was welling up within her, a power she was all too familiar with.
…The Puppet Ballad.
Luo Ling wasn’t in her White Witch form and theoretically couldn’t use the Puppet Ballad’s abilities, but she now possessed this power.
“So this is what it feels like to be an ‘egg’ of the Puppet Ballad…”
Luo Ling chuckled softly.
The Puppet Ballad hadn’t implanted its mycelia into her body but was instead sensing her thoughts, her intentions, and lending her its power.
More accurately, if Luo Ling wanted to use an ability, the Puppet Ballad would use it for her, granting her the results.
No wonder Li Tianming and the white reishi could use the Puppet Ballad’s abilities without any training.
Who could resist such power without a price? The host of an “egg” would be tempted to use this power constantly, falling deeper and deeper into the abyss, their flesh and blood gradually replaced by white mycelia… until they became a part of the Puppet Ballad.
…There were no “Dangerous Grotesqueries,” no separate entities of the Puppet Ballad. There was only one High-Risk Grotesquery, a terrifying entity of Sequence Forty-Nine.
But through this, Luo Ling also discovered that the Puppet Ballad… was indeed in an unprecedentedly weakened state. It had to rely on “eggs” to accumulate power.
Why had it suddenly chosen her as an “egg” at this moment…?
Luo Ling thought of the “fake Grotesqueries” she had encountered at the shopping mall and instantly understood.
It must have encountered these “fake Grotesqueries” and, unable to distinguish between real and fake, greedily consumed them all.
But the problem was, there were no “eggs” left in Jiangcheng County. The Puppet Ballad had to create a new “egg” to absorb this power, and it seemed rather hasty.
Choosing Luo Ling was a mistake.
She was too familiar with this power. She knew its limits, how to use it, and its consequences.
Also, this situation confirmed one thing, something that reassured Luo Ling.
…Ji Ying wasn’t an “egg,” or at least, she wasn’t on the Puppet Ballad’s side. Otherwise, it wouldn’t need to create a new “egg.”
Her sister beside her stirred, about to wake up, but Luo Ling gently prevented her, not wanting her to see what was about to happen.
Someone was approaching.
And they weren’t friendly.
Luo Ling sat on the bench at the bus stop, waiting quietly.
Soon, a young man… or rather, a young man with a middle-aged face, slowly approached.
He wore an elegant tailcoat, perfectly tailored, and a slightly worn top hat with a gleaming gold insignia on the side.
A monocle was perched in his deep-set left eye socket, and he held a short cane in his hand.
Even just standing there, despite his somewhat comical appearance and height, the only impression he gave was… elegance.
He was an elegant gentleman.
Artist.
“Excellent. This Grotesquery’s situation is unexpected. It seems someone else killed Performer,” Artist glanced at Luo Ling and quickly assessed her state. “Miss, do you choose to end your own life, or shall I assist you?”
Luo Ling, having just become an “egg” and not yet having used the Puppet Ballad’s power for any benefit, was easily identified as having a weak connection to the Grotesquery.
If she were like the white reishi or Li Tianming, deeply entrenched and unable to extricate herself, she would likely be mistaken for an independent Grotesquery.
In fact, Performer had misjudged the Puppet Ballad’s strength because of this, not because she lacked Artist’s insight.
As for why he said someone else had killed Performer… Scientist’s Retrospect had revealed the truth. The white reishi that consumed Performer was at least between Sequence 120 and 150, a level that required a team of High-Order Awakened Ones to eliminate.
Although a higher Sequence didn’t always mean greater strength, it did indicate a certain level of power.
This dormant High-Risk Grotesquery, even using only a fraction of its power, had already reached the level of a Dangerous Grotesquery.
The “egg” currently attached to Luo Ling, however, was weaker.
At most, equivalent to a slightly stronger High-Order Awakened One.
Artist alone was enough.
Seeing Luo Ling’s silence, Artist shook his head and said softly,
“Such a youthful age… I can’t bear to see such a delicate flower wither before it blooms. Even if you don’t choose to end your own life, I will ensure your body remains intact, preserving this beauty.”
He took a step forward, but before he could make another move, an ice spike erupted from the ground, blocking his path.
Artist turned and saw a tall woman in a beret, holding an ice staff, her expression cold.
“A withered flower defiling art, a vulgar fool drowning in the stench of money,” Artist sneered at the sight of Cen Xiangyun. “Excellent, I’ve been wanting to kill someone from the Company.”
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