The hand resting on his shoulder felt like it possessed immense weight, pressing down so hard that he couldn't even lift a finger.
The Level 3 Mid Stage Ability Core spun frantically, and ice energy surged through his body as he tried to break free from the suppression.
But the force was too strong.
It was like a mountain crashing down, like the gaze of the abyss.
A Level 4 Ability User!
The thought flashed through Cold Wind’s mind, causing his heart to race.
Was this the gap between Level 3 and Level 4?
He had cultivated for years, climbing from Level 1 to Level 3 Mid Stage step by step. He had experienced countless life-and-death battles, faced Aberrants stronger than himself, vicious vagrant bandits, and opponents of the same rank or even at the Level 3 Late Stage.
But never once had he felt such... helplessness.
This was not a battle; it was a total suppression.
Like an ant before a giant elephant, or a fly caught in a spider's web.
All his trump cards, all his experience, and all his skills were utterly meaningless before that withered hand.
The gap between Level 3 and Level 4 was not a wall, but an abyss.
As a Level 3, no matter how fast he was, there was a limit; no matter how great his strength, there was a boundary; no matter how powerful his mental power, it would eventually be exhausted.
A Level 3 Ability User could be injured, exhausted, afraid, and prone to mistakes.
But Level 4 was different.
When this person appeared behind him, he hadn't sensed even the slightest energy fluctuation.
It wasn't that he was good at hiding; it was that his aura had already merged with the surrounding environment.
Like water merging into water, or sand vanishing into sand.
This was not a technique; it was a difference in Realm.
“Are you Cold Wind?”
The raspy voice sounded again, tinged with amusement, like a cat toying with a mouse under its claws.
Cold Wind gritted his teeth and turned his head with great difficulty.
Then, he saw the man.
It was an extremely small and thin man.
He stood behind Cold Wind, his back slightly hunched, looking like a scrawny monkey huddled in a corner.
He wore a black bodysuit without any military rank or identifiable insignia.
His skin was an unnatural grayish-white, the kind of pallor seen only in those who hadn't seen sunlight for a long time.
His face was covered in fine wrinkles, like a crumpled piece of paper.
But those eyes—
Those eyes sent a chill down Cold Wind’s spine.
They were murky, yellowish-green eyes.
The pupils were vertical, like those of some reptile.
The eyeballs protruded slightly, their surfaces bloodshot as if from chronic insomnia or some disease.
But what unsettled Cold Wind the most was what those eyes contained.
It wasn't killing intent or hostility.
It was a kind of... curiosity.
The kind of cruel curiosity one feels when watching a lab rat struggle in a cage.
“Who... who are you?” Cold Wind’s voice was tight.
The small man tilted his head, his lips slowly curling back to reveal a row of crooked yellow teeth.
“Me?”
He laughed.
The smile reminded Cold Wind of the expression a starving wild dog in the Ruin Zone would make before pouncing on its prey.
“You can call me... Butcher.”
Butcher.
Cold Wind’s heart nearly stopped at that moment.
It really was him!
Butcher released his grip on Cold Wind’s shoulder and took a step back.
With his hands behind his back and his waist slightly hunched, he paced the room. His steps were slow, each one landing on the same rhythmic beat.
His gaze swept over every corner of the room, finally resting on the iron bars of the window.
“This place is quite nice,” he said, his voice still raspy. “Quiet, good for recovering.”
Butcher turned and looked at Cold Wind.
“Do you know why I’m here?”
Cold Wind was silent for a moment. “I don’t.”
Butcher chuckled, a short, piercing sound like the screech of a night owl.
“The higher-ups sent me to investigate how your 3rd Mobile Brigade was wiped out.”
His voice was very soft, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
But every word pricked Cold Wind’s heart like a needle.
“The Commander said it was a Level 4 Ability User.” Butcher turned, his yellowish-green vertical pupils staring straight at Cold Wind.
“But I have a feeling... things aren't that simple.”
He began walking toward Cold Wind.
Each step was slow, each landing on the same rhythmic beat.
Tap... tap... tap.
“The four of you, all Level 3s, couldn't even defeat that person together?” Butcher stopped in front of Cold Wind, looking down at him. “You didn't even have a chance to fight back?”
Cold Wind looked directly into those yellowish-green eyes, his voice calm. “Yes.”
“What did that person look like?”
“I didn't see clearly.”
“Didn't see clearly?” Butcher tilted his head, his lips curling to show his crooked yellow teeth. “Four Level 3s, and not one of you saw what the opponent looked like?”
“He was very fast. We couldn't keep up,” Cold Wind said without a hint of emotion.
Butcher stared at him for a few seconds and then laughed.
There was amusement, cruelty, and an indescribable... excitement in that smile.
“Interesting.”
He stepped back, hands behind his back and waist hunched, continuing to pace the room.
“I heard that person lured you into the Non-Safe Zone?”
“Yes.”
“I heard that person can control Aberrants?”
“Yes.”
“I heard you encountered a Blood-Scythe Ant swarm in the Non-Safe Zone?”
“Yes.”
Butcher stopped and turned to look at Cold Wind.
An indescribable emotion swirled in those yellowish-green vertical pupils.
“Then where do you think... that person would be now, if they really exist?”
Cold Wind’s heart rate quickened slightly.
But his face remained calm. “I don’t know.”
“Don't know?” Butcher repeated the words, his smile deepening. “Didn't you all think that person came from the Terminal Station?”
“It was just a guess. We have no concrete evidence...”
Butcher stared at Cold Wind, his gaze like a viper’s tongue licking every inch of his skin.
“The target of your 3rd Mobile Brigade, before you set out, was the Terminal Station.”
“You were intercepted halfway there, before you even reached the Terminal Station.”
“Wiped out, with only a few of you Ability Users returning alive.”
Butcher’s voice grew softer and slower, as if he were hypnotizing him.
“Don’t you think... that’s a bit too coincidental?”
Cold Wind looked him straight in the eyes. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Butcher stared at him for a few seconds and then laughed.
The short, piercing laughter echoed in the small room.
Cold Wind stood his ground expressionlessly, though his heart was racing.
Once he had finished laughing, Butcher abruptly fell silent. His yellowish-green vertical pupils locked onto Cold Wind, his gaze like a physical blade scraping across every inch of Cold Wind’s skin.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand...”
“Perhaps I’ll need you to enlighten me...”
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