With a thunderous crash, the massive body of The Crucible of Life collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust that filled the air.
Jiang Cifei lay slumped amidst the rubble, his body heavily injured and drained of every ounce of strength.
Due to excessive blood loss, his consciousness was beginning to blur. However, he forced himself to stay awake, his eyes fixed intently on the heap of deformed corpses that had finally stopped squirming.
Did they succeed?
They actually managed to kill an S-rank supernatural creature!
Jiang Cifei’s lips twitched slightly. He wanted to smile, but he simply couldn't.
Though they had triumphed over this S-rank threat, the cost was horrific—nearly everyone was dead.
The one-armed man and the residents of Peace Alley had all perished. Only Jiang Cifei and Dr. Luo were still clinging to life.
However, Jiang Cifei had completely lost the ability to move, while Dr. Luo...
She was calmly cutting away the heavily damaged parts of her own body, then selecting intact tissues from the surrounding corpses and quickly grafting them onto herself. Her movements were as practiced as someone assembling mechanical parts.
Before long, she stood up again and tested her newly attached limbs. While she wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as before, she was certainly full of life, though her breathing remained a bit hurried.
Jiang Cifei’s gaze toward Dr. Luo was filled with wariness.
Previously, everyone had been forced to unite to face the S-rank threat of The Crucible of Life. Now that the creature was dead, it was hard to say whether Dr. Luo was a friend or foe. Jiang Cifei feared she might turn on him.
Glancing at Jiang Cifei’s defensive posture, a wicked curve formed on Dr. Luo’s lips. She looked at him with a mocking expression, and just as she was about to speak...
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A clear set of footsteps approached from the distance.
Jiang Cifei and Dr. Luo turned their heads simultaneously toward the sound.
A young man wearing sunglasses and a black leather jacket, with his hair slicked back into a glossy pompadour, walked toward them with a playful smile.
Clap, clap. He lightly applauded, but there was no praise or cheer in the sound, only naked mockery.
“Zhu Qunqing, it’s you!” Jiang Cifei and Dr. Luo spoke almost at the same time.
Zhu Qunqing’s smile turned malicious. “Yes, indeed, it’s me. I didn't expect you to actually be able to take down that fusion monster. In my original estimation, you would at most have heavily injured The Crucible of Life and rendered it immobile. I underestimated your strength.”
Jiang Cifei fell silent for a moment. While fighting The Crucible of Life, he had felt an invisible person secretly helping him, which was why the scales of battle had tipped in their favor. However, there was no need to mention this to Zhu Qunqing.
Dr. Luo’s face darkened as she glared at Zhu Qunqing. “You’ve been lying to us all along, haven't you! Your eyes can see the weaknesses of supernatural creatures. When Peace Alley was cultivating The Crucible of Life, they took your advice and patched up all its weaknesses.”
“But you lied! The weaknesses you described were all fake. You used us and set up a backdoor inside The Crucible of Life, hoping to manipulate it!”
The smile on Zhu Qunqing’s face remained unchanged. “Don’t be so angry, Dr. Luo. You should be thanking me right now. If I hadn't lied back then and had actually helped you eliminate every single weakness, all of you would have died here today. You wouldn't have even had the chance to defeat it.”
“What exactly is your goal!” Dr. Luo questioned, suppressing her rage. “Now that all of Peace Alley has been destroyed, are you satisfied?!”
“I don’t have a goal; I just thought it would be fun.” Zhu Qunqing gave a perfunctory lie. He wasn't some brain-dead villain who would pour his heart out just because someone asked.
“You think I’d believe your nonsense?” Dr. Luo sneered.
Looking at Dr. Luo’s beautiful and stubborn face, Zhu Qunqing unconsciously softened his tone. “Fine, it wouldn't hurt to tell you a little bit. I just really like the abilities of The Glutton and The Crucible of Life—that nearly limitless devouring and fusion, plundering the abilities of others for one's own use.”
“The rare supernatural attributes of ‘Devour’ and ‘Fusion’ appearing in a dump like Peace Alley was a complete waste. In your hands, it was like casting pearls before swine. It’s better to give them to me so I can realize their true value.”
Dr. Luo was genuinely surprised. “No matter how rare those two supernatural attributes are, they are still the abilities of supernatural creatures. You are a transcendent; what do their abilities have to do with you?”
“Heh.” Zhu Qunqing let out a soft laugh, his expression revealing a hint of arrogance as he spoke slowly.
“There isn't actually much of a difference between the essence of supernatural creatures and transcendents. Of course, you’re only a Rank 2 transcendent, so it’s normal that you don't know these confidential secrets. This is information only Rank 3 transcendents are qualified to access.”
Dr. Luo’s heart skipped a beat. She felt as though she had just brushed against some terrifying and horrific secret. She quickly pressed, “What do you mean by that?”
“You want to know?” Zhu Qunqing’s tone was flippant. “If you really want to know, then follow me from now on. I think highly of your supernatural power; you could really shine in the field of research. Besides, I’m a very tolerant and patient man when it comes to beautiful women.”
Dr. Luo was speechless for a moment.
“As for this guy?” Zhu Qunqing looked at the dying Jiang Cifei. “Just kill him. He’s so heavily injured anyway, he probably can't be saved.”
“No, I think I can still be resuscitated!” Jiang Cifei struggled to say.
“I don’t care what you think; only what I think matters.” Zhu Qunqing clenched his fist, malice flashing in his eyes.
He was very angry. When facing a beauty like Dr. Luo, he could act like a gentleman. But Jiang Cifei was just a man, fit only to serve as a punching bag for his frustration.
Zhu Qunqing had known for a long time that the people of Peace Alley were rearing a supernatural creature; he had discovered it by accident during a field mission. However, he hadn't reported it to the Investigation Bureau. Instead, he had carefully helped them cover it up.
The ‘Devour’ attribute of The Glutton and the ‘Fusion’ attribute of The Crucible of Life were simply too unique. Having inadvertently learned the secrets of those above Rank 3, he desperately wanted to claim them for himself.
Furthermore, there was a Queen Bee in Peace Alley.
Originally, Zhu Qunqing had planned to help Bai Qingyu seize the Queen Bee core and become the new Queen Bee. He was confident that he had made Bai Qingyu fall completely in love with him. If she became the new Queen Bee, it would be equivalent to him indirectly controlling the Hive.
At the same time, he planned to slowly harvest the supernatural attributes from The Glutton and The Crucible of Life to pave his way for the realms beyond Rank 3.
He had been secretly plotting this plan for a long time. He had even thought about turning Peace Alley into one of his secret bases. He never expected that it would all fall apart so inexplicably.
How could he not be furious?!
Rate on N.U.
