The reason Yue Shi paused wasn't because he was moved by the one-eyed man's pleas for mercy. Rather, it was because he caught a faint, pungent scent from the man—a strange, cloying sweetness that smelled like some kind of chemical.
This unique scent had appeared once before at Zhong Mo's house.
In an instant, countless dark suspicions flashed through Yue Shi's mind. He asked coldly, "Who exactly are you? Who sent you to attack me?"
"No, I didn't mean to..." the heavily injured one-eyed man said with great difficulty.
"I don't even know you. There's no reason for me to fight you to the death. It was the blade—it manipulated and interfered with my consciousness! It wanted to find a new wielder!"
Hearing this, Yue Shi tightened his grip. The one-eyed man's face immediately turned a bruised purple.
"Aren't you someone sent by the Tulip Security Company to assist Pei Yue? What is your relationship with Zhong Mo?"
Feeling the chilling killing intent radiating from Yue Shi, the one-eyed man's expression of entreaty deepened. He opened his mouth, but only a muffled groan escaped his throat.
Yue Shi loosened his fingers slightly, and the one-eyed man immediately explained in a panic, "I'm a friend of Zhong Mo's. He's been in trouble lately, and I came to help him."
"That short sword is a supernatural object. Different wielders give it different names, and it grants the wielder physical reinforcement in different areas."
"But the blade has a demonic nature. The wielder's personality is affected, becoming impulsive, aggressive, and fearless. Furthermore, the blade chooses its own master. Once it encounters a more suitable candidate, it abandons its original wielder."
"I have no grudge against you. It was this blade that made me see you as an enemy. If I had defeated you, the blade would still be mine. Conversely, the blade would leave me of its own accord."
Yue Shi suddenly understood. No wonder the one-eyed man had irrationally thrown the short sword earlier, even though keeping it in his hand was clearly the better choice. His personality had also undergone a massive shift; he was as weak now as he had been stubborn just moments ago.
However... it seemed this one-eyed fish that had been hooked was the wrong one!
Just then, a loud bang echoed as the door was suddenly burst open. Led by Ling Xun, a group of heavily armed members of the Investigation Bureau blocked the entrance.
"You sure took your time. You're late," Yue Shi said coldly.
Ling Xun gave an embarrassed smile. "I saw that you could handle it on your own. Our sudden interference might have caused more trouble. Fortunately, you successfully captured the target alive."
Yue Shi threw the one-eyed man onto the floor. "Don't get your hopes up too early. It seems I got the wrong guy."
Ling Xun asked hurriedly, "What happened?"
Yue Shi replied, "This guy seems to be just a common burglar."
The one-eyed man didn't dare to contradict him. To save his life, he behaved with absolute obedience.
Ling Xun countered, "Hand him over to me first. We won't know if we have the wrong person until after the interrogation."
With that, the members of the Investigation Bureau walked in.
Only then did they notice the large flock of ravens perched around the room. Their dark eyes stared silently at everyone, causing an inexplicable sense of dread and making skin crawl.
Of course, their movements were unaffected. In fact, they moved even faster, first scanning the one-eyed man with a detector to ensure he was human and not a supernatural creature or a carrier of contamination.
Then, they handcuffed him and carried him away on a stretcher.
As they passed by Yue Shi, he lightly hooked his finger, activating 【Plague Doctor】.
In the next second, the one-eyed man suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. His throat, in particular, began to swell, making breathing difficult.
He struggled instinctively, but the Bureau personnel seemed to misunderstand his actions and plunged a syringe directly into his arm.
As the unknown drug was injected into his body, the one-eyed man's limbs went completely limp, leaving him without a shred of mobility.
Not only that, someone fitted him with an electronic collar. It was a shock device specifically designed to deal with transcendents.
At this point, the one-eyed man could no longer speak. But when he saw himself being treated with such gravity, he felt nothing but shock, beyond even the power to complain.
Was such an exaggeration really necessary?
In reality, he wasn't a transcendent at all!
His superhuman physical stats, combat abilities, and immunity to mental attacks were all granted to him by that short sword!
Without the blade, he was just a relatively strong ordinary person who couldn't stir up any trouble.
Unfortunately, no one could read his expression.
Once the one-eyed man was taken away, the others withdrew as well. Ling Xun looked at the marks in the room and deduced that the battle just now had been extremely intense.
"Have you seen that one-eyed man before?" Ling Xun asked in a low voice.
Yue Shi shook his head. "No."
"He really wasn't sent by the forces behind the Tulip Security Company?" Ling Xun asked, puzzled.
If Yue Shi hadn't smelled the strange scent on the one-eyed man, he might have assumed the man was indeed from the forces behind Tulip Security. It was a pity; the one-eyed man seemed to be just a disruptor who had been accidentally drawn in by the demonic blade's influence.
It wasn't ruled out that he was involved in other conspiracies, but Yue Shi didn't have time to investigate for now.
Ling Xun said, "Regardless of who he is, the Investigation Bureau has ways to pry every secret out of his mouth."
Yue Shi believed in the Bureau's methods, but... it was no longer necessary. There was no need for the man to speak again.
Feeling the cold short sword in his hand and the combat techniques that felt as if they were etched into his very bones, Yue Shi had gained quite a lot from this encounter. Since he still had the lead on Pei Yue, and the one-eyed man knew he possessed defensive supernatural powers, it was better for the man to stay silent forever...
"That one-eyed man is quite skilled. Don't let him escape," Yue Shi reminded him casually, without much sincerity.
"Don't worry about it," Ling Xun said dismissively. He then glanced at the battered living room of Yue Shi's home and said thoughtfully, "I think you should move to a different place. This area is remote, dilapidated, and not very safe."
Yue Shi replied, "Alright, I'll consider it."
Ling Xun turned to leave, only saying before he went, "Be careful. The Investigation Bureau will continue to monitor the area in secret."
After everyone had left, Yue Shi was the only one left in the room.
The door was broken, the table was destroyed, and the place was a mess. Amidst the wreckage, he raised the short sword and examined it closely.
The distorted characters on the hilt remained the unreadable "██".
This thing had certain side effects, but compared to the positive buffs it provided, those side effects were tolerable.
Moreover, Yue Shi had sufficient confidence in himself to master it. After all, compared to his massive cheat, this blade was absolutely nothing.
After doing some simple cleaning in the room, Yue Shi took out his phone and dialed Zhong Mo's number.
Once the call connected, Zhong Mo's gentle voice came through. "What is it?"
Yue Shi asked directly, "You haven't left Amber City yet?"
Zhong Mo replied, "I'm waiting for a friend."
Yue Shi said, "That... friend of yours, is he missing an eye?"
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