Chapter 15: Three Arrows to Kill
Chapter 15: Three Arrows to Kill
Ying Ren saw Ji Xinghuo turn back, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
However, this did not affect his determination to kill Ji Xinghuo.
From the brief eye contact earlier, although he didn't understand how he had been noticed by such a weak mutant, he knew that he had to eliminate this threat. Otherwise, if Ji Xinghuo raised the alarm, the swordsmen of the "Sword Bureau" would arrive immediately, and he would have no chance of escape.
"He actually dares to aim his bow at me. How laughable!"
Contempt filled Ying Ren's eyes.
However, what he didn't know was that at this moment, the world as Ji Xinghuo saw it was completely different from his own perception, and perhaps unlike anything ever experienced by anyone on Earth.
Time seemed to slow down!
Ji Xinghuo felt as if he had pressed a pause button, and the passage of time had slowed to a fraction of its normal speed—or more accurately, his thoughts had accelerated to process information at an incredible rate.
His vision played out frame by frame, revealing every detail of the world around him.
His brain felt like a super-fast quantum computer, instantly processing vast amounts of information that would usually take him tens of minutes or even hours to understand.
He noticed the subtle bumps on the concrete surface of the street, their texture resembling that of sandpaper. The light from the street lamps was distinct, each beam clearly visible due to the rain that had fallen earlier, creating a small-scale Tyndall effect as the light interacted with the water droplets in the air, something that ordinary people would never be able to perceive.
The "Golden Leaf Privet" planted by the roadside had recently been pruned, leaving rough, golden-hued leaves with water droplets that reflected the neon lights of the city.
In the distance, one floor of a skyscraper was a banquet hall, where people were toasting and socializing.
Ji Xinghuo could even read their lips and knew that they were urging each other to drink.
"Not drinking is like not giving me face!"
These images and information flashed through Ji Xinghuo's mind, finally locking onto Ying Ren. At this moment, his appearance, features, and movements were completely exposed to Ji Xinghuo's enhanced vision.
Distance: 105 meters. Speed: 29 meters per second.
Ying Ren had sixteen wounds on his body, all inflicted by an extremely sharp and thin blade.
The most serious injury was on his left outer thigh, a deep cut that might have reached the bone and caused a noticeable decrease in his speed. Excessive blood loss had left his face pale, and his pupils were slightly unfocused, indicating the presence of a neurotoxin in his system, causing a certain degree of coordination loss between his limbs and torso.
His silent movement was a result of the "Silent Art."
The faint light gathered in his hand was an invisible blade, Ying Ren's core ability, the "Shadow Blade."
His earlier fusion with the darkness was a technique called "Shadow Escape," and his rapid, erratic footsteps, accompanied by a unique swaying rhythm, hinted at his proficiency in the "Mystic Trace" technique.
As he ran, a faint, invisible shadow trailed behind him, a subtle flow of dark light that could be unleashed at any moment, a sign that he was about to release his "Afterimage" ability.
Five abilities in total—he was definitely a super mutant!
But Ji Xinghuo was undaunted.
At this moment, the concept of fear was absent from his mind. He felt like a god in this state, all-seeing and all-powerful.
With his enhanced perception, he felt a connection to the compound bow in his hand. Ethereal lights leaped out of the void, as if guiding him from the river of time itself, forming a semi-transparent line that extended from the arrowhead, pointing toward his oncoming enemy.
This line was his predicted trajectory, a glimpse into the future before it happened! As the arrowhead moved, different possibilities unfolded.
Ji Xinghuo quickly adjusted his shooting position several times, aiming for the eyes, throat, and heart. But each time, his attack would be easily dodged or deflected. If he shot a non-vital area, it wouldn't be a fatal blow, and he would be the one dying soon after.
Shadows and lights intersected in his vision, layer upon layer, as countless pieces of information and possibilities intertwined in a complex, incomprehensible dance.
Finally, the scene froze!
Ji Xinghuo released the first arrow, targeting an advertising signboard standing by the roadside, about 90 meters away.
His training arrows were made of carbon-aluminum composite material, very light, but specially weighted at 35 grams to accommodate the high-poundage bow.
A soft whistle cut through the air as the arrow pierced the signboard's shell, striking the internal capacitor and causing an instant short circuit, which triggered a chain reaction.
Boom!
The over five-meter-tall signboard exploded.
One side of the glass shattered into countless fragments that sprayed in all directions, and several broken wires fell to the ground, sparking with flickering electricity.
It had rained not long ago, leaving a shallow layer of flowing water on the ground.
And at this moment, Ying Ren approached that puddle.
His reactions were incredibly fast, and he dared not risk stepping on what could be an electrified surface. His figure swayed, avoiding the water, and he veered left, hugging the wall of the building as he continued his dash toward Ji Xinghuo.
Ji Xinghuo stood outside the door, also hugging the wall.
He released the second arrow.
But it missed.
At least, that was what Ying Ren saw—the arrow's trajectory veered half a meter to the left, nowhere close to hitting him, so he completely ignored it.
"After all, he's just a primary mutant. It's already remarkable that he has the courage to face me."
"Performing poorly is to be expected."
These thoughts flashed through Ying Ren's mind as he closed in, now just dozens of meters away.
His gaze locked onto the young man holding the compound bow, who had already nocked a third arrow, aimed at his chest. It seemed that he didn't fully grasp the situation he was in.
Against a stronger opponent, the Shadow Blade would need to be attached to a dagger or short sword to maximize its deadly potential. But against this mere primary mutant, a casual swipe of the blade would be enough to pierce right through, and a swift cut across the throat would finish the job.
Ding!
Shadow Blade suddenly heard a collision.
The source of the sound was very close, and from the corner of his eye, he saw an arrow deflect impossibly, descending in height, and striking his left knee.
It was the same arrow he had just missed!
This was completely unexpected, as the point of collision was only a few meters away, leaving him no time to react.
The arrow embedded itself in his kneecap, penetrating a few centimeters, and instant pain shot through his leg.
"Ugh..."
Shadow Blade grunted, the arrow aggravating the injury on his left leg. His entire leg lost its strength, and his body involuntarily lurched forward for several meters, nearly causing him to fall.
As he struggled to maintain his balance, he hadn't even had time to feel relieved when he looked up to face his enemy.
A rhombus-shaped black spot rapidly expanded in his vision.
Pu!
The third arrow pierced his right eye, instantly penetrating his brain, with half of the arrowhead protruding from the back of his head.
Inertia caused Shadow Blade's body to continue lunging forward, and he tumbled on the ground for several meters, coming to a stop just a few steps away from Ji Xinghuo.
Ji Xinghuo calmly observed the motionless corpse, confirming that he was dead.
"Phew!"
He suddenly breathed heavily, unable to control the deactivation of the powerful state induced by the 'Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil.'
Instantly, his brain felt piercing pain, and his physical and mental energy plummeted to their lowest point, his body feeling utterly drained and dizzy.
"Ugh..."
Ji Xinghuo leaned against the wall, vomiting the skewers he had just eaten.
It wasn't because it was his first time killing someone, as he felt nothing in that regard. The nausea was a physiological reaction to the dizziness caused by his overworked brain, something he couldn't control. As he vomited, he heard his heart pounding wildly, and a sense of fear finally washed over him.
And all of this... because he had glanced at you one more time...
"What just happened with the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil?"
Ji Xinghuo recalled that the first thing he did was to open the interface of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil, immediately noticing something unusual.
[Master of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil: Ji Xinghuo]
[Race: Earth Human]
[Tier: Primary Mutant]
[Stellar Power: 1/56]
[Ability: Thousand Dexterity Hand (Level 1, 10/47)]
[Spiritual Source Energy: 137]
Ji Xinghuo was stunned.
When he had shot and killed his enemy, he saw a mist-like energy escaping from the corpse, morphing and shifting like silk threads. He hadn't gotten a good look before it vanished, but he felt as though something had been added to his brain, and he never expected it to be Spiritual Source Energy!
It was the very Spiritual Source Energy that he had struggled to understand for so long, and now he had obtained it!
"Do I have to kill to gain Spiritual Source Energy?"
Ji Xinghuo was shocked at first, then his thoughts became complicated. But now wasn't the time to ponder the uses of Spiritual Source Energy.
He quickly reported the incident on his phone.
With just a few clicks on the warning messages, the Ministry of Security would be able to locate his coordinates and rush to the scene.
At that moment, someone had already discovered the situation at the entrance of the building and ran away in fear.
Ji Xinghuo observed the corpse on the ground.
He was still shaken by the fact that he had just killed a super mutant!
Suddenly, he noticed something next to the corpse, probably dislodged from the dead man's pocket during his death throes. It was crystal-like, transparent and colorless, with an irregular shape and sharp edges. Just by looking at it, one could sense the abundant 'activity' it possessed, causing slight distortions in the surrounding air.
This activity was that of ether energy, a very familiar concept.
"An exotic?"
Ji Xinghuo felt like he had seen this crystal before, it seemed vaguely familiar, yet different, and he couldn't quite place it.
It could be confirmed, however, that this was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful exotic!
He hesitated for a moment before bending down to pick it up.
The crystal was lightweight, almost imperceptible in his hand. Its interior was completely transparent, and if not for its unique activity, it would be indistinguishable from a piece of broken glass on the roadside.
Its texture was also less hard than expected, with a slight elasticity, yet remarkably tough, resembling a jelly bean.
Ji Xinghuo focused his attention on the crystal.
Suddenly, the interface of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil automatically appeared in his vision, displaying information he had never seen before.
[Exotic: Rotating Magnetic Field]
[Grade: Superlimit]
[Fusion Success Rate: 99%]
[Upgradable: Yes]
Ji Xinghuo's pupils dilated, and his hand holding the crystal trembled slightly.
He was astonished not only because the crystal was a superlimit-grade exotic but also because of the Myriad Phenomenon Star Pupil's ability to directly reveal the exotic's information!
Ji Xinghuo stood there, immobilized by shock, and it took him a long while to regain his senses.
It was only when he heard the roar above him that he looked up to see a medium-sized sky-vessel hovering over the apartment building. The cargo bay door opened, and a dazzling figure descended from the sky, plummeting towards his location at high speed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
