Fond of Jokes, Are We?

"Hey! Are you the leader?"The young man called out to Chen Dafu. "What should I call you? My surname is Su; just call me Xiao Su."

Mike, observing from the shadows, took a second look at the young man. He was shocked to realize that Xiao Su was actually from the same family.

Chen Dafu said nothing, just stared at the young man. It was Da Wang, however, who spoke up and introduced, "This is our Captain Chen."

"Captain Chen, huh? He must be a seasoned leader, handling battles with flair. Just look at the way he carries himself!" Xiao Su remarked, his eyes gleaming with admiration as he glanced at the defenders. He waved at Chen Dafu. "Captain Chen, please, bring your people into the city. It's not our style in Dantu to leave guests waiting outside."

"Well... maybe we should discuss things here first?" Da Wang interjected, his eyes sharp. He had figured out by now that Captain Chen, just like Chen Xun had mentioned, wasn't one for small talk and negotiations. That responsibility clearly rested with him.

"To be honest, we came here to get an explanation from Dantu," Da Wang continued after a brief pause, his voice steady but serious. "Your commander sent you, so you should have some influence in Dantu, right?"

"A few hours ago, Captain Chen was ambushed by a group of hundreds in Xinchang. Our Talent users investigated and found out they were all from Dantu."

"Our commander was furious and sent us here overnight to get some answers." Da Wang's tone was measured, though his words carried an edge. "Since we all know that under the current command structure, cooperation in disaster relief is paramount, Dantu has no reason to be involved in something like this. Perhaps there's been some misunderstanding?"

"Hey, hey, your understanding is high! Much better than what my commander said!" Xiao Su said excitedly, nodding in approval. Da Wang, though, felt a growing unease. These young people were acting strange.

"Oh, right, ambush, you said ambush?" Xiao Su seemed to suddenly recall. He looked over his shoulder at his companions. "Anyone here know anything about this? Who ambushed Captain Chen in Xinchang?"

"No idea."

Everyone in the group shook their heads in unison, their voices eerily synchronized.

Da Wang felt a chill down his spine. There was something off about this group, especially Xiao Su. In the dim night, it was hard to pinpoint the source of his discomfort.

"Oh well, guess no one knows," Xiao Su sighed, turning back to Da Wang with a helpless shrug. "See? The culprit's not here."

"Xiao Su, Dantu's a big place. The assassin can't possibly be one of you," Da Wang warned, furrowing his brow. "I think you should tell Commander Chasing Wind about this. The relationship between our cities is important; we don't want to mishandle it."

"Ah, tell the commander? Too much trouble…" Xiao Su muttered, glancing back at his team. "Who brought the whistle device? Can anyone contact the commander?"

"No one brought it."

Again, everyone replied in unison, shaking their heads.

Da Wang's unease deepened. These young people were acting more and more like robots.

"Well, this is troublesome," Xiao Su said, shrugging dramatically. "Why don't we just go into the city and ask the commander in person? He'll definitely give you an answer!"

"If Dantu's at fault, the commander will compensate you, no doubt." Xiao Su's voice was upbeat, as if offering an olive branch.

"Compensate? How does he plan to compensate me?"

Chen Dafu, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. His hands were clasped behind his back as he looked at Xiao Su with a cold smile. "Is he going to teach me some neck-twisting trick?"

Twisting neck... endlessly?

Da Wang froze, his eyes widening in shock. He had just realized what was wrong. Xiao Su had been talking to him and the others, but his head had been swiveling back and forth like some mechanical puppet.

It wasn't normal! Surely his neck must have snapped by now!

A chill ran down Da Wang's spine as he instinctively took a step back, seeking the safety of Chen Dafu's shadow.

"Oh, you want to learn?" Xiao Su beamed, his expression full of amusement. "How cool is this trick? Doesn't it look like a ghost?"

"No."

Chen Dafu's response was flat, his eyes narrowing with barely-contained disdain. "But I can make you a ghost."

In the blink of an eye, a short black knife appeared from the sleeve of Chen Dafu's left arm, held tightly in his grasp. His patience had worn thin.

Xiao Su, however, still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. With a twisted grin, he continued to spin his head as he taunted, "Heh, come on then..."

But before Xiao Su could finish his sentence, everything blurred.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Dafu moved like a flash of lightning, closing the distance between them in an instant.

Xiao Su barely had time to react before a sharp pain exploded in his neck. His vision blurred as he saw his own head flying through the air, watching in disbelief as his body slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"I thought you were some ghost with immunity to physical damage," Chen Dafu remarked, his voice dripping with contempt. "Turns out, I can still decapitate you."

The group of young people standing behind Xiao Su remained eerily still, their eyes blank, staring at Chen Dafu without blinking. They seemed frozen in place, as though in shock, but Chen Dafu wasn't convinced.

There was something deeply wrong here.

"Something's off."

Chen Dafu's expression darkened as he heard Da Wang's panicked voice behind him. "Captain! Captain! It's coming straight for you!"

"Hmm?"

Chen Dafu glanced down and, through the magical light that illuminated the grass, saw something horrifying—Xiao Su's severed head, rolling toward him.

With an expression of disinterest, Chen Dafu kicked the head to a stop with his boot, crushing it beneath his heel.

"Ah, ah, ah! That hurts!"

Xiao Su's head, impossibly, let out a voice, his cry full of pain. "Captain Chen! Don't step on my ears! They're going to fall off! Please, we can talk about this!"

"You're not dead?"

Chen Dafu crouched slightly, eyeing Xiao Su's disembodied head. He lifted his boot just enough to let Xiao Su adjust his position, facing him.

"Spit… spit!"

Xiao Su coughed out a mouthful of grass, his expression one of reluctant humor. "Captain Chen, my ability's a little different… I was just joking earlier. You didn't need to get so mad."

"Good thing I'm still alive, or Dantu and your city would have a huge misunderstanding."

"You've already crossed the line with me."

Chen Dafu's tone turned cold. His eyes were steely as he fixed Xiao Su's head with an unblinking stare. "Tell me, who sent the assassins after me tonight?"

"If you don't give me a straight answer, I'll slaughter every one of you."

"Before we deal with this, can you at least put my head back?"

Xiao Su, as if trying to reason with Chen Dafu, asked in a calm tone, "Captain Chen, I'm bleeding everywhere. I'll pass out from blood loss at this rate."

Chen Dafu raised an eyebrow, looking at the still-standing body. It was leaking blood at an alarming rate, a pool spreading beneath it.

"Is that your weakness? Too much blood loss and you die?"

"Not exactly… but I'll be weak, and I won't be able to fight." Xiao Su added, half embarrassed. "You probably don't know, but I've got a partner back in the apocalypse. A man my age can't afford to be weak."

Chen Dafu chuckled darkly, his eyes narrowing. "Didn't think you'd be so experienced. Guess you've had your head chopped off a lot, huh?"

"More than twenty times… but it's not just the head, I've had other parts cut off too. Even had my heart removed once."

"So you're immortal?"

Chen Dafu asked, intrigued. Xiao Su's tone grew more hurried. "I mean, sort of… Captain Chen, can we please talk like normal? Can you put my head back on now?"

"Why should I listen to you?"

Chen Dafu smiled lazily, his gaze locked on Xiao Su's eyes. Then, with a casual flourish, he dropped the name of Xiao Su's ability.

"Master of the Shell."

[Master of the Shell]: S-rank shelter ability; you can control any part of your body freely. Your body no longer suffers any fatal injuries, and discomfort is greatly reduced. Even if your body is severely injured, as long as any part remains within 100 kilometers of the shelter, it can regenerate in 24 hours. However, take care of your shell, for if it turns into another substance, you will die.

Xiao Su's eyes widened in shock. He was clearly stunned. "Captain Chen… You're… you're a scout-type ability user?"

"That's right," Chen Dafu responded coolly, a smug grin on his face. Xiao Su's surprise was palpable. He hadn't expected this kind of power from a scout-type.

"From the looks of your ability, you've probably hidden some of your parts or tissue near your shelter, haven't you?"

Chen Dafu glanced at the body that had been left headless. He noticed that Xiao Su's left pinky finger was missing a chunk of flesh.

"But if I take your head and go far away, will you still regenerate?" Chen Dafu mused aloud. "Hmm… will there be two of you then?"

"Don't! Don't mess with me!"

Xiao Su's panic was evident now, his eyes wide as he realized the situation. These people had traveled from Xinchang to Dantu for a reason, and they clearly had the power to cross the mist. If Chen Dafu took his head far enough, Xiao Su knew he was as good as dead.

"Since you like to joke so much, how about I return the favor?"

Chen Dafu smirked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Heavy Mountain."

Without looking back, he called out, and a massive, armored soldier emerged from the mist.

"General!"

The towering figure of the soldier, like a mountain of steel, sent a chill down Xiao Su's spine.

"Here, take it."

Chen Dafu kicked Xiao Su's head over to the soldier. "Take this head back to Xinchang, at least 100 kilometers away. Keep a record and see if it dies or grows a new body."

"Understood."

The soldier picked up the head with a grim expression, ready to turn back.

"Commander! Commander!"

Xiao Su's voice rang out, desperate, as he screamed. "Get me out of here! Save me! These lunatics—they're really going to kill me!"