Chapter 41: Beneath the Skin
Watching Chen Ling's head transform into a gun barrel, both Chu Muyun and the shadowy man froze in shock.
"Bang——!"
Chen Ling's vocal cords mimicked the sound of a gunshot.
A blinding flash of fire burst from the muzzle. The two figures standing directly in front snapped out of their daze and swiftly dodged!
They swept across dozens of meters in the snow at an astonishing speed before coming to a halt.
When they looked back, they found no bullet had actually been fired from the barrel—only continuous sparks erupted from the muzzle, as if simulating the act of shooting.
"This..." The shadowy man asked in confusion, "Did Square 7 ever mention that [Thousand Faces]... can turn into a gun barrel?"
"No." Chu Muyun shook his head. "[Thousand Faces] is an ability for disguise, only able to change appearance. But he... he seems able to transform into objects too."
"That's too abnormal. Is this the power of that twisted divine path..."
"But great power usually comes with a greater price."
Chu Muyun gazed calmly at the red-clothed figure in the snow, who imagined himself as a gun barrel, his expression complicated.
"Bang——Bang——Bang!"
The gun barrel incarnated by Chen Ling kept firing into the void, like a soulless zombie.
Until his muzzle "saw" Qian Fan and the other three cowering under the house, he suddenly stopped... as if thinking.
"Does he still have some reason left?" The shadowy man asked in surprise.
"More like instinct," Chu Muyun said indifferently. "The instinct for revenge."
Meanwhile, Qian Fan and the others targeted by the muzzle turned deathly pale again. They had just witnessed Chen Ling reforge his divine path, tear his body apart, and become a madman firing non-stop... The successive shocks had nearly shut down their brains.
"Damn it... Why didn't you die? Why aren't you dead yet?!"
Qian Fan roared, raising his gun again and pulling the trigger repeatedly at the red-clothed monster!
Bullets pierced Chen Ling's body, spurting streams of blood. Even though he had transformed into a gun, his physical durability hadn't increased much—it was like just changing his skin...
The next moment, a layer of skin peeled off Chen Ling's face again.
The huge, eerie gun barrel vanished, replaced by a "dan role" (female lead in opera) with apricot-like red makeup and hooked eyebrows. From the eyes and brows, she resembled the deceased Chen Yan by 80-90%!
The bright red opera robe stepped slowly through the snow, like the only vermilion in a pale world.
The "dan role" stared fixedly at Qian Fan and the others, her lips parting. Then, Chen Yan's melodious and piercing opera singing echoed above the courtyard!
"The little nun is sixteen, in the prime of youth, yet the master shaved her head.
Every day, she burns incense and changes water in the Buddha hall,
Seeing several young men playing at the mountain gate..."
The opera tune lingered. The red-clothed figure left afterimages, vanishing instantly from the spot...
Qian Fan felt a blur before his eyes, and a dagger slit his wrist. He screamed as the gun fell from his hand into the snow.
He tried to reach into his chest with his other hand to take out another ritual tool, but a cold flashed, and his other hand was sliced off...
"He looks at me, I look at him..."
Beneath the apricot-red eye makeup, a pair of empty pupils stared straight at Qian Fan, almost pressing against his face.
"Chen Ling... Chen Ling! I know I was wrong!!" Qian Fan's features contorted in pain, but fear dominated his heart. "Spare me... I'll give you all my money! I'll never again..."
Thud——
A sharp blade pierced through Qian Fan's chin, cutting off his plea.
"He and I, I and he, we care for each other deeply..."
Qian Fan's body fell straight into the snow. The "dan role" slowly pulled out the dagger and turned her gaze to the two remaining law enforcers in the courtyard.
The two let out cries of alarm, completely devoid of the will to resist, and turned to flee toward the courtyard gate.
At the same time, the "dan role" glided lightly across the ground, wide sleeves fluttering like butterfly wings. The dagger's cold light traced an elegant arc in the snow, followed by two spurts of blood.
He gradually stopped.
As the last two figures fell, the entire courtyard was soaked in blood.
The red-clothed figure stood amid the piles of corpses, blood dripping from the blade, like a demon emerging from hell.
After an unknown time, the skin resembling Chen Yan faded away, and Chen Ling returned to his original appearance.
He stood alone in the sea of blood, the dagger slipping from his hand. With a cold wind blowing, he fell backward like withered grass, lying unconscious on the ground.
"It's finally over..."
Chu Muyun and the other man approached from a distance. Looking at the unconscious Chen Ling, they let out long sighs.
"A Fusionist of a 'World-Ending' level disaster who has embarked on a twisted divine path... From now on, he is destined to be an outsider," the shadowy man said slowly.
"Being an outsider isn't the best?" Chu Muyun smiled. "The Dusk Society recruits exactly such outsiders."
"Are you really sure you want to bring him into the Dusk Society?"
"It's not me..." Chu Muyun took out an envelope from his coat pocket and held it between his fingers.
On the envelope's cover was printed a red [JOKER] card.
"It's the Red King."
...
Boom——!!
A deafening roar came from nowhere, and the falling snow instantly shattered.
In a wilderness several kilometers away from the courtyard, a boy idly playing with a branch suddenly looked up in surprise at what was before him.
In the center of the snow's [Club 8], a ferocious crack spread wildly. Han Meng's hands emerged from the crack, gripping its edge and pulling hard!
The [Club 8] shattered, and Han Meng's body fully crossed through the void. His black trench coat was covered in dust and blood, leaving him in a embarrassed and wretched state.
"You actually broke through?"
The boy covered his mouth in surprise—or rather, the large hole representing a "mouth" on the white paper.
Han Meng's chest heaved violently, as if the earlier action had exhausted him greatly. He stared fixedly at the little boy sitting on the ground and unhesitatingly raised his gun!
"Don't be so agitated. I admit I slightly underestimated you earlier. I didn't expect there to really be a genius in the Aurora Realm," the boy said with interest, resting his chin in his hand. "You're Han Meng, right? Want to join our Dusk Society?"
""No interest," Han Meng said icily. "When did this filthy organization of madmen and executioners dare to show up openly in human domains?"
"Tsk, seems you have deep prejudices against us."
"It's the truth." An intangible domain spread around Han Meng. "Article 139 of the Human Convention states that in any domain, upon discovering members of the Dusk Society, they must immediately be added to the domain's highest-level hunting list—with priority even above 'Fusionists' and 'Fire Usurpers'...
You and the human domains are sworn enemies."
"Don't say that. We've never done anything unconscionable," the boy said unhappily.
"Is that so?"
Han Meng sneered.
"Like... wiping out an entire human domain?"