Chapter 967
Chapter 967 - 953张 Provocation
1,336 words
•
7 min read
"I’m starting to like the Life system a bit."
"At least, the taste of getting something for nothing is truly exhilarating."
The taste of harvest always brings joy, especially when there’s no need to pay a price.
The same things always feel particularly satisfying when you mooch them off someone else.
"You mooch my money, house, and opportunities for growth, and I mooch your abilities, aren’t we all the same!"
Mr. An Nan was watching the emotionally agitated Blood Feast crowd while uttering "It might be a misunderstanding," "It probably wasn’t him," and such overly "realistic" nonsense.
While managing his expressions well, Lu Ping’an still found time to sort through his new abilities.
"Tsk, that really stinks."
Lu Ping’an had to try very hard to suppress the urge to cover his nose.
In his perception, the group of people in front of him wasn’t just a crowd but a gathering of foul-smelling trash.
It wasn’t an actual sense of smell but the "Heavenly Fox Characteristic" he had acquired from Liu Ku.
In terms of intensity and strength, this sense wasn’t particularly powerful, but it was distinctly improved in precision.
If before Lu’s "perception" radar showed individual dots, big or small, now there were not only colors and shapes but also a vague sense of "smell."
Scents of blood, sweetness, spiciness... or to be precise, the scent of relentless killing, the vibrant life of a newborn, the sunny vitality of youthful youth.
It could sense the subtle differences in other lives, even faintly smelling the character, emotional impulses, and energy features of the others.
But at this moment, the taste it gave to Lu Ping’an was quite awful.
The bunch of Blood Feast folks in front of him were not only covered in fresh blood but also reeked of rotten flesh.
This was the result of them consuming too many marbled life-forces, akin to a stitched-up corpse draped in countless "chunks of flesh."
"...Ugh, disgusting, turning themselves into this for power, is it worth it?"
Lu Ping’an faintly understood why Liu Ku always seemed so antisocial; perhaps he too was troubled by his overly sensitive sense of smell.
"Foxes" in nature are perceived to be sharp and cunning, and such a high precision and overly emotional "spirit perception" in itself is a curse...
"...Really interesting."
Lu Ping’an continued to fiddle with the Gold Coins, feeling the myriad connections between the "coin" and its "holder." Each coin’s emblem wasn’t just the face of the holder but also the holder’s "spiritual energy feature."
Perhaps, handing this coin over to a professional specialized in Curses could make them quite uncomfortable...
"Mr. An Nan, about this..."
His distraction, however, was abruptly interrupted by the words of Dao Zhong.
Dao Zhong’s face was calm, but raging fury burned in his eyes.
His brother’s habit of isolating himself had been exploited—in just one morning out, he was gone, his tongue cut out, eyes gouged out, and nose cut off, paraded out of the city... This was even more painful than a direct death.
Just thinking that his brother might still be hanging on a cave wall, screaming in agony while serving as a "water cooler," made him indescribably angry.
How could he know this so precisely? Clearly, this was their own invented method. As long as they "wait for the prey to die on their own" or "hunters exchange dying prey," they could avoid the responsibility of the prey’s death and, thus, sidestep "judgment."
Perhaps what criminals are best at is hypocrisy—now, having been harmed by their own kind, they were truly ready to fight to the death.
"I’m sorry, Mr. An Nan, we can’t endure it anymore. Instead of being dragged out one by one, it’s better to fight him in a do-or-die battle."
Lu Ping’an contemplated for a moment before remembering his stance... oh, he was here to persuade them not to engage in conflict. Conflict was bad for everyone; lose, and you’d end up at the crematorium; win, and you’d become fugitives on the spot.
"...but, you can’t beat him..."
Honest words are always the most hurtful and the most effective at quelling impulsiveness.
But they’re also the most infuriating.
Lu Ping’an took pleasure in watching their faces turn angry one by one. That feeling of frustration without an outlet made the anger and depression in their hearts indomitable.
Lu Ping’an could hardly wait to see the moment they exploded...
"...Even if your ambush succeeds, the scale of your battle will undoubtedly be massive. Just harming this city would make you wanted criminals, not to mention this city—other cities..."
"...And I’ve heard that you Extraordinaries with blood powers are best at prolonged battles. Those with insufficient strength would only become the opponent’s..."
Lu Ping’an seemed to have their interests in mind, sounding like he was trying to break up a fight, but in reality, he was continuously emphasizing the reality of "you are inferior to him" and "if you fight him, you’ll die, and he will be very happy"... The humiliation and the helplessness of being treated like a dish on the platter was infuriating for these individuals accustomed to being at the top of the food chain; they were nearly losing their sanity.
"You should be outraged."
"You should hate."
"You should fear."
More lethal, however, were the flickering Gold Coins. Lu Ping’an’s coins could increase more than just "favor."
And the cheap "first Gold Coin," with its propensities for accumulation, proved especially fatal at this moment.
As he fanned the flames and lit the fire, what seemed like extinguishing efforts by Lu Ping’an had in fact ignited their long-suppressed anger.
"It’s too suffocating; at worst, it’s just death..."
"Living like this is even worse than death..."
"Let’s go for it; we absolutely cannot let him have it easy..."
Negative emotions are contagious. A group of extremists, when communicating, only become more extreme... What seemed like peacemaking by the "kind-hearted Mr. An Nan" was actually adding gunpowder to this powder keg.
The emotions were in place, and most crucially, there was no second suspect. Their longstanding dissatisfaction, fear, and unease towards Zhao Yan had turned into anger, yet they still hadn’t lost their reason...
This was beyond the scope of what the first Gold Coin could handle; using the second Gold Coin for this purpose would seem too extravagant.
As long as their reason remained, as long as they were certain of the gap between themselves and Zhao Yan, all their anger remained just that—anger...
"...Besides, I heard he has a partner of equal strength and status coming over. That would be two incredibly powerful Extraordinary individuals. Everyone, please think carefully..."
Mr. An Nan "accidentally" leaked the "news" he had heard from Zhao Yan.
Another Rule-level? Who could it be? Could they seek help or perhaps...
Suddenly, everyone’s eyes lit up.
"...Uh, I don’t know the specifics. Zhao Yan just mentioned that once that person arrives, we would discuss business together..."
That was enough.
Simply stating the facts was sufficient; there was no need for appraisal or further talk. Let them decide for themselves, let them choose... Of course, these options had already been predetermined by Lu.
The arrival of a Rule-level Big Boss, which should have been a matter of concern, now became a lifeline for the crowd.
Could the situation get any worse than now? Could Zhao Yan justify such a Massacre of his colleagues? Whoever it was coming over, as a Blood Feast comrade, he couldn’t completely dissociate from the matter, could he?
"At least it’s a chance. Whoever comes, it’s a chance... It’s time to fight for once, better than being trapped in this sheep pen, waiting to be dragged out one by one, right?!"
— End of Chapter 967 —