Yang Zicang wrapped himself entirely in a long trench coat that He Yishu had given him.

“Knowing that danger might be involved, why do you still insist on going? “

“Precisely because there might be danger, that’s why I need to confirm how great the likelihood is. “

On the first floor of the inn, Hua Mi, He Yishu, and the others all stared at him in puzzlement. Beside them, the newly returned “She Liqing ” — who had completely hit rock bottom and was struggling to survive — had finally managed to clean himself up enough to be presentable. In particular, after washing his face with Hua Mi’s facial cleanser for two days, the scabs and grime on his skin had peeled off. Combined with the deliberately youthful expression he now wore, he actually managed to look not too shabby.

“She Liqing, ” He Yishu called out to him, “when you came back from the civilian houses, you didn’t spot any suspicious characters, did you? “

“I went at night with Miss Xiaoqin, sneaking through the back courtyard by scaling the wall from the earthwork. As for the road… I didn’t lay eyes on anyone along the way. “

She Liqing couldn’t shake the feeling that things were on the brink — he had, it seemed, just unwittingly taken a stroll through a den of tigers and dragons.

“Enough. The longer we drag this out, the greater the danger. ” Yang Zicang glanced at the clock on the wall. It was now around seven or eight in the morning — a time on the Old Street when people were just starting to stir, but not too many were about. He only needed to confirm whether there was anyone around the building, and if so,whothey were.

Unfortunately, Wager, who was willing to exchange the entire fourth floor for temporary freedom of movement, had given away the key he considered most crucial—and to an expert whose strength surpassed two-thirds of the soldiers.

No matter whether there is danger or not, all rooms on the next floor must be secured as quickly as possible; if not this time, the exits could be blocked next time.

Yang Zicang, now wearing makeup, took the iron nails, disassembled nail clippers, and other small throwing objects that the others had prepared, picked up his key, and said, “I’ll be leaving first. “

He returned to the second floor and stepped into the opened room. As he confirmed within himself, ripples spread out around him, enveloping him completely.

｛I accepted the invitation and entered the guest’s room.｝

｛I activated the Musing Night for display.｝

The moment Yang Zicang’s foot touched the ground, an intense eruption of feedback stirred by the Musing Night surged from all around. The person lurking nearby realized they had been exposed; without hesitation, they launched an attack instantly.

BOOM!

｛I declined the invitation.｝

｛I paid a 10N tip for the unlocker at COSTELLA HOTEL.｝

A beam of flashlight light from a distant civilian house swept through the window, hitting him.

The Musing Night, feeling sensed, immediately locked onto the target. The repulsive aura of the suppressed Musing Night exploded abruptly, but the person holding the telescope merely grunted in pain and stubbornly gripped it tight, not even blinking as he stared this way!

With a dull, resounding thud, a lithe figure clad in a peasant’s coat erupted, radiating a berserk aura that sought to tear everything asunder as he leaped from outside the building, swinging his fist down in a crushing blow.

The aged wall crumbled beneath his fist like dry gravel, instantly shattered.

Another silent figure descended from the ceiling outside, both hands pressing down on a wok that was upturned like a lid. His palms radiated the scorching heat of embers. An eye with a lifeless gaze opened on the surface of the wok. Where it pressed against the floor, the temperature shot up abruptly, driving a small circular patch of the floorboards to ripple like water.

“Three, four. “

A single iron nail in Yang Zicang’s hand blazed with a golden-red light as he shot it toward the man swinging his fist. This local would be dealt with by this nail. At the same time, the air behind him twisted, and the White Shadow Mind Dragon, never before revealed, surged instantly towards the ceiling slab that was now beginning to melt from the heat.

“Ugh-ah! ” The moment the White Shadow Mind Dragon tore at the man with the upturned wok, that man was wrenched in agony as a wildly writhing mass of psychic energy was ripped from him.

But the nail fired at the swinging puncher was deflected with a loud “bang! “

｛I nullified 10000N.｝

Yang Zicang’s eyes widened in shock. He watched as countless, nauseatingly dense writhing entities suddenly sprouted from the fist rushing towards him. It was they who had nullified the temporal force he had struck out with!

Thud! Thud!

The air burst open by the two punches struck beside Yang Zicang.

Without any temporal sequencing to cancel them out, this meant that the thing, at the very least, wouldn’t spread through the airflow.

The wave of energy, frantically gathering and attempting to envelop him, was unable to return to the hotel under direct human observation—even though the ‘Feilü Hotel’s’ key had far lower restrictions than those of an ordinary ‘Sub-Etheric Force Field’ passage device.

Even if he didn’t need to completely shut his eyes to block his line of sight, he at least had to blur his opponent’s vision.

Yang Zicang agilely sidestepped the approaching person, yet he sensed another figure leap onto the second-floor balcony, steadily holding a telescope while his head moved nimbly, tracking his body.

The White Shadow Mind-Dragon was still tearing at the man’s psychic body. The will of his enemy was extremely tenacious; even facing such a desperate attack, he managed to struggle and slow down the rate at which his psychic power was devoured. However, he wouldn’t last much longer.

With a bang, the floorboards burst apart.

Sensing that many around him with hidden identities were now choosing to expose themselves, determined to keep him here. Even worse, further off, the 47th Division city defense troops caught wind of the commotion and were already mobilizing personnel, even pushing the gun barrels in this direction.

Yang Zicang quickly gripped the sharp blade that slid out from his sleeve and, at a bizarre angle, thrust the sword toward the neck of the farmer-dressed man, who kept relentlessly throwing silent punches.

The opponent’s expression remained utterly unchanged as he pressed forward, seeming utterly unbothered by this sword. The moment the blade pierced his skin, dense, twisted biological limbs burst forth wildly from his flesh like a grotesque bloom.

｛I neutralized 50N!｝

｛I neutralized 50N!｝

Ssshhh!TheVoid Chrono Weaponstabbed heavily, grinding against his neck with a stuttered motion, hacking off a clump of densely twisted miniaturized biological limbs.

“This sword! “

Both took a step back in mutual shock.

Rumble, crack, boom!

The residential building shuddered. Those people below were tearing the structure down directly!

The man above had completely fallen.White Shadow Thought-Dragonwobbled once and plunged through the floor panel, charging toward the “farmer ” whose skin now oozed revolting matter.

“It’s a psychic body. A miscalculation. But you won’t escape. “

｛TheFog Citizen IDhas submitted a detailed log to theHoly Ring Council.｝

The man rushed backward in a blur, punching a wall to shatter it. On the other side of the gaping hole it left, several silhouettes stood poised, steady binoculars still raised.

｛TheCouncilhas passed the log review.｝

The building quaked. Yang Zicang, discerning the situation with icy clarity, barely tugged his long coat to shrink into its folds; but before that motion was complete, he suddenly tilted his head back to look up at the now-ceiling, which gaped open with a circular hole. Above stood what looked to be a pot—or, perhaps, an oversized dish lid.

｛I harvested 12.7N.｝

He leaped, ramming the object right up, half his body plunging into the molten, searing hole. His hand reached for its edge—and in that very instant, fluctuations that had tried to encompass him coalesced. He vanished into the watery shimmer.

The person driven back by the White Shadow Thought Dragon watched as the terrifying creature chasing him dissipated.

“Scatter! “

At the command, the group’s silhouettes blurred into motion, dashing for the farmland beyond Old Street.

Boom!A cannon shell struck the wall, sending a clod of dirt erupting beside the fleeing figures, mingled with the panicked screams from the street.

RUMBLE!

BAM!

The hail of shells rained down on them. Some dropped, but the others plunged deep into the forest ahead, the Cheinyin Mountains looming like a black silouhette in the distance.

——｛Distributor May Valkyrie, with her wealth of experience, informs you that has successfully delivered a Radiomenced light.｝

Yang Zicang exhaled, looking at the pot he’s now wearing on his head.

The other face was staring right back.

“Live or die? “

{_ “I don’t want to die yet, Master. ” _}

Yang Zicang nodded, satisfied.

Only when its temperature cooled down could he see it was pale loam-yellow. The youth trotted down to the first floor with the handle hooked in his palm. Hua Mi, still waiting from when that cannonade scattered them, gave him a shocked look. He came back holding with something, a pot and a makeshift beasty lid. That beast long glaring his leftover gloom, obviously Yang had fought something really nasty.

The pained expression on Shan Liqing’s face looked like she hadn’t pooped in a month.

“So… I really did enter a civilian’s house in plain sight of everyone, right? “

“Maybe it’s because they noticed you disappearing into that room that they confirmed it. “

Yang Zicang tossed the pot into Hua Mi’s hands; the girl startled, catching it with both hands.

“So what do we do? We can’t return to reality from there this month now? “

As they spoke, as if sensing something, they all turned their heads toward a door diagonally across from the counter. Wager’s head snapped back in retreat, but a breath later, he poked it out again.

“Your president said I have to give up my invitation spot for this month. If you guys don’t mind, you can go through me. But I have zero interest in merging associations or any of that nonsense. Don’t get any ideas about setting your sights on that place again. “

“Wow, ” Hua Mi looked at him, “So what does that make us, you bastard who tried to trap us here to die? “

“Call it an alliance. “

“Is going through him reliable? “

“Even if it’s not, we have no choice. Unless we want to wait here until next month, we have to try. Also… “

Yang Zicang looked at the people before him, “We all need new identities. And to prevent anyone from impersonating us, we need to set a code that only our group knows. “

The others, slightly surprised, thought it over and agreed it was absolutely necessary.

He Yishu remarked with a hint of admiration, “Then you, President, shall decide. What will our code be? “

She Liqing glanced toward where Wager had shrunk back, “With outsiders around, let’s sort it out in our heads. “

{I think that’s fine. } said the earthen-yellow pot.

“I’ve already written it down. “

Yang Zicang unfolded a piece of paper.

— Whose body, whose life, whose world, whose journey?

“……“

The group fell into a unanimous silence.