Head and Head

"As far as I know, there's no bad blood between us. Why target me?" Ye Huan asked. "Indeed, there is no personal grudge. We are merely finishing up loose ends—everyone connected to last night's ritual must die." The man in black gave a faint smile. His figure suddenly blurred, vanishing from the spot. Ye Huan's pupils contracted sharply. *So fast!* This man possessed some form of movement technique, and his strength was definitely superior to his own. *He's likely a Shidu-level martial artist!* The shadow of death loomed heavily over Ye Huan's heart, nearly suffocating him. Abruptly, he whipped a palm strike behind himself. "Quick reflexes, but futile—die!" The man in black bellowed, curling both hands into claws and lunging toward Ye Huan. This was the Shidu-level Air-Rending Claw. Against flesh and bone, it tore through like soft mud, capable of piercing straight through a chest in a single strike to kill an opponent on the spot. *Clang!* A metallic crash rang out. Ye Huan stumbled back several steps before dropping into a fighting stance to steady himself. The man in black halted in place, staring at his hands in disbelief. —No blood. He shifted his gaze to Ye Huan. Ye Huan's hands gleamed like polished iron, completely unblemished. "Iron Hand? At your age, you've actually managed to master such crude martial arts to this extent?" Muttering in surprise, the man in black suddenly closed the distance, his claws lashing out in a rapid flurry. *Thud!* A dull impact resounded. He was knocked back two paces, his eyes locked onto Ye Huan's hands. —Ye Huan had been jolted back seven or eight paces, but he held his ground, his overlapping arms held before him like a heavy sledgehammer. A solemn look crept onto the man's face as he murmured, "The second form of Iron Hand, Dragon Hammer." "For someone so young to cultivate Iron Hand to this degree, you could be called a prodigy. But who taught you?" "Naturally, our church has masters to instruct us," Ye Huan replied. The man in black looked enlightened. "Right. They use various martial arts as bait... yet they only teach you ordinary techniques like this. Even if you're a genius, you could never soar to great heights with commonplace martial arts..." "You could even tell that?" Ye Huan said. "Strictly speaking, this is an internal matter of ours. I hope you won't interfere." *Give up the fight and get lost already,* he thought silently. "We indeed dislike getting involved in internal church power struggles, so—" "I'll just make them pay extra," the man in black said. He darted forward, his hands flashing into a blur of seven or eight claw shadows. Ye Huan's heart sank. The opponent dared to press the attack even after recognizing his Iron Hand and being misled about his identity. —*He is completely confident he can kill me.* *Then Iron Hand won't cut it!* Facing the oncoming claws, Ye Huan stepped forward, raising his hands in the posture of Iron Sand— *Bang!* A sharp burst of air mingled with crimson mist erupted from the rooftop, dispersing into the wind. The man in black wore a dazed expression. He glanced at the crimson flames licking Ye Huan's hands, then slowly looked down at his own body. The flames had melted clean through his claws before boring a hole into his chest, erupting in a spray of blood mist. "You actually... mas... tered..." Before he could finish, the man collapsed to the ground, his breathing gone. Ye Huan gasped raggedly, his legs feeling weak, but he forced himself to remain standing, chest heaving. That was far too close. He had genuinely felt the chill of death. If he hadn't given it his all to unleash that crimson flame, he would be dead right now. *Still, what did he mean by what I 'mastered'?* Ye Huan collected himself, walked over to the corner, and flared the flames in his hands— *Whoosh!* The two corpses were instantly incinerated to ash. Now that was how you disposed of bodies without leaving a trace! He returned to the Shidu martial artist's corpse, crouched down, and rummaged through his belongings. *Beep, beep, beep—* An electronic chime sounded from the corpse. Pulling out a mobile phone, he saw an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen. *Should I answer?* After a moment's hesitation, Ye Huan pressed the call button. "How are things progressing?" a lazy voice came through the receiver. Ye Huan paused, then lowered his voice, mimicking the dead martial artist. "Everything went smoothly." "Good. I'll transfer the final payment later. That's all, hanging up," the man said. "Wait," Ye Huan said. "Something else?" the voice asked. Ye Huan hesitated briefly before saying, "We have a request." "A request?" The voice scoffed. "You took the money to do a job, and now you have requests?" Thoughts raced through Ye Huan's mind. The hitman and the caller had a purely mercenary relationship. What could he say? How could he pry some information out of the man? ...Right, this hitman had been exceptionally strong. If not for the crimson flames, he would have succeeded in killing Ye Huan! A Shidu-level martial artist held inherent value! "Specifically, it's a small personal wish of mine," Ye Huan said. "Speak." The voice turned cold. "I want to join your ranks," Ye Huan said. "Hm?" The caller sounded surprised. "Yes. I've thought it over, and I want to join you," Ye Huan repeated. He knew nothing about this hitman! However... The man possessed at least one highly valuable identity. —He had appeared supremely confident when facing In-Rank martial artists! He was a Shidu martial artist! If such a talent wished to join any organization, they would surely give it serious consideration. Ye Huan gripped the phone tightly, remaining silent as he waited for a response. The more he said, the more likely he was to make a mistake. All he needed to do was state his intent! After a short wait... A burst of muffled noise drifted through the earpiece. It seemed several people on the other end were conferring. Then the voice spoke again: "Three in the afternoon. West Suburbs Pier." *Three o'clock?* *That won't do.* *I need to survive today to earn a bronze coin before meeting them; only then can I uncover the truth.* *When the time comes, I'll conceal myself in the shadows, take a look from afar, and once the mimicry projection succeeds, flee immediately with the projection in tow.* *Safe, yet capable of discovering the truth.* *Perfect.* "Three o'clock won't work, I'm afraid," Ye Huan said. "Why not?" the caller asked, puzzled. "I have a kill scheduled for three. The contract has already been accepted; missing the deadline will hurt my reputation," Ye Huan said in a deep voice. "Then what time can you make it?" "Midnight." Another round of hushed discussion came through the phone. Soon, the voice returned: "Midnight, Phantom Nightclub. If you still can't make it, don't bother coming at all." The line went dead. Success. The trail had been picked back up! —Once the enemy discovered he wasn't dead, they would certainly dispatch new experts to eliminate him! He couldn't just keep pretending nothing had happened. He had to resolve this matter proactively before he could blend in among ordinary people and live a peaceful life. Ye Huan mused in silence. Suddenly, sensing something, he glanced back. —The three men in black he had just slain reappeared. Only this time, their forms were entirely translucent, enveloped in blazing crimson flames. Ye Huan turned pale. "What kind of monsters are you?" he couldn't help muttering. No. Something was completely wrong. Their corpses had clearly been burned to ash! Wait— The fire on them! Ye Huan looked closely at the trio. Agony and despair twisted their features as they struggled desperately, mouths wide in silent screams. ...*Could they be souls?* In an instant, the ambient light shifted. A crimson radiance illuminated the surroundings. Ye Huan found himself standing in the depths of infinite darkness. Like the bottom of a dead, silent sea— Within that darkness lurked all manner of terrifying entities, swarming forward only to be repelled by the crimson glow. The light seemed to offer protection, keeping Ye Huan temporarily safe. Thanks to this rust-scented radiance heavy with the stench of fresh blood! Where on earth did it come from? Ye Huan looked up abruptly. Suspended in midair, a woman's head—larger than a soccer field—floated in absolute stillness. Her eyes were closed, and beneath the thin membrane of her skin bulged dense, countless outlines of human heads. —These human heads, however, were the size of ordinary mortals. Across her entire face were packed innumerable human visages. Many had already faded to an ashen gray. Even more were reduced to vague silhouettes. Yet— Following a sudden intuition, Ye Huan looked toward the woman's left cheek. Among the countless pale, expressionless faces, one had just pushed through the surface of the skin, forming the distinct facial outline of a human teenage boy. *It's me,* Ye Huan murmured inwardly. His face had appeared on the cheek of this giant severed head. It was vibrant and lifelike, even locking eyes with him. "Do not fear." A chilling voice sounded beside his ear. Ye Huan whipped around. No one was there. Only the gargantuan woman's head suspended aloft, peering down slightly. Every face bulging across her cheeks stared in unison at Ye Huan. "Your performance in battle was rich with emotion, and your sacrifice was exquisite. It has pleased me." "I accept your offering." The three souls suspended in midair vanished. Letting out synchronized shrieks, they soared high into the sky and dissolved into the endless crimson light. In a flash, every vision dissipated. Ye Huan found himself standing once more on the rooftop of the mining district dormitory. It all felt like a dream. Yet countless pieces of knowledge suddenly surfaced in his mind. They felt as familiar as if he had mastered and recited them for countless years. A faint, ghostly voice lingered in his ears: "Mortal who yearns to survive, I have granted you a gift." "Remember to offer sacrifices on time..." Ye Huan stood motionless. Only when the voice faded entirely did he finally raise his hands, silently circulating his energy according to the knowledge he had just acquired. *Whoosh—* A faint metallic sheen rose over his hands. Iron Hand. When unleashed, this martial art made the hands and forearms as hard as iron. Yet under the influence of this new knowledge— Ye Huan threw his head back and slammed it forcefully into the wall beside the rooftop door! *Crash!* A hole was smashed through the wall, sending bricks and rubble tumbling to the ground. A veritable Iron Head Technique! This was a secret technique derived from Iron Hand, capable of temporarily turning his head as hard as iron for protection! Ye Huan felt an inexplicable wave of relief. The head was fragile, unable to withstand the slightest trauma. Now, things were different. He no longer had to fear head injuries. Coupled with arms and hands as hard as iron to shield his vital chest area, his odds of survival would be vastly improved even if he encountered danger! Still, the truly terrifying aspect of all this was that woman's head. ...It had actually perceived his emotions, even seeing through to his deepest desires. It had bestowed upon him a secret technique for self-preservation! Ye Huan lapsed into a long silence. Even though he had known this world was teeming with monsters and aberrations, witnessing it with his own eyes remained utterly shocking. Suddenly, a prompt surfaced in his mind: *Slain the assailant, preserving your own life.* *Evaluation +1.* *Current Total Evaluation: 2.* *The tier of your Daily Settlement will increase based on your total evaluation.* *Please continue your efforts to survive today.*