*Rustle—*
The sound of flipping pages echoed beside his ears.
The second transformation of the Thousand-Faced Moon, Life-Stealing Spirit Cat, activated—
A black cat materialized out of thin air.
*Jingle—*
Behind the black cat, the phantasmal silhouette of nine tails emerged.
A bell suspended from the tip of a tail let out a crisp, melodious chime.
Night Travel activated!
*Buzz!*
Bai Zhou's figure flickered in place, instantly reappearing far off at the edge of his vision.
In midair, the black cat spread all four limbs and leapt high.
It felt like flying.
Like a bird unfurling its wings as though never bound by anything—soaring high into the sky.
"You?!"
From the ground far behind came Van Gogh's astonished shout.
Yet the shout cut off abruptly.
Because his figure was swallowed by an avalanching tidal wave of fire.
*BOOM!!!*
A colossal explosion detonated, instantly vaporizing and melting the villa's walls and windows. The thermal shockwave swept outward in all directions like dead leaves before a gale, engulfing Van Gogh in the blink of an eye and surging straight after Bai Zhou.
In the next second, Bai Zhou was swallowed by it as well.
*Rumble—*
An immense, continually expanding and churning mushroom cloud rose from the ground, hanging high above the villa's ruins and blotting out the sky.
Forget the immediate vicinity; the entire South City seemed to tremble twice as if struck by an earthquake.
A long time passed.
*Crackle—*
Dense smoke billowed over the ruins.
Inside the massive crater, devastation lay everywhere. Utter blackness stretched across the expanse, flecked with smoldering red embers.
Ashes drifted down like black snow, and even the stream before the villa had been choked off.
Lying amid the rubble, the counterfeit Van Gogh had already been reduced to an unrecognizable lump of charred coal, a scorched stench radiating from his remains.
In life, no one had ever seen his face. In death, his mask was gone, but that blackened mass was equally impossible to discern.
Though Bai Zhou had been farther away, he was in hardly any better shape.
The black cat's body was covered in wounds with flesh torn open, devoid of the slightest breath.
He was, more or less, dead.
Yet the "dead" Bai Zhou found himself in an extraordinarily peculiar state.
He knew he hadn't truly "died," but neither was he "alive."
Or rather, the states of being "dead" and "alive" were paradoxically superimposed upon Bai Zhou, this little black cat, at the very same time.
*So this is the Life-Stealing Spirit Cat...*
Bai Zhou felt as though he were "floating" in midair, his vision clearly taking in "himself"—or rather, the battered little black cat on the ground.
The world before him turned into overlapping phantoms. One moment it looked like the mortal realm itself; the next, the ground was no longer ground, the sky was no longer sky, and stones were no longer stones... Prismatic illusions overlapped like clusters of bubbles. Staring too closely at them brought on a dizzying headache.
At the edge of his vision hung a line of translucent crimson digits.
【36:00】
*This can't be my dying words, can it?*
That was Bai Zhou's first reaction.
Soon, however, the numbers shifted—
【35:59】
—It was a thirty-six-hour countdown.
As if struck by an epiphany, a fragment of understanding flowed from the countdown, enlightening Bai Zhou.
In a sense, this was his "death countdown."
Before the timer expired, he had to locate a "living creature" within his field of vision and transfer the "state of death" away.
Otherwise, the "state of life" intertwined with the "state of death" would vanish.
At that point, completely consumed by the "state of death," Bai Zhou would meet true demise.
... But where was he supposed to find a living creature?
The surroundings were filled with rolling black smoke. Inside this scorched crater, there were no living organisms—only cooked meat.
After a moment's thought, Bai Zhou realized he didn't need to fret.
He wouldn't need anywhere near thirty-six hours; the Special Control Bureau's people should be arriving shortly.
With such a massive commotion in South City, Bai Zhou was genuinely looking forward to the Major's reaction.
What would he be doing right now? He probably wasn't asleep yet, was he?
In fact, the Special Control Bureau wouldn't be the only faction alerted.
So many dead, capped off by such a magnificent mushroom cloud...
Could the Major still cover this up?
If he could still sweep this under the rug, then the Major truly had influence reaching up to the heavens, both high and hard.
—Still, it didn't matter.
There was plenty more where that came from—more than enough to go around!
Even though he hadn't relied entirely on his own strength, with the death of Van Gogh, a Rank 4 Extraordinary—
Bai Zhou profoundly realized that his vengeance against the Major was truly not far off.
Just as he was mulling this over...
*Splat!*
Something suddenly plummeted from the sky into his view. It was a...
Sparrow?
It had only been passing through.
The unlucky creature seemed to have inhaled a couple of mouthfuls of the billowing black smoke and gotten smoked out of the air, dizzy and disoriented.
The scorching ground made this little heavy smoker hop up while clutching its backside.
*Chirp, chirp, chirp—*
It squawked wildly, flapping its wings in place for ages in an attempt to take flight again, only to shed a scattering of feathers in vain.
Not far away, on the charred ground,
The lifeless black cat lay still.
Bai Zhou: "..."
Thank you, bountiful nature.
This sparrow was half-dead anyway, clearly on the verge of expiring. Rather than let it go to waste, why not...
Now he didn't even need to wait for the Special Control Bureau to arrive.
Sparrows typically woke up around four in the morning, which was where the saying "the early bird catches the worm" came from.
It happened to be right about now.
This incident imparted two vital lessons to Bai Zhou:
First, don't smoke; the drag is too harsh and ruins your health.
Second, don't wake up early.
Because the early bird gets eaten by the "cat."
*Ding-a-ling—*
Like wind chimes fluttering in the breeze, the crisp ringing of seven brass wind chimes echoed across the scorched earth within the crater.
Life Theft activated.
The chiming grew increasingly hurried as something invisible was drawn out from the spirit cat's body.
The sparrow's body heat rapidly drained away, while warmth returned to the black cat's paw pads.
Dried blood resumed its flow, and a heart began to beat once more.
When the ringing finally ceased—
The sparrow lay motionless on the ground.
The battered black cat slowly opened its eyes.
The intertwining of life and death came to an end—
Bai Zhou had returned.
***
"Where was that explosion?!"
Tonight, all of Tinghai was shaken by the blast that came from the south.
Ordinary citizens panicked. Some South City residents living close to the blast site even had their windows shattered.
The City Hall's tip hotlines were flooded with calls. Councilors across Tinghai were jolted awake from their sleep, dazed and alarmed.
The Chief Executive scrambled shivering out of the massive bed at his seventh residence...
He simply didn't sleep for the rest of the night, smoking cigarette after cigarette, his hand glued to the incessantly ringing phone.
Meanwhile, in the occult world—the Special Control Bureau, the Statute Hall, the Fine Arts Society, and the Zijing Company standing behind the Major—
Numerous factions were thrown into turmoil.
In the conference room of Branch 36 of the Special Control Bureau, the Major and his officers, who had been waiting for ages—
Hadn't received any so-called good news. Instead, they received an explosion that blasted them into absolute bewilderment.
That mushroom cloud felt like someone's grand, official debut announcing to the world that they were no longer who they once were—or even more like a vicious slap across the face to everyone present.
A mushroom-shaped slap that practically knocked the sunglasses right off the Major's face. He shot to his feet in a fury, yet cold sweat beaded upon his forehead.
"Immediately! Right now! Send men to sweep the scene!"
He slammed the table and roared:
"Coordinate with law enforcement on damage control and cooperate with the other departments...
"I want to know whether Bai Zhou died in that blast!
"—If he didn't, mobilize all our forces at once to lock down the scene!
"Launch a carpet search of the surrounding area. You must find him!
"He can't have gotten far, and he's very likely severely wounded—this is your final chance!"
Finishing his roar,
The officers rushed out in haste.
The Major collapsed limp into his office chair.
A Rank 4 Extraordinary had made a move—how had it turned into such a disaster?
If Bai Zhou was dead, fine; everything would be settled.
But if Bai Zhou wasn't dead...
Had he truly raised an outlaw who loved setting off explosions with his own two hands?
This time, it had happened in South City.
What if Bai Zhou decided to pull off a demolition in a bustling downtown district next time?
The Major didn't dare gamble that Bai Zhou was an upstanding, moral citizen—even if he once had been, being hunted down under a wanted notice had long stripped that away.
When that time came, not only him, but the entire Special Control Bureau wouldn't be able to sit still.
The Statute Hall would certainly not stand idly by either!
Right now, Bai Zhou had successfully proven that he possessed the ability to blow things out of proportion.
Yet, having spent an entire day and night, the Major had still failed to bring this dangerous element to justice!
Matters were steadily slipping from his initial grasp, sliding onto an unforeseen trajectory.
The Major knew that in half an hour, he would face reprimand from his superiors, and in an hour, he would face questioning from the Statute Hall.
Bai Zhou...
Did he truly have to intervene personally?
As the Major pondered, his lower lip was bitten through unconsciously, seeping crimson blood.
This hidden power of his was supposed to be saved for something far more worthwhile—
The Major slowly removed his sunglasses, his expression darkening.
Before him sat a half-finished glass of champagne. The clear, amber liquid caught his eye—
Yet it inexplicably reminded him of the filthy explosion Bai Zhou had orchestrated, and the fragment of the mocking sign that had landed by his foot.
*"No Defecating or Urinating Here!"*
Nausea abruptly surged in his stomach. The Major gasped, dry-heaving.
*Ring-ring-ring— Ring-ring-ring—*
The telephone on his desk rang shrilly.
Frowning, the Major picked up the receiver with a cold tone:
"What is it?"
Soon, the voice coming from the line made his expression turn even uglier.
It was the sort of ugliness born from stepping into what seemed like a puddle by the roadside, only to look down and realize it wasn't water, but stray dog piss held in since the early morning.
"Big Brother..."
***
The darkest hour was the one just before dawn.
Yet tonight in South City, darkness was nowhere to be found.
Flashing sirens wailed without pause as vehicles formed a tight cordon around the blast site.
Cordon lines were strung up. The smell of burning permeated the air, and towering searchlights illuminated every inch of the charred, ruined wreckage.
Personnel in various uniforms moved through the area like they were facing a mortal enemy, meticulously inspecting every square inch.
Van Gogh's corpse was swiftly discovered and taken over by officers dispatched from Branch 36 of the Special Control Bureau.
"Impose martial law on the surrounding area immediately—no, lock down all of South City!"
Several officers consulted with grim faces and immediately finalized the decision.
They were convinced that even if Van Gogh was dead and Bai Zhou was alive, Bai Zhou's current condition had to be terrible—he might even be hovering on the brink of death!
This sudden explosion had indeed alarmed many people...
Yet it also granted them a legitimate pretext to mobilize the constables and other authorities, using the excuse of an emergency investigation and manhunt to temporarily place all of South City under martial law!
As long as they found Bai Zhou—
Every problem would resolve itself!
The piercing beam of a searchlight slowly swept across the half-burned woods nearby.
A slender black shadow crept silently through the undergrowth.
A pair of lively vertical pupils gazed faintly outward, taking in all the frantic activity in the distance.
Withdrawing its gaze,
The black cat under the moonlight stepped lightly across the warm gravel with its soft pads. With an air of lazy elegance, it turned and melted into the swaying grass.
No one would pay any mind to a stray cat.
...
Just like that, it slipped effortlessly past the heavy cordon.
The Special Control Bureau's supposedly inescapable dragnet gave Bai Zhou less trouble than the thorny bushes did.
The howling sirens grew fainter and fainter, and the surroundings grew increasingly tranquil as he slipped through.
Tinghai's South City was indeed under lockdown, facing a carpet search—yet beneath the moonlight, this black cat was already trotting silently all the way toward East City...
Without looking back once.
It forged ahead resolutely, carrying an imposing aura. Combined with the gruesome wounds all over its body, even the stray cats and dogs along the streets looked upon it with solemn reverence.
While keeping their distance and not daring to provoke it, they wondered which rough-and-tumble street this ruthless big boss cat hailed from, and whether it had come to stake its claim and plant its flag on their turf.
It was worth noting that Bai Zhou now felt the Life-Stealing Spirit Cat was far superior to the Cursebound Colossus.
Because the Cursebound Colossus required him to strip off his clothes before transforming, whereas the Life-Stealing Spirit Cat transformed along with whatever clothes and weapons he was wearing.
For instance, Bai Zhou had been wearing a black trench coat, so he had turned into a black cat.
His weapons remained stored on his person without being lost.
Only two items were special and remained unaffected.
One was the silk ribbon left behind by Crow.
Thus, that soft, smooth black ribbon wound elegantly around the black cat's head, tied in a knot between its two cute pointed ears.
The two ends of the knot were slightly long, fluttering in the wind behind its ears with the rhythm of the cat's leaps.
The other item was the ring formed from the golden crown.
It had turned into a thorned bracelet around the black cat's paw.
... As the faint morning light broke, day was about to dawn.
Pedestrians gradually multiplied around him. The early risers mostly carried backpacks or briefcases; who knew where they were headed, but their expressions looked even more exhausted and steeped in bitter grievance than the heavily wounded Bai Zhou.
*Buzz...*
The sounds of morning hustle drifted to his ears.
Numerous breakfast stalls were being set up along the street.
This was a residential area on the border between East City and South City—bustling yet peaceful, an ideal spot for Bai Zhou to nurse his injuries.
The "state of death" could be transferred away, but physical wounds could not.
Every two steps, the black cat had to bare its teeth, puff up its fur, and hiss. It wasn't overreacting or stressed; the wounds simply hurt too damn much.
Enduring the agony all this way, trudging from South City to the edge of East City, was entirely thanks to Bai Zhou's tenacious will to survive.
Yet by now... he was on the verge of collapsing.
Fortunately, the black cat form wouldn't wear off.
What had gone on cooldown were the brass bells, but the otherwise useless black cat body could be assumed at any time.
After turning into a black cat, his various abilities were unusable, and with only one brass bell remaining...
He truly had become a useless black cat that couldn't even catch mice, one that might even get thrashed by a watchdog.
—Yet at this moment, this seemingly useless ability had become Bai Zhou's life-saving straw!
The aroma of steamed buns drifted past his nose. Bai Zhou trotted past a stall and slumped into a corner by the roadside.
Using a large green trash bin to conceal his figure, Bai Zhou found a clean patch of ground and lay down.
No one would ever guess he was hiding here.
Once his spirituality recovered, his wounds would naturally heal at an accelerated pace.
By then, Bai Zhou the formidable Rank 2 Adventurer, Bai Zhou the wanted criminal walking free, would make a glorious return!
For now, all he needed was a bit of time to rest...
*Tap—*
Suddenly, the soft sound of a footstep reached his ear.
"Whoa! A hakimi! Hakimi!"
Bai Zhou: "?"
It seemed something chanting a bizarre incantation was approaching.
A massive, clawing shadow fell over the pitiful, curled-up figure of the black cat.
*Who's there?! (Meow, meow, meow!)*
His sharp vertical pupils lifted with full vigilance and ferocity, meeting the newcomer's gaze right on.
The black ribbon atop the kitten's head fluttered in the breeze.
Bai Zhou clearly saw a face that looked somewhat familiar.
It was a cute face with a touch of baby fat and delicate features, currently trying its best to put on a "gentle and amiable" expression.
Yet her entire being carried an indescribable...
Pitiful, dejected air, like that of a beaten-down puppy?
As that shameless, utterly brazen face drew closer and closer—the giant-like, menacingly smiling face growing larger in his vision—
*Oh... it's her!*
The little black cat's pupils snapped narrow.
Bai Zhou remembered—
*It's that hissing little fire dragon!*
The fire-breathing girl from L'Ambroisie who had run into the men's restroom to cry and whom he had run straight into—
The girl who had looked as pathetic as a drenched puppy in the heavy rain—
What was her name again?
Fang Xiaoxia?
Chapter 59