Falling. Rapidly falling.
The street surface rushed closer, expanding rapidly in his vision.
At that exact moment, he spread his arms.
Beneath his ribs, the specially tailored trench coat deployed a wing-like glider.
Lifted by the wind, Bai Zhou soared high into the air.
*Whoosh—*
The gale howled in his ears.
Behind him blazed a raging inferno.
Above him hung a pristine, full moon.
Soaring against the wind really felt fantastic.
—It would have been even better if the aftershock of the explosion hadn't slammed into him right then, nearly plastering him against the wall of the building opposite.
A surging wave of fire struck the small of Bai Zhou's back, sending him drifting helplessly like a bird with broken wings tossed by the surf.
—Yet a resilient petrel would never simply drift with the waves.
*Not good!*
The opposite skyscraper expanded alarmingly before his eyes.
Just as he was about to crash headfirst into it—
Bai Zhou ignited a bead of spirituality. Tightening his core, he forcefully twisted his body in midair, adjusting his posture so that both feet braced against the wall.
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Taking eight rapid strides along the wall to dissipate the momentum, his body began a natural descent.
The next second, a flash of purple-gold light burst forth.
The Extraordinary saber slipped from the sheath behind his waist, twirled in his palm, and stabbed reverse-handed into the wall.
The sheer downward momentum of his body abruptly transferred to his arms, enough to severely strain Bai Zhou's muscles.
Grimacing in pain, Bai Zhou finally halted his plunge, dangling and swaying in midair.
At this moment, dangling in the air with adrenaline surging through his veins, fleeting images flickered across Bai Zhou's mind like a revolving lantern.
It was an image of Big Sister Li in the courtyard, lining up four apples across a table:
"Have you been to school? If so, let me test you... Do you know why an apple falls from a tree?"
*So that's why.*
After hanging there like a swing for a moment, Bai Zhou looked around and spotted an outdoor air conditioner unit nearby.
*Whoosh—*
A dark shadow swept through the air as Bai Zhou swung himself across.
As the wind rushed past his ears once more, he felt like Tarzan swinging through the jungle.
Was the city not, in its own way, a jungle of steel?
Adventurers braved forests teeming with magical beasts, while Adventurer Bai Zhou fought far more vicious Extraordinaries within this modern jungle of steel.
...Then he began seriously considering whether beating his mouth with one hand while whooping like an ape would increase his travel speed.
From a practical standpoint, it might actually have some merit—at the very least, it could divert his attention and ease his frayed nerves.
And exert a degree of psychological pressure on the enemy.
In the end, however, Bai Zhou abandoned the idea.
Because it simply wasn't cool enough.
*Thump!*
With a cold, impassive expression, Bai Zhou landed heavily with both feet atop an outdoor AC compressor unit on the eighteenth floor.
The dark figure crouched there, illuminated by the firelight.
His trench coat snapped in the howling wind. Directly across the street, a skyscraper burned furiously amidst billowing black smoke, while oblivious civilians wept and fled below.
The blazing flames and purgatorial devastation formed a stark contrast with the neon lights glittering across the distant cityscape.
In such a scene and atmosphere, one couldn't help feeling as cold as iron, like an emotionless, peerless assassin.
—Unfortunately, his cool facade didn't last two seconds before Bai Zhou was wincing and violently shaking his arms.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
Once the spirituality receded, Bai Zhou realized in hindsight that his core, back, and arms had all suffered muscle strains.
—When he got back, he might need to lean against the wall just to use the toilet!
Hit by a fiery shockwave in the lower back, and then violently twisting his core in midair with no leverage to speak of... it would be a miracle if his waist hadn't been wrecked.
Bai Zhou knew it now.
As the core powerhouse in physical combat, an Extraordinary truly needed a resilient, battle-hardened waist.
There was no such thing as an expert who stayed cool forever. Acting cool felt great in the moment, but you never knew what price you'd pay afterward.
Projecting from his own experience, Bai Zhou figured those stone-faced badasses in stories probably spent their downtime howling in agony while nursing their wounds.
Just like earlier—he had actually been terrified out of his wits.
Even now, his heart pounded against his ribs.
What if the glider had malfunctioned and failed to open? What if they had intercepted him in midair?
All sorts of worries.
All things considered, however, undignified aftermath aside...
Bai Zhou had pulled off another adventure.
Landing safely on an outdoor AC unit.
"..."
He took one last lingering look at Starlight Mansion, burning like an alchemical furnace.
Bai Zhou wondered how many casualties those strangely dressed mystery assailants had suffered.
Unfortunately, this was no place to linger.
There was no time to keep admiring his handiwork; Bai Zhou knew he had to leave immediately.
The flames reached toward the sky. Beneath the flickering firelight, the dark silhouette bounded across rooftops in a few leaps.
Enduring the searing, tearing pain of his strained muscles with bared teeth, Bai Zhou vanished in the blink of an eye.
...After fleeing the scene, he found an undisturbed patch of bushes and darted inside.
When he emerged, he was an inconspicuous little black cat.
Taking a circuitous route, he arrived at the rendezvous point he had agreed upon with Crow.
Bai Zhou had barely caught sight of Crow and exchanged a few words when a ribbon drifted down onto his head.
Reassured, Crow went right back to catching up on her sleep.
"...Are these coffee beans really completely useless?"
Tying the black ribbon around himself, Bai Zhou blinked, unable to quell his doubts.
Lately, hadn't Crow been far too lethargic?
Yet Crow seemed to have anticipated this long ago and hardly paid it any mind.
Perhaps drowsiness was Crow's natural baseline, and something back at the base had affected her, keeping her energized without the need for sleep?
Was that why she constantly chewed coffee beans?
Perhaps he should find an opportunity to sneak back to the base and take a look...
"..."
Crouching on an outdoor AC compressor he picked at random,
and gazing at Yuanmeng Middle School shrouded in quiet darkness not far away, Bai Zhou, in the form of the black cat, sank into thought.
After mulling it over for a long while, the black cat let out a quiet sigh.
According to Crow's arrangement, tomorrow he would be heading to Yuanmeng Middle School to serve as a guidance counselor.
Crow had told him that being a guidance counselor wasn't difficult at all—just spew some vague, mystical nonsense and give them a good talk therapy session.
Yet the thing Bai Zhou was least suited for was probably "talk therapy."
When it came to opening his mouth and infuriating people to death, he certainly had talent.
But as for counseling anyone...
He could only pray that no clueless student would actually come to him seeking guidance.
—Objectively speaking, Bai Zhou was genuinely worried he might counsel a perfectly healthy young blossom of the Federation straight up to the rooftop.
Still, to uncover the truth, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and dive into the deep end.
Thinking this over, Bai Zhou's face wore a melancholy that didn't belong on someone his age.
—The deep reluctance of a wage slave about to report for duty.
Cat sigh!
While he was muttering to himself inside—
The rustle of turning pages sounded in his ears.
*Hum—*
A faint phantom of nine tails, bearing nine bells, materialized behind the black cat.
A ghostly light surged into his vertical green cat pupils, shining like gemstones beneath the moonlight.
"This is..."
The *Dead Sea Secret Scrolls* were flipping open.
—The cooldown for [Life-Stealing Spirit Cat] had come to an end!
The secret technique [Life Theft] had returned just in time.
Bai Zhou froze for a second, then broke into a pleasant mood, letting out a long breath.
"It's back... It's all back!"
From here on—
No matter what mysteries awaited him inside Yuanmeng Middle School—
Bai Zhou had the confidence to meet whatever unknown future lay ahead!
...
The earth-shattering explosion in the North District threw all of Tinghai City into a fervor once more.
This wasn't the sparsely populated South District; this was a bona fide bustling commercial area packed with corporate office buildings and financial centers.
A detonation of this scale tangibly disrupted people's daily lives. Many had been jolted awake by the blast and flocked online to join the discussion.
Wild rumors spread like wildfire regarding the incident.
Although nobody took them seriously, there were even absurd claims alleging that people with superpowers had fought a massive battle there.
Someone swore up and down that they saw figures clad in black covered in flames racing through the streets like the wind, faster even than a vengeful spirit on a motorcycle.
—Before long, however, such posts vanished.
In an unnoticed corner, the user's entire account had been wiped out.
Faced with the surging tide of public discourse, the authorities responded swiftly.
A news broadcast debunking the rumors appeared online:
"Good evening. We interrupt our regular broadcast with breaking news just received by our station. Approximately one hour ago, a severe explosion occurred at Starlight Mansion in the city's north. Our reporter, Wang Xuan, has arrived at the scene to bring us the latest coverage. Wang Xuan, what is the situation on the ground?"
The live broadcast cut to the scene, where male reporter Wang Xuan appeared with a grave expression, microphone in hand. Behind him, the blazing skyscraper was cordoned off by police tape.
Debris and shattered masonry from the explosion littered the streets. Red and blue lights from fire engines and police cruisers flashed alternately as uniformed personnel bustled about.
In the most inconspicuous corners of the frame, several figures in black suits carrying silver cases appeared, their expressions solemn yet perplexed as they went about some unknown business.
Reporter Wang Xuan cleared his throat, confirmed a stable signal, and began his report:
"Yes. As everyone can see, Starlight Mansion behind me is the epicenter of tonight's incident. According to the latest information gathered from police and fire departments, the preliminary assessment indicates the explosion was triggered by an underground gas pipeline leak ignited by an open flame.
"Fortunately, I have learned that the building involved is an unfinished, abandoned property that was not in active use, meaning economic losses and casualties remain minimal.
"Furthermore, due to the late hour, the number of confirmed casualties is extremely limited. Injured passersby have all been rushed to the hospital for examination, and none face life-threatening conditions.
"Our fire department responded promptly and has quickly brought the situation under control, confirming there is no risk of secondary explosions.
"—Rest assured, everyone!"
As he spoke, reporter Wang Xuan nodded emphatically.
The live stream's scrolling comments were inundated with prayer hands.
No one questioned the narrative.
The camera cut back to the studio. The anchor looked into the lens and offered an earnest reminder:
"Notably, this marks the second similar 'accidental explosion' in our city over the past few days.
"While the exact cause remains under investigation, we remind our citizens that during this change of seasons, the weather is dry, increasing the risk of fire and related incidents.
"We encourage everyone to remain calm, go about your work as usual, and take care to heighten fire safety awareness in daily life to eliminate hazards!
"—In addition, Councilman Yang, currently campaigning for Chief Executive, has voiced concerns, questioning whether these frequent blasts indicate the deterioration of our city's aging infrastructure.
"He stated that someone must be held accountable and pledged that, if elected, he will conduct comprehensive inspections and renovations on buildings throughout the city...
"—This is the Tinghai News Channel. We will keep you updated as the story develops."
The female anchor's reassuring, dignified countenance and measured tone put the public at ease.
The surreal clashes of this night and that incredible "ruptured furnace"...
...were thus buried beneath the veneer of ordinary, everyday news.
—Just like any other Extraordinary event.
The mundane lives of ordinary people marched on uninterrupted.
Come daybreak, it would be another ordinary, sunny day.
...
"Bastard!"
With a sharp crack, the Major slammed the laptop onto the floor.
The news broadcast cut out abruptly as the screen fractured into blackness.
The daily routines of ordinary folk indeed continued as mundane as ever.
—Yet in the Extraordinary world, these matters would never blow over so easily!
The churning undercurrents would ultimately swell into crushing waves. Guess whose head those waves would crash down upon?
No matter what, the authorities would trace this back to the Major very soon!
The existence of the Black Warriors could not be exposed; the Major would have to claim he had hired private mercenaries to track down Bai Zhou.
Yet the oversight team sent from headquarters was eating and drinking right inside the base, entirely in the dark. How was he supposed to explain that?
Swamped by this mountain of disasters, the Major no longer had the bandwidth to spare a glance for the handsome secretary at his side.
His mind had long since been consumed entirely by one single name, one single figure—
Bai Zhou!
Bai Zhou!
Lips pressed tight, teeth grinding together, his breath grew ragged and heavy.
Looking up, he saw the silent Black Warriors kneeling in a dense, dark crowd across the floor.
...Every single one of their faces was ghastly beyond belief.
Every Black Warrior was mangled. Shreds of flesh sloughed onto the floor; some had half their bodies melted away, while others had their entire faces burned off, laying bare skull armatures gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Yet they were still "alive," feeling no pain whatsoever, kneeling in silence before the Major.
With their skeletons modified by high-grade alloys, they possessed preternatural vitality and high-temperature tolerance.
Even so, out of the fifty Black Warriors dispatched, only a dozen or so stationed around the building's perimeter had survived.
And all in this pitiful state.
It went without saying that in a straight fight...
let alone the assassins from the Fine Arts Society, just two or three of these Black Warriors would have easily overpowered Bai Zhou.
And he had deployed fifty of them!
—A full fifty!
And this was all that had returned.
To make matters worse:
The Fine Arts Society's ace, the First Painter, was hovering near death, rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
The Society's other ace, the Second Painter, was severely wounded, both legs fractured and broken.
All of this would require the Major to foot exorbitant medical bills.
In a single night, the Major's financial losses looked to be bordering on a hundred million federal dollars!
His chest ached with violent spasms; fortunately, the Major was young and had no history of heart disease.
"—How did it come to this? Why did this happen?!"
The Major roared, though it sounded more like he was interrogating himself.
How could a mere Bai Zhou be such a jinx to him, humiliating him to this humiliating extent?
"...Because we let him stay in hiding for too long!"
In the corner, a woman leaning on crutches and wearing a painted mask spoke slowly, her voice chillingly cold.
The comminuted fractures in both legs made the newly promoted Second Painter boil with murderous intent, turning the surrounding air heavy and stagnant.
"An assassination should rely on the element of surprise. Yet he turned that building into an impenetrable fortress, and that is why this happened.
"—I imagine that even for Bai Zhou, setting up all those traps must have taken an extensive amount of time.
"It was because we took too long to track him down that he had the chance to fortify his base like that."
The female Painter analyzed calmly,
bearing the profound aura of someone who had supposedly grasped the entire picture:
"—However, there won't be a next time!
"He won't have so much time to scout a base and set up rituals again.
"Furthermore, I've already figured out how to unravel his rituals...
"Whether it's a ruptured furnace or an explosion, I know how to counter it!"
"—What?!"
The Major jolted upright, surging out of his office chair and leaning forward.
"Is that true?"
The female Painter nodded.
"An exceptional assassin always seeks the enemy's weakness to secure victory in a single strike.
"I should have realized sooner: this Bai Zhou isn't any orthodox ritual master. The pigments and reagents he uses are all improvised on the spot.
"I admire his ingenuity and extraordinary talent; I've never seen anyone master rituals the way he does."
With that, the female Painter sneered.
"Yet because of this, Bai Zhou has a flaw he has never even realized...
"A fatal weakness!"
A fatal weakness?
The Major's eyes lit up, but he eyed the female Painter with lingering skepticism as she leaned on her crutches in her tattered cloak.
While he had faith in her abilities and assassination experience...
*You've been beaten into this wretched state. Do you really have a plan?*
*Where was this earlier?*
"Pardon me, but I must keep the specific method confidential for now,"
the female Painter said, shaking her head.
"Just rest assured: so-called magic rune masters, ritual masters...
"The Fine Arts Society has slaughtered more of these 'masters' than I can count.
"Once their weaknesses are exposed, these people—devoid of true combat strength—are no different from chicks beneath our butcher's blade!"
The female Painter let out a cold laugh, then looked up at the Major and inquired seriously,
"So, Officer Luo, will you still be able to pinpoint Bai Zhou's location tomorrow night?"
"I can, but..."
The Major glanced hesitantly at the compass on his desk.
The agonizing losses were making him doubt himself—or rather, doubt this compass.
"Officer Luo, you have no need to worry!"
Raising a hand with grave assurance to cut off the Major's pointless second-guessing,
the female Painter recalled her brief yet unforgettable encounter with Bai Zhou:
"Bai Zhou was visibly shocked that we tracked him down. He knows nothing about how we pinpoint his location!
"—Therefore, for tomorrow night's strike, he won't have any preparation or time to set up anything!
"In fact... I have no desire to play cat-and-mouse with that brat any longer. He has succeeded in infuriating me."
It wasn't just her shattered legs.
The First Painter fighting for his life in the hospital—the unlucky bastard who hadn't jumped in time—was her boyfriend!
Between old grudges and fresh vendettas, the female Painter felt compelled to teach this kid, who relied solely on explosive rituals as his trump card...
...how a true Extraordinary speaks!
"This Bai Zhou will be..."
The female Painter lifted her head, her long hair—frizzled and curled courtesy of the explosive blast wave—draped over her shoulders.
The painted mask inscribed with three sets of crowns was fully exposed. The eyes behind it were cold and deadly earnest.
Flames of vengeance blazed within them, mirroring the image of Starlight Mansion being blown sky-high.
"I, Sofonisba Anguissola..."
"...will end him with my own hands!"
Hearing this, the Major was instantly overjoyed.
"Good, good, good—"
Right now, he desperately needed someone radiating confidence to boost his morale.
If she could truly deliver on her words...
*Bang! Bang, bang, bang!*
A heavy pounding abruptly rang out from the office door.
No, it was more like an uninhibited, violent battering.
Along with the banging came a loud shout:
"Open up! Major Luo! Open the door!"
"We know you're in there—"
"...?"
The Major's face turned blank with bewilderment.
Who in Branch 36 dared show him such blatant disrespect?
He had only suffered a setback against Bai Zhou; it wasn't as if he couldn't swing his blade anymore!
The voice was rather unfamiliar to the Major, but the secretary beside him suddenly blanched.
Having entertained the visitors from headquarters extensively of late, he recognized that voice...
"It's that Gem Witch!"
The secretary's words caused everyone in the office to pale in unison.
The secretary tiptoed to the door and peered through the crack, then shuddered violently from head to toe.
He turned back, his face instantly draining of color as if he had witnessed something unspeakably terrifying.
"It's..."
Looking at the Major, he whispered with a tremble:
"It's the oversight team from headquarters..."
In the dead of night, the oversight team from headquarters wasn't sleeping, paying a late-night visit.
What could it possibly be for?
They certainly hadn't come to the Major's office for tea.
That left only one possibility...
To hold him accountable!
And yet—
The Major's face twisted in horror as the reality hit him like a freight train. He snapped his head up toward the tottering, bewildered ace assassin of the Fine Arts Society leaning on her crutches.
Then he looked at the horde of half-human, half-fiend skeletal Black Warriors kneeling across the floor...
Seasoned as he was in braving storms, the Major's heart practically stopped, his vision going black.
He was cornered in his own office.
And all this in front of him...
This grotesque tableau straight out of a hellscape...
Which part of this was fit for human eyes?!
—And the ones at the door were the fucking oversight team from headquarters!
Chapter 81