Chapter 117: Artificial Souls - Part 44 |
The train gradually accelerated, the wind’s roar intensifying as its elongated cars traversed through remote, densely forested mountain terrain.
Surveillance equipment lined the railway tracks, forcing Kui Xin to divert some attention to controlling these cameras and ensuring her concealment.
Both Kui Xin and the black-robed figure opposite her maintained a steady balance on the train roof, seemingly unaffected by the wind and speed.
Kui Xin slightly leaned forward, spreading her legs for better stability.
The passive skill Eyes of Perception was activated.
Instantly, she discerned the specific details of the opponent’s superhuman abilities.
“Flesh Regeneration C-tier… Nightmare Possession C-tier…” As Kui Xin scrutinized the black-robed figure across from her, disgust surfaced on her face upon identifying his abilities.
Nightmare Possession: Splits off combat-ready avatars from one’s body. The longer and more numerous the Nightmare Avatars remain active, the greater the drain on the wielder’s strength. However, the crucial aspect is that the “nightmares” being driven must be artificially created. The method of creation involves… consumption.
If the person consumed possessed unique superhuman abilities, there was a chance that these abilities could be retained after transforming into a Malicious Nightmare.
Every Variant Blood individual has Flesh Regeneration, and some exceptionally lucky ones can overcome the erosion of Divine Blood to awaken additional superhuman capabilities. The black-robed figure opposite Kui Xin is either a Variant Blood user or a Depriver who has usurped Variant Blood’s abilities.
A C-grade—this ranking is not low at all. Kui Xin surmised that most players with spontaneously awakened superhuman abilities are likely to maintain E or D grades, as the chances of instantly becoming superior upon awakening are extremely slim.
Under Kui Xin’s watchful gaze, the black-clad figure writhed briefly before horrifyingly splitting apart, revealing a bloody monster emerging from within his body.
Its limbs resembled those of a human, but they lacked skin, exposing raw muscles and tendons. The creature continuously dripped with mucus, eliciting a nauseating sight with just one glance.
The arms and legs of the Nightmare Avatar were disproportionately elongated, creating an unsettling imbalance. It had slender, conical spikes at the ends of its hands. It crouched, legs intertwined, staring menacingly at Kui Xin like a predator poised for capture, akin to a hunting frog.
The Malicious Nightmare let out a hiss, opening its mouth with sharp teeth and licking its lips with a long tongue.
“Speed type,” Kui Xin deduced.
This Nightmare Avatar’s physique appeared very agile, with legs displaying explosive power. It was evident that its mobility and flexibility would be exceptionally high.
During her time in the Investigation Department, Kui Xin learned that at lower ranks, body-enhancement-type superhuman abilities were more advantageous. These types of abilities provided tangible improvements to the physical body, whereas capabilities like Water or Fire Control did not have as much early-stage dominance. Consequently, low-level mages typically had lesser chances against assassins or berserkers of similar rank.
The Nightmare Avatar before her resembled an Extraordinary Ability User specializing in body enhancement, posing some threat.
However, she didn’t know how many Nightmare Avatars her opponent possessed in total?
How long could these Nightmare Avatars sustain themselves? Being C-tier abilities, they likely wouldn’t be overly powerful.
Kui Xin didn’t want her killings reported on the forum, so initially, her plan was to resolve conflicts without directly murdering anyone herself, ideally making it appear as an accident. But the black-robed figure opposite her seemed to possess a relatively advanced level of Flesh Regeneration. If Kui Xin didn’t deliver a swift, lethal blow personally, it would be difficult to ascertain whether her opponent truly perished.
She would have to play it by ear.
After a brief standoff, the black-robed figure lost patience.
The blood-red Malicious Nightmare abruptly sprang forward like a frog, lunging towards Kui Xin with its spikes aimed directly at her eyes.
The train’s roof was uneven, and although it wasn’t nighttime, the sunlight still cast numerous small shadows upon it. With ease, she utilized these shadow coordinates for spatial translocation, effortlessly evading the attack. Then, swiftly moving to the side of the Malicious Nightmare, she delivered a powerful kick that sent it tumbling off the train.
It emitted a shrill scream and rolled several times on the railway tracks.
Quickly regaining its footing, the Malicious Nightmare madly chased after the train, its speed so rapid that it blurred into a red streak. In just a few leaps, it ascended back onto the rooftop and launched another fierce assault.
Kui Xin dodged once more, but the Malicious Nightmare’s protruding spikes, unable to retract in time, pierced through the train roof and penetrated into the passenger compartment.
A grim expression crossed Kui Xin’s face, not because the Malicious Nightmare was particularly challenging, but because she heard panicked screams from passengers…
“No way… I can’t become a lawbreaker now, right?” Kui Xin muttered.
This situation must not escalate!
As the Malicious Nightmare prepared to pull out its spikes embedded in the train, Kui Xin swiftly struck with a knee strike, sending it flying. Its body plummeted back onto the railway tracks, providing a brief window for action. Seizing the opportunity, Kui Xin executed multiple instances of spatial translocation, closing the distance to within less than a meter of the black-robed figure.
As the Malicious Nightmare prepared to retract its spike from the compartment, Kui Xin swiftly delivered a knee strike, sending it flying. Its body once again crashed onto the railway tracks. Taking advantage of the momentary gap as it scrambled to chase after the train, Kui Xin executed several successive Shadow Shuttle maneuvers, bringing her within less than a meter of the black-robed figure.
The black-robed figure reacted swiftly, raising his hand to tear open his outer garment and draw a knife from his belt. Simultaneously, another Malicious Nightmare’s head was about to emerge from his bare chest.
Kui Xin’s heart skipped a beat, and she lunged forward, executing a swift spinning kick that sent the black-robed figure’s knife flying out of his grasp.
The glinting blade danced through the air, and with a grabbing motion, Kui Xin manipulated the weapon. Despite having flown several meters away, the knife abruptly reversed course as if drawn by a powerful magnet, hurtling back towards her. Under Kui Xin’s telekinetic control, it viciously plunged into the black-robed figure’s distorted chest, forcing the emerging Malicious Nightmare back inside.
She heard the black-robed figure’s agonized scream, but her face remained expressionless.
Magnetic Sword – C Rank!
This superhuman ability allowed manipulation of metal using magnetic fields. Although some abilities may have limited offensive power, they can always play unexpected roles in suitable situations.
Sensing a gust of wind at the back of her head, Kui Xin transformed into a black mist and dissipated on the spot. The next second, sharp spikes swept past where she had been standing, rendering the blood-red Malicious Nightmare’s attack futile.
The black mist coalesced in the shadows behind the black-robed figure. With an audible “pfft,” the knife lodged in his chest was yanked out by an unseen hand. The blood spurted momentarily but quickly stopped as the wound healed at a frightening speed.
The bloodstained blade curved through the air and flew into Kui Xin’s grasp. Holding the sticky knife, she skillfully stabbed it into the junction of the black-robed figure’s cervical vertebrae with precision sharper than that of a butcher.
His body convulsed once before going limp on the ground.
With a pallid face, the black-robed figure uttered their first words since the battle began: “You can’t escape; I’m not alone… God is watching you! You, you won’t get away!”
The Malicious Nightmare didn’t relent in its attacks; it shrieked as it charged towards Kui Xin. However, the train was about to enter a mountain tunnel.
Instantly transforming her body into a black mist, Kui Xin’s field of vision plunged into darkness. Meanwhile, the Malicious Nightmare, caught off guard by the low-ceilinged tunnel entrance with limited space for evasion, was flung away amidst a terrifying crash. The horrifying impact sound, mixed with the monster’s roars and the immense noise of the train passing through the tunnel, echos repeatedly in the pitch-black cave.
Free from the obstructive Malicious Nightmare, Kui Xin lowered herself and crawled across the train roof, reaching the black-robed figure. With a swift kick, she mercilessly sent him tumbling off the train.
She heard distorted screams as the train’s gears and narrow tunnel crushed the black-robed figure’s body; his paralyzed state left him unable to evade.
After approximately ten seconds, light flooded Kui Xin’s vision—the train emerged from the tunnel.
The chilling screams subsided. The pursuing blood-red Malicious Nightmare suddenly stumbled, collapsed onto the railway tracks, and melted into a pool of gore.
Kui Xin straightened up, her eyes fixing intently on the tunnel entrance. After waiting for several seconds, she saw no further objects emerging from within.
She didn’t receive any kill notifications because she hadn’t directly killed the black-robed figure herself but rather relied on the train and tunnel to do so.
Kui Xin opened her phone to check the forum. After refreshing the posts, she noticed a new alert at the very bottom of the player casualty list:
“Proxy 9986 died on August 12th.”
Returning to the main forum page and refreshing again, as expected, a player who constantly monitored the casualty list had posted about it. The post title read, “Another Proxy has died. The death time just popped up—only one name on the list, indicating it wasn’t a Player-vs-Player kill.”
Relieved, Kui Xin sighed and put her phone back in her pocket.
Instead of immediately returning to the coach, she braved the fierce wind and walked along the train’s roof once, ensuring there were no suspicious individuals hiding nearby. Then, she sent a message to He Kangshi.
“Were there any disturbances in the coach just now?”
He Kangshi, seemingly terrified, promptly replied, “Oh my god, you scared me to death, boss! People in our coach heard several loud banging noises, and individuals from another coach rushed over, saying their coach had a hole punctured in its roof. Some claimed that something resembling a claw had mysteriously pierced through it. A passenger speculated it might be due to wildlife falling onto the train’s roof; the howling sounds were incredibly eerie. The conductor went to report this to the train driver, asking him to stop for an inspection. However, the train driver received instructions from the station not to halt but to continue moving. Now, the conductor is reassuring the passengers, stating it’s not a major issue… Has our train been attacked?”
Kui Xin responded, “It’s temporarily resolved. A Variant Blood assaulted one of the coaches, and he may have accomplices—though I’m unsure if they’re onboard or elsewhere. They likely aren’t on the train since the roof has already been inspected. Keep an eye on your fellow passengers and prevent any suspicious individuals from mingling.”
“Okay, understood,” He Kangshi replied.
She pondered seriously for a moment. “The train compartments have surveillance cameras installed. Unless the attackers possess a superhuman ability to change their appearance, they likely wouldn’t disguise themselves as passengers.”
“That’s reassuring. I’ll keep an eye on my surroundings,” He Kangshi replied.
After a brief pause, he sent another anxious message: “Something seems off. The first course of action when issues arise with a train should be to stop and perform maintenance checks. The main railway station must also be aware of the risks involved in forcing the train to continue running. Why would they still allow it? It doesn’t quite align with normal procedures?”
Kui Xin was also contemplating this important question.
Following standard procedure, the train should have stopped for inspection, but it didn’t. Unless… the person giving orders knew that the unusual situation with the train wasn’t due to mechanical faults or problems with the tracks… but rather because it was being pursued by someone.
Kui Xin raised her arm to shield against the sunlight and glanced up at the cloudless blue sky.
In the vastness of space, a controlled satellite silently captured a series of photographs.
In a technologically advanced society, surveillance methods extend far beyond just security cameras.