Chapter 121: Life is Priceless |
Shi Rang watched all of this in silence. His entire body felt cold and his head spun dizzily, as if his brain had turned to mush. He could not even hear the details of this transaction clearly anymore.
He was now completely and utterly alone in this world.
By the time he snapped out of his daze, he saw Shi Shixin lunging at the small vial. The older man bit off the stopper and poured the liquid down his throat.
The wounds inflicted by fists and feet rapidly knit together. Color rushed back into the old man's cheeks, and a boundless vitality smoothed out the wrinkles on his face, straightening his previously hunched and emaciated back.
Relying on this single mouthful from the "Fountain of Youth", the sexagenarian reclaimed over a decade of lost time. He repeatedly stroked his suddenly firm skin and then licked the empty vial, an unbelievable greed bursting from his eyes.
Shi Rang looked away in disgust. Standing to the side, he logged into the Management Bureau Main Station and opened the records for CVA-A-006.
The word count inside was sparse. By the time he finished reading, Shi Shixin had already scrambled up from the floor.
Shi Rang promptly severed the connection and stood off to the side with his hands behind his back, fully understanding the situation in his heart.
Shi Shixin was finished.
Shi Shixin was a man blinded by greed. Making him yield and cooperate with the Ascension Society was not a difficult task, but he could defect at any moment for greater benefits and bite the hand that fed him.
Just as Deacon Huo had said, the other party was nothing more than a dog, an unruly hound capable of running errands for the Ascension Society.
The Field Agent continued to smile. That smile seemed to be some sort of signature trait, a Mask belonging to a devil.
"This is not some cheap commodity you can find anywhere on the streets, Mr. Shi. Did you know that all the water from the 'Fountain of Youth' is exclusively supplied to the Supreme Council of the Management Bureau? They monopolize the spring water to maintain their own eternal youth. Many of them look young but are actually hundred-year-old monsters. You have now joined this Immortality Alliance as well, but do you really think they will welcome you?"
His internal scheming exposed, Shi Shixin's expression stiffened imperceptibly. Before he could even open his mouth to cover it up, the Field Agent continued speaking.
"You can use makeup and falsified medical exams to hide the years you have regained. However, if we just slightly leak the fact that you obtained the 'Fountain of Youth', a mobile task force exclusively serving the Council Members will show up at your door for an inspection. You could, of course, mobilize your Connections and try to bribe them—that would be a decent attempt."
The moment he made his choice and tainted his fingers with the "Fountain of Youth", Shi Shixin was already firmly chained to the Ascension Society's war chariot.
Since he had chosen to give in to his greed and desires, he had no other option but absolute obedience.
Shi Shixin accepted all of this with astonishing speed.
He raised his head, offering a fawning, apologetic smile to the Field Agent, Jing Zi, and even Shi Rang, inviting them to sit down on the Sofa.
This old fox, who had just been severely beaten, lowered his posture and obediently retreated to the position of a subordinate, joining this new alliance of interests without the slightest grudge.
"I can plant your people in the Charity Foundation and open up the Database for you... No matter what you want to do, I can give you the green light. Just do not cause a massive uproar. If you end up dragging me down with you, I will not be able to help you with anything at all."
The Field Agent replied, "You are as flexible as a politician, Mr. Shi. It is a pity that the Management Bureau is above you, otherwise, you could have climbed much higher."
"Plant me into the Charity Foundation. I will take charge of this matter."
The moment Shi Rang spoke, everyone else looked over.
There was surprise in Jing Zi's eyes, while the Field Agent's smile became tinged with even more friendliness.
The appearance of the "Fountain of Youth" spring water had not only shocked Shi Shixin and melted his stance, but it had also given Shi Rang an epiphany.
The fact that the Ascension Society could obtain this item, and was willing to use it against Shi Shixin, proved that they possessed quite a few samples of Containment Objects exclusively meant for the Management Bureau's council, objects that were supposed to be heavily guarded layer by layer. The Ascension Society was not just a gathering place for superhumans or a small rebel faction; its power was far greater than Shi Rang had estimated.
The identity of Dump Truck was constrained by those highly vigilant employees of the Management Bureau and the elusive Council Members.
The identity of Deer Hunter had yet to exert its maximum utility and still required time to cultivate.
Both were promising for the future, but they were powers he could not freely command in the present, nor did they truly belong to him.
Shaking off the obstruction of past shadows and no longer needing to care about the safety of his blood relatives, Shi Rang decided to take the initiative and strike.
His original value lay in his ability to lure Shi Shixin away from his security detail, helping the Ascension Society advance their operations against the Charity Foundation.
Now that Shi Shixin had fallen under their control, this value of Shi Rang's was about to vanish.
The Ascension Society did not lack an ordinary person who could take a beating and had a good memory. He had to bestow new value upon himself.
Right now, aside from the intelligence regarding the Eye of God, Shi Rang held two more cards in his hand. One was his social connection with Shi Shixin, and the other... was the inexplicable goodwill directed toward him by the Ascension Society higher-up manipulating the Field Agent.
Shi Rang himself was too weak. He was so feeble that any randomly robust person could pin him to the ground and beat him up.
Training required time and talent, and time was exactly what he lacked the most. There was one, and only one, path laid out before him—Plunder.
He needed to interact with the world of Anomalies more frequently. He needed a better wave of momentum to ride, allowing him to Plunder more Anomalous Effects and rapidly elevate his strength.
Furthermore... after discarding the familial bonds that used to bring him a sliver of hope, he found that he had nowhere left to go.
There would no longer be any lights shining for him in the Second District.
He needed a new community.
Even if that community was a double-edged sword, or a pit of mud.
"You have performed very well, Shi Rang. You did not attempt to call for backup, nor did you seek an alternative route. You have proven yourself worthy of our trust. Indeed, it is more fitting for you to take charge of this matter. You and Shi Shixin are father and son; leaving him in your care guarantees no one will grow suspicious. Arranging a high-ranking sinecure for one's own son is perfectly logical, is it not?" The Field Agent turned toward Shi Shixin, who squeezed out an ugly smile and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Thinking about how he had actually been moved by this man not too long ago, Shi Rang felt slightly nauseated.
"Then it is settled. This matter cannot be rushed. Follow standard procedures and take it slowly. That vial of spring water has granted you a decade of youth, but its effects will wane within a few months, ultimately leaving behind only a year or two of rejuvenation. If you want more time, you know what you must do.
"Figure out a way to dispose of this person yourself. Make sure it is done before his colleagues get suspicious. Do not let a minor accident like this affect the friendship between us."
With that said, the Field Agent's body went limp like a Puppet whose strings had been cut, collapsing onto the Sofa.
Shi Rang stared intently at the body.
The Field Agent's chest was still rising and falling, and his eyes remained open, but the spark of life had vanished from within them. The flesh was perfectly intact, yet the soul had disappeared without a trace.
Another person had died right in front of him.
Even if he was an enemy and human scum, he was still human.
Right, the organization he was about to join was precisely this kind of group that aimed to "save humanity."
He was beginning to get used to it, but he would also remember this feeling.
Jing Zi rested his hand on Shi Rang's shoulder, using a photograph teleportation to bring him to a nearby mountain.
Shi Rang stumbled but managed to stand straight, struggling to adapt to the sudden darkness. The Estate had now become a distant cluster of lights.
He did not need his eyes to know that Jing Zi was right beside him. A few seconds later, a cluster of Anomaly Fluctuations—even brighter than Jing Zi's—shot over from the distance. It was so intense that it made his head throb with pain, far stronger than the fluctuations he had felt back at the Villa.
A dark silhouette stood up from the impact point of the energy and waved a hand at Jing Zi. The latter cast a worried glance at Shi Rang before immediately teleporting away, leaving the space entirely to the two of them.
Shi Rang had already deduced earlier that this entity would definitely seek him out for a chat, aiming to "reclaim" the price he owed for accepting their goodwill. However, he had nothing to give them.
Embracing the mindset of one of The Barefoot Ones, he held little fear. Aside from not being able to lose his life, he could accept any other consequence.
But that look in Jing Zi's eyes, along with the warning he had given him earlier at the Airport...
When the person in front of him opened their mouth, they actually spat out an obscure and bizarre word.
"Cursdoped?"
The word that came out of the silhouette's mouth was neither World Language nor Li Language. It sounded more like a fabricated, made-up word. Shi Rang could only deduce that it was a question based on the intonation.
"What?"
"So you aren't..." the figure brushed back their hair and sighed in disappointment.
Just a moment ago, this controller had been using a male body, but now they occupied a female one. Because this entity was capable of possessing human bodies, Shi Rang was entirely unsure if this was their true form.
The fact that the other party could phase right through the Reality Anchor spoke volumes of their formidable power. He had never witnessed such violent Anomaly Fluctuations before.
Danger enveloped him like an invisible net.
Shi Rang tensed his body vigilantly, striving to gather any shred of information he could.
The moonlight pierced through the sparse woodland, outlining a peculiar symbol on the woman's forehead—it roughly resembled a sweeping arch encompassing a central dot drawn with wavy lines, but notably more complex, as if it were some sort of sigil representing a ghost.
"Apologies, Cadre, my foreign language skills are lacking." Regardless of what the word meant, Shi Rang only knew that the other party had not gotten what they wanted, which was quite a bad sign. "May I ask how I should address you?"
While Jing Zi was staying over to stand guard at his house, he had mentioned that within the Ascension Society, those above ordinary members were Deacons. Above them were the Cadres, and the leaders were the three Heads. Jing Zi's reverence and nervousness toward this person were visibly greater than when he dealt with Deacon Huo. Therefore, he guessed that the person standing before him was a Cadre.
She asked, "Can you feel me?"
"Feel... Of course, you are right in front of me."
"That is not the answer I want." The woman suddenly took a step forward, pressing both her hands against the sides of Shi Rang's cheeks. "Tell me, what do I look like?"
Her voice was airy and still carried a hint of a smile, but the force transmitted from her hands made Shi Rang feel as though he had plunged into a chasm of ice, locking his entire body rigidly in place.