Chapter 504: New Prey and a Solo Meeting |
Cheng Shi frowned: "I noticed he can freeze time around his opponents during attacks. Do Pointer Knights have that kind of talent?"
He glanced at the recipient of that very ability — the Chameleon.
The Chameleon didn't speak, but offered a small nod — affirming he'd been hit by Time Stagnation, not affirming Cheng Shi's question itself.
"Maybe a stack of multiple talents?" Poison furrowed her brow, uncharacteristically serious. "Or could it be an effect of that Hour Hand Sword?
"Pointer Knights specialize in seizing timing. Time Stagnation of that level would at most come from [Time]'s generic talents.
"There aren't many Pointer Knights at the peak. Now that you mention it, I'm genuinely not sure.
"Why — doubting his identity?"
Cheng Shi shook his head, feeling like he was overlooking something.
He thought for a moment, then turned to Gongyang Jiao, hoping to hear insights from a fellow warrior about their shared profession. But the Screaming Earl shook his head darkly — clearly unfamiliar with Jiang Chi.
"He's probably a newcomer. A peak-tier newcomer.
"I've wondered whether he was using a false identity, but [Time]'s people are always mysterious and secretive — it doesn't match Jiang Chi's style.
"The players toward the top of the rankings may not shift much, but after the fifteenth or twentieth place, the rotation frequency isn't low at all.
"Their understanding of faith may not align perfectly with the gods' will, but that doesn't mean they're weak.
"Take you, for instance, little priest — what exactly is your ID on the Ladder of Ascent?"
Cheng Shi shot Poison a sidelong look, ignored her, and sank back into thought.
A peak newcomer who dared partner with Poison.
'Sure enough — anyone touched by the word "peak" was hard to read by normal standards.'
In truth, Cheng Shi already had a plan. He was simply being extra cautious, which was why he kept asking. He also had a cruder approach available — sending these three ahead to test Jiang Chi's depth.
After all, Cheng Shi's target had always been Jiang Chi alone. As for Da Yi...
He intended to handle Da Yi personally.
The First Prince had been devoured by Gongyang Jiao. Though the Screaming Earl hadn't said so outright, a man-eater like him surely wouldn't pass up a Rosna-royal snack. So when Cheng Shi had told Da Yi "the First Prince is inside," he'd already decided to sit down and talk with the man face to face.
And he was confident: when Da Yi found no First Prince in that house, the shrewd assassin would stay and wait for him.
After much deliberation, Cheng Shi decided to split up.
Poison's trio would hunt Jiang Chi. He himself would go "settle things" with Da Yi. If both fronts succeeded, it wouldn't matter if they never found the so-called Gift of Sores — because Cheng Shi would already be the biggest winner.
As for what he could win, that depended on what he could extract during his conversation with Da Yi.
Once the decision was made, the four exchanged brief words and moved.
Gongyang Jiao obviously despised the idea of working alongside Poison. He left first, face like thunder. The Chameleon followed close behind. Poison lingered, glancing back at Cheng Shi as if wanting to say something.
But Cheng Shi's pace was equally swift. He was already heading toward the First Prince's safehouse.
Seeing no intention of engagement, Poison frowned slightly. Her gaze swept toward Gongyang Jiao's departing direction, and with an odd expression, she followed.
...
Meanwhile — the First Prince's hideout.
As Cheng Shi predicted, the moment Da Yi burst in and found the place empty, he realized Cheng Shi had something to say.
But whether this "Cheng Shi" was truly Cheng Shi remained an open question.
Da Yi had many doubts. Who was this person? What did he want? How strong was he? But short of the man himself answering, this trial offered no other source.
The [War] assassin sat in the dimness on a couch, eyes shadowed, waiting silently for those answers.
Outside, the blizzard howled. But the figure he'd left standing guard had long vanished from the wind and snow.
The shrewd Da Yi had already realized he and Jiang Chi could never continue as partners. He also recognized that Cheng Shi's likely target was the Pointer Knight.
If he'd worked that out, Jiang Chi certainly had too. By now, the [Time] follower was probably hiding his tracks to evade the hunt.
And this "Cheng Shi"...
He was clearly someone who held grudges. Yet he appeared unbothered by Da Yi's role in that killing scheme.
Why?
'Surely it wasn't friendship forged during that brief campfire encounter...'
'Could his true identity have something to do with me?'
Da Yi's brow tightened. As his thoughts spiraled deeper, an utterly absurd idea took shape:
'Was "Cheng Shi" also one of that person's people? Or was he... that person himself!?'
The thought startled Da Yi, but a second later it seemed plausible.
He began replaying every detail of his encounters with Cheng Shi. And the very first image was Hu Wei leading Cheng Shi into their campfire gathering.
'Right — Old Hu had brought him there.'
'So did Old Hu know Cheng Shi's real identity?'
'If Cheng Shi were also that person's agent, Old Hu would've told me in advance. During preparation, he'd clearly treated everyone as potential opponents, which meant... Cheng Shi wasn't one of us.'
'But there was another possibility: Old Hu had been acting!'
'He knew Cheng Shi was an ally but couldn't say so for some reason and needed to maintain distance. For instance...'
'If Cheng Shi's rank was higher than Old Hu's, and his arrival among them served a different purpose entirely — that would explain Old Hu's silence.'
'And then there were Cheng Shi's words after killing Gongyang Jiao: "Still a mortal shell, after all. A bit too fragile..."'
Da Yi's heart lurched. Horror flashed across his face: "Hot damn — could it really be Him!?"
The instant the words left his mouth, Cheng Shi pushed through the first-floor door, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and smiled at the stunned Da Yi on the couch:
"Seems you've already guessed."
Yes — under the perception of an assassin, Cheng Shi had appeared without a sound.
But that wasn't strange. He had a [Silence] helper.
Before leaving, Cheng Shi had the Chameleon apply a layer of [Silence] camouflage. That was how he'd bypassed the assassin's senses and reached the house undetected.
He'd originally planned to wait longer and eavesdrop — Da Yi had a verbal tic, always muttering and grumbling. Maybe he'd blurt something useful.
And sure enough, the wait produced the perfect entrance cue.
So Cheng Shi tore off the [Silence] disguise and walked in.
He'd expected a smooth opening. But to his surprise, this [War] assassin was more cautious than anyone. He wasn't rattled by Cheng Shi's silent appearance. He didn't hypnotize himself into buying some fabricated identity. Instead, his expression went flat, his gaze hardened, and he covertly readied an attack stance:
"Hot damn — who are you, really?"
Cheng Shi answered with a question: "Didn't you just guess?"
Da Yi shook his head coldly: "I never trust guesses. Only what I see and hear with my own eyes."
"Oh? Is that so?" Cheng Shi took a few casual steps deeper into the room. "I believe you did hear. Why the lack of confidence?"
"Hot damn, your smoke-and-mirrors act doesn't work on me. Brother Cheng — I'll call you Brother Cheng one last time. Old Hu brought you here. You saved Old Hu's life. So I trusted you. But if you keep hiding your identity like this...
"Then don't blame my Iron Thorns... for not recognizing faces."
'Trust?'
Cheng Shi glanced at the gleaming Iron Thorns in Da Yi's hands. He shook his head with a smile.
"Fine, fine, fine. In that case, let me give you another hint."
He stopped. His smile turned deeply meaningful.
"[Chaos]!
"Ring any bells?"
[Chaos]!
Da Yi's pupils contracted violently. Horror bled through his composure. And the instant Cheng Shi saw that expression crack — he knew his gamble had paid off.
This [War] assassin was indeed tangled with [Chaos]!
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