Chapter 8

“How did she find us?!”

She should have died without knowing anything!

The black-robed person stared in horror at the young girl before them. Their already throbbing brain couldn’t fathom how the girl had managed to track them down. And then, the red-haired girl, after precisely shooting off Brad’s head, turned the gun on herself… Is she a madwoman?

No… If she’s not a madwoman, then there’s another possibility.

Anyone capable of such bizarre and extraordinary actions, if not a madwoman, must be an Extraordinary Person.

But how could this be possible?

This was Brad, a lamb meticulously chosen for the ritual, with no background or connections, someone who would not be missed even if dead. How could she possibly complete the Replication Ritual? Which path did she take?

Could it be… Was her previous ordinariness part of the Replication Ritual?

Seeing the girl slowly approach, the black-robed man knew he couldn’t delay any longer.

His Replication Ritual was incomplete, and he didn’t want to die here!

The black-robed person hesitated no more. Under the cover of their robe, they reached inside and crushed the container holding the fleshy tentacle.

The semi-transparent tube shattered, its fragments cutting through his skin, while the fleshy tentacle writhed like a worm towards the wound.

“Wait… Lady… Sir!”

“I… I have a complete set of Replication Ritual notes and a potion. I can give them to you! As a humble apology!”

The black-robed man looked up at the red-haired girl. His shriveled, ugly face began to fill with fine, fleshy buds…

…

Xia’er watched the black-robed person lying half-dead on the ground. Her heart rate increased slightly.

When the black-robed person fell to the ground after being shot, their hood flipped back, revealing their grotesque, repulsive face.

A gaunt face, skin hanging loosely, unable to cover muscles and bones, and pus-filled tumors pulsating atop the head.

Just one look was enough to make anyone uneasy. Xia’er’s steps towards him gradually halted.

The half-human, half-demon appearance made Xia’er doubt whether her gun and blade could actually harm him.

In that moment of hesitation, the black-robed person, supporting themselves with one hand, trembled and spoke:

“Wait… Lady… Sir!”

“I… I have a complete set of Replication Ritual notes and a potion. I can give them to you! As a humble apology!”

He slowly raised his head, his yellowed eyes and lifeless pupils meeting Xia’er’s gaze. In that instant, Xia’er felt a buzzing in her mind.

“Brad was merely a sacrifice for my Replication Ritual. After instructing him, I let him act alone. I never expected him to target you.”

“This potion was only used to instruct Brad. If you need it…”

“The potion and notes are yours…”

The black-robed man’s voice echoed in Xia’er’s mind. Everything around her became a blur, except for the black-robed person’s face, which was increasingly covered by fleshy buds.

Xia’er felt the whispers in her mind growing louder, drowning out her thoughts. Her limbs began to stiffen, and she gradually lost sensation in her extremities.

What is this power?

Is this… Extraordinary power?

Potion… Notes… Replication Ritual… Instruct…

These words struggled to form coherent thoughts in Xia’er’s mind.

In her vision, everything distorted, leaving only that terrifying face flickering in her sight, each blink bringing it closer.

No… She needed to move…

An alarm blared in Xia’er’s mind as the face approached, and she seemed to hallucinate a horrific scene—the fleshy buds piercing through…

His flesh-like tentacles started drilling out from his cheeks, using their barbed appendages to gnaw on his own face…

And… Skills…

Death… Reversal…

Xia’er used her last bit of strength to pull the trigger of the pistol she had been pressing against her temple with her left hand.

“Bang—!”

The hammer struck the primer, igniting the black powder which exploded with a thick cloud of smoke, carrying the bullet out of the barrel. The muzzle flash singed her hair, sending the bullet into her skull, where it wreaked havoc inside her brain.

The gunshot sounded like a thunderclap in her ears, all the murmurs and buzzing fading away in its wake.

As her brain matter mixed with blood spurted out, everything in front of her suddenly returned to normal.

She saw the black-robed man, clutching his wound, limping towards her. His face was struggling, with flesh-like growths trying to tear through his skin. Xia’er could even see the blood seeping from his eyes and the barbed, flesh-like protrusion emerging from them.

Fear and pain did not break Xia’er; instead, she fell into a calm, almost dead-like state.

In the black-robed man’s shocked gaze, she raised her hand and threw the empty revolver, then swung her short knife, charging forward skillfully and slicing across his neck.

Ignoring the dark, sticky blood splattering on her, Xia’er continued to slash at his neck, even as the flesh-like growths on his face became frenzied. She showed no intention of stopping.

At this moment, Xia’er was already dead. Since she was dead, there was nothing to fear.

“Splat—splat—”

Thick black blood splattered everywhere. The black-robed man’s neck was nearly severed by her relentless hacking, leaving only a small strip of skin holding him together.

The black-robed man had long lost all signs of life. His skin drooped, and the tumor on his head burst, releasing black blood and translucent, worm-like objects. A pink, fleshy tentacle began to coalesce in the blood beside him, emitting a faint pink glow.

Xia’er stopped moving. She had no heartbeat or breath, and even faced with such a gruesome scene, she felt no fear. Her dark red pupils began to dilate.

She gradually lost control of her body, and her consciousness began to drift away.

Should she end the simulation now? Xia’er thought.

She wondered if she had accumulated enough Mortality Points by killing them… Now that she was dead herself, she probably wouldn’t get many points…

Right… Potion…

Xia’er used her knife to cut open the black robe, her movements stiff as she retrieved a black, semi-transparent vial from within. It contained what appeared to be flowing gas rather than liquid.

Besides the potion, Xia’er also found two notebooks, which she held in her left hand, waiting until the simulation ended to store them in the system’s shop and see what they were.

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of the fleshy tentacle lying in the pool of blood. She slowly extended her right hand, using the tip of her knife to lift the tentacle and, with great effort, stood up stiffly.

Mmm…

Xia’er’s thoughts began to slow down, her cognitive abilities drastically diminishing.

With her dilated pupils, she stared at the tentacle on the blade, pondering one question over and over.

Can this thing be sent into the system shop through the knife…?

It would require direct contact…

But her left hand was full, and her right hand was still holding the knife. If she let go, she wouldn’t be able to pick it up again…

Xia’er slowly raised her hand, extending the tip of her knife, and slowly brought the pink tentacle to her mouth.

It touched… Ahh…

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh—!”

A hysterical scream echoed from the entrance of the tavern.

Having lost all ability to think, Xia’er awkwardly turned her head toward the door.

Then, she remained frozen in place, maintaining that tilted posture.

This stagnant street began to boil with activity due to the scream.