040 Ceremonial Attire

Cao Chen woke up in agonizing pain.

The cost of using suggestion to force himself to perform with superhuman strength was the hellish sensation that followed—after those few minutes of power, he had to endure a dozen hours of pain as if every muscle in his body had been chewed to pieces. Although he had used it many times before, it was a different kind of torture every single time.

"Hmph, hmph-hmph-hmph, hng-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

"Alright, quit the howling."

Mo Bai kicked him and pointed a thumb at Mu Sheng, who was standing beside him. "See this guy? The one who plays with dual pistols and a watermelon knife?"

"Anyone who plays with dual pistols is the boss. You’re going to answer whatever I ask, or we’ll crack your skull open like a watermelon and use your head as a soccer ball. Got it?"

Facing Mo Bai’s intimidation, Cao Chen acted like a frightened chick, enduring the excruciating pain while nodding frantically. "Got it, I’ve got it completely."

"Please, ask away. I’ll answer anything you want to know. Just spare my life."

Mo Bai paused. "?" He squinted his eyes. "Huh? Why are you being so cooperative?"

"According to tradition, shouldn't you be showing off your 'manly spirit,' biting your tongue, saying nothing, and forcing us to torture you until you're broken before you finally confess?"

Cao Chen chuckled weakly. "You said I was going to confess in the end anyway, right? So why not just do it now? It saves you two the effort—everyone wins."

Mo Bai nodded. "Wise move. You’re a real piece of work, kid."

Cao Chen’s logic was simple: of all the things in the world, staying alive was the most important. Advancing to Star-Harmony? That was just to ensure a comfortable retirement; he wasn't going to throw his life away for a promotion. He wasn't going to risk his neck for a measly salary. He just wanted to retire—what was wrong with that?

"I told you, Mo, these low-level assassins don't exactly have high professional ethics."

Mu Sheng stepped in front of Mo Bai. "I'm starting the questions now. Answer honestly, and maybe you'll even get a chance to eat prison food."

Cao Chen shrank back. "Can I skip the prison food?"

Mo Bai: "? Oh, ho! You’re getting picky now, are you?"

"Come on, Mu Sheng, let him have a taste of prison life early!"

Seeing Mu Sheng pull out a thick, black spirit-injection rod, Cao Chen surrendered immediately. "No, no! Prison food is actually quite delicious! Ask away, I’ll be completely honest!"

"Then I’ll ask you." Mu Sheng’s expression grew serious. "Where is the hideout of 'Butterfly of the Abyss' Qi Lin?"

Cao Chen: "!"

This guy who was firing his guns like a maniac actually knew the name Qi Lin? That was unexpected.

But then again, it didn't matter to him. He was the one who had cleaned up the tracks left behind by Qi Lin’s drug sales, so of course, he knew where she was hiding. Selling out a teammate? It wasn't like he hadn't done it before.

Cao Chen opened his mouth, ready to blurt out the name.

And then... he couldn't speak.

He watched in horror as his own flesh began to swell and writhe unnaturally, as if something inside him had just woken up. The pain that had been crushing his heart vanished, replaced by a strange, ethereal sensation of lightness.

Cao Chen: "!!!"

*Step back!*

He saw Mu Sheng dragging Mo Bai away, retreating frantically. He saw his own perspective shift higher. He saw his flesh explode and his eyeballs fall from their sockets...

Finally, in the dim space, he saw a woman sitting with her legs crossed, smiling down at him, her finger resting against her crimson lips.

She said, "What a..."

"...bad boy."

Cao Chen’s heart stopped. In the final moment of his life, he finally understood.

He had... been one of Qi Lin’s "children" all along.

"Pop!"

It wasn't a loud explosion—its power and range were nothing compared to Mo Bai’s "Kitchen Queen"—but what had exploded was a living human being. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere. The smell was nauseating.

"Phew... good thing I realized it early and dragged you away, or these clothes I bought on Pinduoduo for twenty bucks would’ve been ruined."

Mo Bai and Mu Sheng, having made a quick escape, walked over, stepping through the blood to look at the remains that were barely recognizable as a person.

Mo Bai lowered his gaze and sighed. "That’s vicious. She blew him up without a second thought."

"Look at this kid, he’s blown to pieces beyond recognition."

"That’s nothing," Mu Sheng sneered. "It was just his body that exploded. At least he didn't have his bladder jump up and try to bite you afterward."

Hearing that somewhat deranged remark, Mo Bai couldn't help but ask, "Just what kind of experiences have you had?"

"Sigh, many, many things..."

In front of Mo Bai, Mu Sheng walked into the center of the gore, picked up the two relatively intact eyeballs, and carefully tucked them away. Noticing Mo Bai’s strange look, he explained, "Don't look at me like that, this is standard procedure."

"It's like playing a game where you kill monsters to collect materials."

"For Transcendents who have reached the 'Transformation' stage, the parts of their bodies fused with their blood source are extremely valuable alchemical materials."

Mu Sheng displayed the two eyeballs, which were covered in strange patterns. "Take these, for example. They were produced from the fusion of Cao Chen’s blood source, 'Nightmare Doll,' and they possess hallucinogenic and hypnotic abilities."

"Though they're not much use in a head-on fight, you could probably sell them for about a hundred thousand yuan on the market."

"A hundred thousand?" Mo Bai was surprised. "So the corpses of these people are worth that much?"

"Then why are you still so poor?"

Mu Sheng: "..."

"Don't get me started..." Mu Sheng looked up at the sky and pointed to the black case on the side. "The guns I use are new products from White Steel International. It comes with two AS-style submachine guns, one TMC sniper rifle, and one Desert Eagle pistol. The market value is several million."

"Plus all the special-purpose ammo, gun fluid, parts, accessories, repairs..."

The more he spoke, the more miserable Mu Sheng looked. "It all costs money."

"I can't save it. I really can't save a dime."

Mo Bai nodded in understanding. "True, I can't save much money either. It all goes to Mo Mo."

"My sister is so cute, it’s only natural to spend it on her."

Mu Sheng bent down and, under Mo Bai’s deadpan stare, reached into the puddle of gore and stirred it around. Soon, he pulled out a translucent, strip-like object shining with patterns.

Mo Bai asked, puzzled, "What’s that?"

"A Relic, the peak product of alchemists," Mu Sheng explained. "This thing is even more incredible."

"It’s worth several million."

"That expensive?" Mo Bai leaned in to look. "It must be very special, then?"

"Of course."

"The materials required for the core of a so-called Relic basically all have one necessary condition."

"And that is the record of an irrational event."

"For example, the blood-stained dress of a master shot by his own guards at a chaotic banquet, a durian that accidentally fell on a scholar's head while he was resting, a shield that blocked seven attacks in war and protected its master..."

"Even if someone hates bananas and has never eaten one in their life, but eats a bite of a banana right before they die—that banana can become an element of a Relic."

"Under the manipulation of an alchemist, its unique concept is sublimated and anchored, eventually becoming a Relic."

"The greater the anomaly, the more powerful the sublimated Relic."

Mu Sheng wiped Cao Chen’s Relic clean. "Because for a Transcendent, it’s essentially like gaining an extra skill, it’s extremely precious."

"A person can usually only equip one Relic, much like how you can only eat one Devil Fruit."

"I see." Mo Bai nodded. "Learned something new today."

"So," he looked at Mu Sheng, "what about that 'Butterfly of the Abyss' you mentioned to Cao Chen earlier? What kind of thing is that?"

"That is exactly what I was about to tell you."

Mu Sheng sighed, looking utterly disgusted.

"She is a very troublesome individual who belongs to the 'Eternal Paradise.'"