691: Chapter 691: The Lackey of Power (Large Chapter for Monthly Tickets) 691: Chapter 691: The Lackey of Power (Large Chapter for Monthly Tickets) The wide hearse stopped in front of the narrow entrance.
A young worker dressed in funeral ho attire jumped down from the vehicle, glanced at the people standing at the door, and then at the well-gathered, bloodstained corpse before them,
“Is this the one?”
He looked at the people in front of him, then at the iron mask on the corpse, his eyes pausing slightly before he asked, “Do you require makeup mortician services?”
This question made both YiXiya and Sienzi pause.
YiXiya’s gaze fell on the iron mask that had never been removed from the corpse.
She had never seen Night Hawk’s true face; he claid that a disaster had disfigured him as a child, so he had to wear the mask.
After a brief hesitation, she slowly reached out and lifted the mask.
A ferocious face, with features almost indistinguishable, presented itself before her.
Even YiXiya, with all her experience, was slightly taken aback upon seeing this face.
“It looks as if he might have been attacked by so exotic beast or similar kind of monster,” Sienzi observed the wounds covering the face, “These are the looks of fine bite wounds that have healed and grown over.”
Monsters…
YiXiya was stunned, and in that mont, she suddenly understood why Night Hawk’s position had been so resolute, why he was so persistent in investigating Polluted Monsters, in trying to solve the issue of the Polluted Monsters.
Then, she suddenly rembered that Night Hawk never seed to ntion his family.
Even after his death, no family ca looking for his belongings.
Perhaps, in that ‘disaster’ that forced him to wear the iron mask for life, he lost more than his appearance.
He might have been completely alone.
YiXiya paused for a mont, then looked up at the funeral ho worker who was also sowhat surprised, “To what extent can the makeup be restored?”
The young worker was taken aback.
He initially wanted to decline reflexively, as it was beyond the scope of makeup mortician’s work.
At that ti, his gaze swept over Night Hawk’s blood-stained clothes and the iron mask in YiXiya’s hand.
After pondering for a mont, he said, “I know a very skilled makeup mortician.
Maybe I could ask for her help, but she’s a bit hard to find, and her fees are very high.”
“Can she restore his face to what it should look like?”
YiXiya pondered for a mont and asked softly.
“She should be able to…
but I have never tried this kind…”
The worker glanced at the mask, then at Night Hawk’s cheek, and slowly replied.
“I’ll pay for your working ti and the makeup mortician’s fees,” YiXiya sighed, covering the mask back, “Please do your best.”
“There’s no need for the working ti fees,” the worker shook his head, “But the makeup mortician’s fee at her place probably can’t be less.”
Hearing this, YiXiya was abruptly taken aback, then she suddenly realized that the worker’s gaze seed to linger too much on the iron mask, and she asked softly, “Do you recognize this iron mask?”
“I do not,”
The worker shook his head, “But in our neighborhood and several other blocks, there’s a legend of an ‘Iron Mask Hero.’ The legend says he often rescues people from monsters and also frequently supports poor families.
One ti when I went back to my hotown, my mother ntioned that she too had once been saved by this Iron Mask Hero.”
“I see.”
YiXiya ca to an understanding.
The Pollution Cleaning Departnt usually makes those attacked by Polluted Monsters sign a confidentiality agreent; otherwise, they wouldn’t sell them the cover-up sprays, but this couldn’t completely contain the information.
Many people, unable to resist the loneliness, spread the existence of the Polluted Monsters in the form of urban legends.
As for this, the Pollution Cleaning Departnt mostly turned a blind eye.
The Polluted Monsters in Saint Joen City were so dense that perhaps many people had once been graced by Night Hawk’s favor.
While YiXiya was lost in her brief thoughts, the funeral ho staff had already loaded Night Hawk’s body onto the vehicle.
She watched the taillights disappear into the night, sighing softly, “He saved many lives, but in the end, he t such a fate.”
“People passing by do not leave without a trace,”
Hearing this, Sienzi was silent for a mont before replying, “Like a fire lit at night, it might soon be extinguished by the wind, but there were always those who had been illuminated by its light.”
The quiet night breeze swept across the road, as if brushing past the flickering flas in the city, leaving both of them wordless for a mont.
“What’s the plan going forward?”
After a long ti, YiXiya finally stood up straight and looked at Sienzi, “Where has Elderly Cito gone?
Isn’t he coming over?”
He Ao had only sent her a ssage, without giving her any definite words.
Then YiXiya had just arrived when Sienzi blocked all her words with that information about Night Hawk, until just now, when her mind sowhat cleared, revealing her doubts.
“He went to a banquet,” Sienzi said in a slow voice, looking at her, “Right now, the people from the Pollution Cleaning Departnt are probably looking for you everywhere.
South City is in chaos, and this place, being remote, is temporarily safe.”
With that, his tone paused, and he raised his wristband to operate it, the garage door beside them slowly opening, “I’ll need you to take care of Jia Xi for a bit.”
“Where are you going?”
YiXiya was sowhat puzzled.
“To the Mayor’s residence, to visit an old friend.”
Sienzi answered quickly.
“You’re going to see the Mayor?”
YiXiya was slightly startled; although she hadn’t been in Saint Joen City for long, she still knew so of the ‘common knowledge’ about it, “That lapdog of the Kajet Group?”
“No, he’s not loyal to anyone,”
Sienzi looked at the SUV automatically pulling out of the garage, as if reminiscing about sothing from the past, “He’s just the lapdog of power.”
——
Humm——
The keen sword humd against He Ao’s eardrums.
An almost night-blending soft sword was suddenly drawn by Deres from under the table, its blade moving swiftly to decapitate He Ao’s neck.
With the swishing sound of the soft sword agitated in the wind, Deres’s sharp aura, as if erging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, also slamd directly into He Ao’s face.
The Elderly rcenary, who had been tried by the battlefield and had once served as a rcenary in his youth, did not hesitate at all in his move.
One second, they were conversing and laughing as if they were old friends, and the next, they were crossing swords, striking straight for the vital points.
Deres’s move was extrely fast, almost without any hesitation, and the force was powerful.
The tip of the soft sword created subtle sonic booms, although these booms did not synchronize with the sword itself but rather followed closely behind.
Even though he knew that He Ao was only a C-level, Deres still did not hold back in the slightest, striking with full force towards him.
An ordinary C-level, might not even catch Deres’s sword motion before being decapitated.
Clang—
He Ao activated his Super mory almost at the instant Deres drew his sword.
He swiftly raised his hand.
The unfolded handle of the Butterfly Knife collided with the soft blade, emitting a crisp clanging sound.
However, He Ao’s movents didn’t stop there.
He brushed the knife handle against the sword blade and tilted it backward, directing Deres’ sword to pass above his face.
Simultaneously, his other hand gripped the cane’s curved handle.
The silver cane suddenly lifted and thrust upward, piercing through the throat of a staff mber who was holding a spike, preparing to stealthily strike him from above.
In the span of a blink, the soft blade of the sword whistooked past He Ao’s body, He Ao blocked Deres’ attack, and neither was injured.
Only the sneaky staff mber had been stabbed to death.
He Ao yanked the cane out, and as fresh blood spurted, he straightened back up, “Old buddy, your subordinate seems a tad too eager.”
Although Deres had tried his best, his move was more of a probe than an attack—successful, it would have taken He Ao out in one strike; unsuccessful, it was to test He Ao’s ttle.
Whether successful or not, now was not the ti for Deres’ subordinate to launch a sneak attack, as it could easily give He Ao the chance for a counter-kill.
Even though this staff mber had just entered C-level, his strength was not to be underestimated.
“His actions were not part of my plan,”
Deres held his sword horizontally in front of him and swayed it slightly.
The probing move he had just made actually put him at an advantage—He Ao had not blocked his attack directly but had managed to dissipate and dodge it.
This should have been a tactical victory that would have helped him accumulate montum in the subsequent fight; however, the impromptu action of this ‘teammate’ completely reversed their positions, boosting the previously disadvantaged He Ao’s morale because of the bloody kill.
From Deres’ reaction, it seed he truly hadn’t expected this ‘pig-headed teammate’ to launch a ‘sneak attack’ at that mont.
The C-level staff mber likely misunderstood the conversation between the two, assuming He Ao was also at C-level, and thus he ca forward to help Deres while simultaneously trying to take credit.
Only he didn’t help at all and accidentally hindered instead.
Deres might have had a plan involving a sneak attack, but clearly, not right then.
“I heard that after the Night Hawk incident, the Pollution Cleaning Departnt suffered heavy C-level losses, so Saint Joen City had no C-levels left.
I thought it was true that there were no C-levels left, but it seems, old buddy, you still had quite a few hidden away,” He Ao said, without picking up on Deres’ words, and instead, he offered a laugh.
The splattering blood intermingled with the red wine rippling across the table.
“There are indeed no elite C-levels left, but I still have plenty of these poor specins who rose up through Polluted Monsters,”
Deres glanced at the corpse on the floor, his expression calm, “I have quite a few.”
He then slightly raised his hand, the blade of the sword poised upward, before suddenly dipping down.
A terrifying force traveled through his wrist straight to the sword tip, causing the slender soft sword to bend sharply towards He Ao’s neck.
He Ao had no doubt that this strike would instantly penetrate his neck.
In fact, he had used this very move against Blood Wolf—the ‘stabbing sword’ that had killed Blood Wolf—except that ti he had used the cane, whereas now Deres wielded a soft sword.
Strictly speaking, the more a soft sword can bend and change direction, the more surprising it can be, making it the ideal weapon to exert the power of the ‘stabbing sword.’
The danger of the ‘stabbing sword’ lies in its unpredictability, with its principle of ‘aiming high but striking low’ creating uncertainty between feint and strike.
Misjudge, and you face certain death; hesitate, and the sa fate beckons as battles of high caliber are decided in an instant.
Luckily, He Ao himself was adept at such moves.
So, almost the mont Deres made his move, He Ao had already discerned his intent.
And so, he imdiately raised the Butterfly Knife in his hand and, following his motion, the Butterfly Knife unfolded its wings to reveal its sharp blade, perfectly intercepting the attacking soft sword.
This move ca without evasion or borrowing force.
Accompanied by the sound of clashing blades, He Ao’s action ca to an abrupt halt, and the floor beneath his feet instantly cracked with spreading fissures.
When He Ao had co up just now, he’d discovered that the flooring of the rooftop of the Pollution Cleaning Departnt seed specially reinforced, perhaps to prevent soone from breaking through the defense by descending from the sky.
Even an ordinary C-level would need to exert full strength to damage such a hardened floor.
But after He Ao used his Fist Technique to utilize his body’s energy to neutralize part of the force, the remaining impact still left cracks on the sturdy floor.
Of course, He Ao’s decision to take Deres’s attack head-on was partly a ploy to gauge Deres’s strength.
And he got the results he wanted.
Deres was strong, the strength he currently displayed was about a third more powerful than He Ao’s enhanced power from his Fist Technique and Super mory.
Converting that into physical fitness, Deres had at least a base physical quality of over 3300.
“YiXiya actually gave you this knife,” Deres said as he withdrew his sword and turned around, smiling at the Butterfly Knife in He Ao’s hand.
“I guessed that her grandfather was making a special ‘Divine Weapon,’ but he refused to sell it to .
In the end, he only made this soft sword for .
The fact that you have this ‘Divine Weapon’ shows that YiXiya really likes you.”
At this mont, the two of them hadn’t fully engaged in battle but were testing each other’s strength.
Both had made their judgnts about the other’s combat power.
He Ao was weaker overall.
After all, the basic strength that Deres showed was much higher than He Ao’s peak strength.
Moreover, that peak strength, which He Ao could only maintain for ten seconds, ant he needed a quick resolution; that was his only chance.
In the materials left by Night Hawk, there was actually so investigation into Deres’s strength.
Night Hawk suspected that Deres’s Talent Sequence might be ‘Talent Sequence 169: Punishnt Knight,’ a Talent Sequence whose very na spoke of battle.
Night Hawk hadn’t found the abilities of the Punishnt Knight but had found its prerequisite C-level Talent Sequence ‘Talent Sequence 97: Priest.’
From the nas of these two Talent Sequences, the ‘Punishnt Knight’ might have the ability to communicate with Divine Beings.
This ant that Deres might have a further state where he could rely on Divine Power.
And from Night Hawk’s files and the scattered information collected by Eve, it was clear that Deres had nearly an unbeaten record.
He had survived many brutal battles and always erged victorious.
He had even ventured deep into the wilderness to physically fight with a B-level exotic beast.
This imnse power was apparent when he almost instantly took down Night Hawk, who had also been a ‘Martial Master’ and a lifelong martial arts learner, with one move.
He Ao’s catching of those two moves was only possible by acting at just the right mont; a split second later, or if it had been an ordinary C-level, would have resulted in death on the spot.
However, Deres had actually acknowledged He Ao’s strength; otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly drawn his sword to use a weapon.
“It’s not about liking, it’s about trust,” He Ao said as he glanced at the bookshelf behind Deres.
He slowly got to his feet, inserted the Butterfly Knife into his cane, and then turned the handle to reveal an exquisitely long spear in his hand.
He was well aware of the gap between his strength and Deres’s.
This was the strongest opponent he had ever faced one-on-one to date, and yet he was unafraid.
A Martial Artist is born of struggle with death.
“Old buddy, it’s been a long ti since I’ve seen such a courageous hero like you, but it’s a pity we’re both old,” Deres said as he too slowly rose to his feet, his soft sword swinging in his hand, gazing at He Ao with that oppressive aura of soone who walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood with an unbroken string of victories,
“I will lay the finest bouquet of flowers on your grave.”
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