According to Huai Shi's speculation, Red Gloves should have first expressed some refusal or doubt, and only after Huai Shi's firm command would he have proceeded.

However, he hadn't expected Red Gloves to become so incredibly obedient after turning into a tool person.

Without anything like the Three Laws of Robotics holding him back, Red Gloves wouldn't even object if Huai Shi ordered him to jump into the Huangpu River.

The sudden knife thrust gave Huai Shi a huge scare.

But when Huai Shi finally reacted, a mere thought from him halted the Sacrificial Knife that had already pierced the skin of his chest, and it was withdrawn.

He furrowed his brows. As expected, it didn't work.

He didn't know if it was because he had anticipated it, or if Red Gloves's rank simply wasn't high enough. Although Death Perception had activated, the 'Mirror of Void' hadn't simultaneously produced any warning or image.

This ability was too unreliable, always a cause for concern.

Could it be that only the crushing pressure of certain death from a Fifth Stage Boss could forcibly activate it?

That was a bit too unstable, wasn't it?

Still, getting a free X-ray ability was a definite win, no downside at all.

After resting for a while, he felt he had recovered somewhat. He took stock of his equipment and prepared to follow the guidance of the mission bread toward the Door of Victory.

This rookie contest hadn't been for nothing; he'd gained quite a lot.

Feeling incredibly pleased, Huai Shi, with Red Gloves tagging along, sauntered onto the road home.

For some reason, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

Death Perception descended from the heavens. Then, Huai Shi saw it: in the mirror, an endless darkness emerged. Within that roiling darkness, as if separated by countless worlds, a pair of cruel, lofty eyes cast an indifferent glance his way...

The image vanished in a flash. Huai Shi, waking from the dizziness of sudden blood loss, stood rooted to the spot.

What the hell?

Who am I? Where am I? Who the hell wants to kill me?

Why am I about to die again?

And which big shot is targeting me this time?

What on earth has taken an interest in me again?

Utterly bewildered, Huai Shi felt countless question marks pop up above his head. Why would a pot just fall from the sky on me for simply participating in a rookie contest?

Why am I being persecuted again?!

The omnipotent Mr. Ya remained silent, playing dead, and Huai Shi had no idea what was going on.

"Do you have any clue?" he asked, turning to Red Gloves.

Red Gloves looked at him coldly, his expression clearly saying, 'I don't know how to explain to you that I'm just a tool person,' making Huai Shi sigh helplessly.

"Alright, then. You just keep carrying the luggage."

Huai Shi hung all his miscellaneous items on Red Gloves. Traveling light, he proceeded with utmost caution, his hand resting on the Sword of Virtue.

He took a few steps, then froze.

He rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again.

Incredible.

"What's this?" he pulled Red Gloves, who was beside him, and pointed at something at the fork in the road ahead. Red Gloves glanced at it and replied mechanically, "Border Relic."

"I know it's a Border Relic, but why... why would it be here?"

Huai Shi's eyes widened. He squatted down at the fork, suspiciously examining the Border Relic discarded on the ground—a luxurious wakizashi with a faint, sweet scent, as if it had been worn by a fragrant, gentle young lady for a long time.

For some reason, the image of Li Jian Amber flashed through his mind.

This is insane.

Huai Shi couldn't help but shake his head. Just how rich was that woman to casually discard a Border Relic worth at least several million US dollars?

He casually picked it up and tossed it to Red Gloves.

"Put it in the basket and keep it safe."

He continued walking, then froze again at the next fork in the road, rubbing his eyes once more.

Did I just see another Border Relic?

An old flintlock pistol, exuding an ancient aura, lay on the ground, neatly placed inside a box, looking radiant and exceedingly precious.

In some trashy game, this would be at least a +7 item, right?

Can people just throw things like this away?

He paused, looked around, but saw no owner. After a moment's thought, unable to resist the temptation of money, he picked up the pistol and pocketed it.

He continued onward.

Then, at the next intersection, he saw yet another Border Relic.

A bracelet.

Unbelievable! What on earth is going on?!

Huai Shi was dumbfounded. After contemplating, he suspected it might be some kind of illusion related to the Current Circumstances, but ultimately, Why not enjoy it? He picked up the bracelet, stuffed it into his backpack, and continued forward.

The further he went, the more Border Relics appeared on the ground, each more expensive and more beautiful than the last.

It was as if money were literally raining from the sky.

Border Relics, typically rare and worth a fortune, were now strewn everywhere.

Huai Shi was now too lazy to even bend down for the cheaper items, yet his pockets were still stuffed to the brim. This world is nuts! It's like a bizarre year-end clearance sale out of nowhere!

"Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Huai Shi turned to ask Red Gloves. Red Gloves still wore that 'I'm just a tool person, I have no clue what you're talking about' expression, his basket already overflowing with the long guns and short cannons they had picked up along the way.

Huai Shi looked down at the equipment in his backpack, then at the trail of Border Relics and other items stretching ahead, winding left and right towards the Door of Victory.

This feels like a trap using corn kernels to lure sparrows.

Heh, who would be foolish enough to fall for such a crude trick?

Huai Shi lowered his head and continued picking through the good stuff on the ground, moving forward step by step, turning left and right. He only regretted not bringing more bags; now he was like a bear in a cornfield, picking one thing up only to drop another, his heart aching with every discarded item.

"Such a waste, such a terrible waste..."

He lamented as he dropped a weapon, picked up a pair of boots from the ground, and stuffed them into the basket. "Such a wa—"

CLICK.

A crisp sound echoed from the darkness in the distance.

Startled, Huai Shi looked up and instinctively dropped to the ground. In the next instant, he saw chains of incandescent light converge and roar towards him with a deafening explosion.

Iron shrapnel rained down like a storm, tearing through walls layer by layer. A whip of thunderfire lashed out, instantly shredding walls and buildings, pulverizing everything on the street.

Red Gloves reacted mechanically and a moment too late; he was instantly pulverized by the insane firepower. All the equipment he carried was blasted into the sky, only to be torn into countless fragments by the relentless barrage...

Huai Shi was dumbfounded.

He instantly knew what this was.

But where in Hell did this ridiculously powerful heavy machine gun come from?

It was common knowledge that ordinary firearms, mass-produced according to the rules of the Current Circumstances, often malfunctioned in the Border or Hell. In the Border, they might merely jam. But in Hell, without the Great Secret: Chalatustra, they would often self-destruct or simply corrode into a pile of scrap iron under the Abyss's erosion.

Guns usable in Hell were typically of two types. They were either treasures that, after circulating for ages in the Current Circumstances, had birthed their own Source Substance, or they were precious pieces of equipment imbued with Small Mystical Rites through Alchemy. Existing as independent miracles, they were nearly on par with Stigmata Relics of equivalent power. Used properly, they could easily eliminate one or two Fourth Stage cultivators. Why would anyone use artillery to shoot a mosquito—to target him?

Although his mind was a whirl of confusion, Huai Shi moved without hesitation. He quickly shed his burdens and hid behind layers of walls. The thunderous gunfire continued for a long time before finally ceasing.

At least a few thousand bullets had been expended.

The clattering sound of an empty ammo chain echoed through the swirling dust and ashes.

Huai Shi narrowed his eyes and peeked out from the ruins. The keen perception granted by the Mirror of Void allowed him to pierce through the dust and smoke, revealing the heavy machine gun mounted at the far end of Long Street.

Shell casings littered the ground beside an empty ammunition box.

As he'd suspected, the heavy machine gun emanated an enviable dark golden glow, but its barrel was already red-hot and warped, clearly inoperable.

He sucked in a cold breath. He hadn't expected the Joyful Framework to deploy such a terrifying weapon of mass destruction!

But then, as the dust slowly settled, he saw a slender figure emerge from behind the heavy machine gun, and he froze.

She wore what could only be described as an old-fashioned gray maid's dress, with a white apron tied around her waist. Her long hair was gathered at the back of her head with a lace ribbon, forming a neat ponytail that cascaded over her shoulder.

Her smile was warm and gentle.

Just looking at her, one would think her gentle and virtuous, the kind of woman one would want to take home as a wife.

Yet, for some reason, meeting those quiet black eyes sent an uncontrollable shiver down his spine.

"No need to hide anymore," Luo Xian beckoned towards Huai Shi's hiding place. "I see you."

So, it was you who brought all these Border Relics?

Huai Shi's expression twitched. He looked back at where Red Gloves had been annihilated, and at the Border Relics shattered all over the ground.

His heart twitched with pain.

"Ah, those things were worth tens of millions, and you destroyed them all..."

"Is that so?"

Luo Xian casually lifted her foot and stepped on a nearby helmet. Channeling power through her Yu Step, she nonchalantly crushed the rather valuable luxury relic into powder.

"Don't worry. As for these things, I actually have plenty more... Do you want them, Junior Brother? I can give them all to you, you know."

In the dead silence, only the continuous roars and bellows from the Sky Dome above could be heard.

Huai Shi sighed and stepped out from his hiding place. Studying her smiling face, he felt the chill of death grow stronger, almost engulfing him.

She was deliberately standing before the only exit, a heavy machine gun set up beside her. She couldn't possibly have cooked a meal and be waiting for him to go home together.

Besides, he wouldn't dare eat anything she made.

As the thick, inescapable scent of blood filled the air, his heart sank into the depths.

"Sister Xian, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Naturally, I'm doing something I've always wanted to do," Luo Xian mused, then chuckled softly. "Let's just call it—'indulgence,' shall we?"

"You see, it's like those legends about students tearing up textbooks after the college entrance exam, then spending all night at bars to experience the adult world... Although I'm not that childish, I still can't help but want to take this opportunity to do a few things the adults always forbade."

Huai Shi's expression twitched again.

Ah, adults certainly wouldn't let a child set up a heavy machine gun to mow people down for fun. So, are you satisfied now? Your 'experience the adult world' time is over. You should pack up and go home.

He desperately wanted to say this, but the words wouldn't come out.

If things were really that simple, he'd willingly eat that heavy machine gun right now.

He could feel it emanating from Luo Xian, from behind her smile—an increasingly palpable... savage killing intent.

Like a wild beast.

Grinding its teeth, savoring the blood, eager and impatient.

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