“Tenth Brother… you seem to have lost a lot of weight…”
Luo Shiyi held Jiang Shi with concern, his voice tinged with urgency.
“It’s fine… Shiyi.” Jiang Shi coughed dryly a few times. “I probably won’t die, it just hurts a bit.”
“You won’t hurt anymore,” Luo Shiyi said. “I’m here, Tenth Brother. You won’t hurt…”
This time, Jiang Shi didn’t refuse—clearly, the pain had robbed him of most of his rationality.
Luo Shiyi focused his conviction, and before long, Jiang Shi’s tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed.
“Ah…” Jiang Shi seemed slightly more lucid. “Shiyi… don’t worry about me anymore. You need to conserve your conviction… we still have the Vermilion Bird ahead…”
“Could the Vermilion Bird really be harder to kill than the Black Tortoise?” Luo Shiyi retorted. “This kind of tyrannical ‘indestructibility’ can’t possibly be something everyone has…”
“Precisely because the Vermilion Bird is easier to die…” Jiang Shi coughed twice again, “that’s why it’s more capable of retaliation…”
“What do you mean…?”
“About ‘killing the Black Tortoise’…” Jiang Shi said, “it was either all of us perishing or the Black Tortoise falling to our combined tactics… but the Vermilion Bird is different…”
“Don’t worry about that now,” Luo Shiyi interrupted. “I’ll find a place for you to rest and wait for Fifth Brother to appear.”
“Fifth Brother… is probably trying to summon the Vermilion Bird…” Jiang Shi murmured. “Don’t distract him. I can manage on my own…”
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Luo Shiyi snapped. “You’ve lost half your body weight—what do you mean ‘manage’? Are you planning to reattach your own heart?”
“Ah… just leave it,” Jiang Shi sighed. “My mission is basically complete…”
Bai Jiu stood nearby, equally worried. Normally, they would have taken Jiang Shi directly to Qian Wu, but this situation was different. They couldn’t spare anyone to escort him alone, nor could they bring Qian Wu to them.
At this rate, how long Jiang Shi survived depended entirely on how long his “indestructibility” held.
Jiang Shi seemed to sense their concern and weakly muttered from Luo Shiyi’s shoulder, “Don’t worry… as long as I recite all the storytelling I know in my head, I can last long enough… long enough for you to defeat the Black Tortoise…”
The two hesitated to respond—after all, no one knew if the Black Tortoise could even die.
They found a corner of a building to set Jiang Shi down, ensuring he wouldn’t be harmed by minor explosions or stray attacks. Bai Jiu decided to stay with him, while Luo Shiyi returned to the Black Tortoise’s side.
Qiu Shiliu had already approached the Black Tortoise, seemingly having caught its interest.
*”What do you wish to discuss with me?”* the Black Tortoise asked.
“I have a way that might kill you,” Qiu Shiliu said, veins bulging on her forehead. “But I’ll have to offend you first.”
Su Shan stood at a distance, watching Qiu Shiliu with bated breath.
After questioning her earlier, Su Shan had realized that Qiu Shiliu was the most isolated member of “Cat.” Her ability made it impossible to form deep bonds with teammates—every mission could be her last, and she might even accidentally harm her allies.
This was her chance to prove herself. In a situation where survival was already unlikely, it made more sense for her to be the one to sacrifice.
Now, she kept her fury at a critical threshold, her entire body burning hot. Just a little more anger, and flames would engulf her.
*”How do you plan to kill me?”* the Black Tortoise asked again, staring at Qiu Shiliu.
“I have a really powerful tackle,” Qiu Shiliu said with a fierce grin. “But it only works if I hit your chest. Can I try?”
*”A tackle…”*
The Black Tortoise sounded genuinely puzzled. Even a building crashing into it wouldn’t be fatal, let alone a human.
“Don’t underestimate it,” Qiu Shiliu sneered. “This tackle will roast you from the inside out. The question is—do you dare?”
*”Good…”* The Black Tortoise nodded. *”Very good. A tackle is good. Come, tackle me.”*
With that, it spread its remaining left arm in an inviting gesture, fully exposing the abyss within its chest.
Qiu Shiliu stared. The Black Tortoise’s body was pitch-black, but deep inside, countless tiny lights flickered—not on the surface, but buried within its core.
“So Sister Shan was right…” Qiu Shiliu murmured. “That body is a ‘hole.'”
She took two steps back, then charged at the Black Tortoise with everything she had. The Black Tortoise barely had time to reconsider before Qiu Shiliu leapt—not like a person, but like a bullet.
In an instant, her upper body vanished into the Black Tortoise’s form, leaving only her legs outside.
The Black Tortoise suddenly felt uneasy. Though it didn’t know what Qiu Shiliu intended, the unknown triggered an instinctive reaction.
It reached out with its left hand to grab her legs—but then came a *flash*, followed by small stones flying toward its hand, detonating in rapid succession and blocking its movement.
Seizing the moment, Qiu Shiliu swam deeper into the black “door.” Flames had already begun licking at her feet, ready to unleash her full wrath.
In the next second, she disappeared entirely into the Black Tortoise’s body.
The Black Tortoise stood frozen, staring down at its chest as if trying to comprehend what had just happened.
The “Cat” team was equally stunned. They knew Song Qi had given Qiu Shiliu a task, but they hadn’t expected it to be this absurd.
Step by step, they edged closer to the Black Tortoise, curiosity overwhelming them.
Qiu Shiliu had entered its body—but what was inside? If it was a space, had she fallen? Or was she floating?
From her perspective, was the Black Tortoise’s body a window?
Abstract questions swirled in their minds.
But within half a minute, they noticed something else.
Qiu Shiliu had been burning before entering—yet there were no flames inside the Black Tortoise now.
“What’s going on…?” Luo Shiyi took a cautious step forward.
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