“This is absurd…” Officer Li frowned and said, “A woman floating in the sky carrying something enormous?”
“We’ve already fought the Black Tortoise and the Vermilion Bird…” Su Shuang said with a serious expression. “At this point, we should be used to things like this…”
“Even if those two were bizarre, at least we could see them…” Officer Li replied. “This is even more ridiculous than before…”
“It’s definitely troublesome,” Su Shuang muttered, quickly strategizing. “Right now, I’m the only one who can see her… If she realizes that, she’ll silence me immediately.”
“Let’s play it by ear for now,” Officer Li said. “At least we have that ‘Zodiac’ buying us some time.”
Yan Zhichun adjusted her conviction in her mind. She had already spoken when she arrived here, so theoretically, she could use “Soul Theft” to control that person—but how do you control someone you can’t see?
She tentatively raised her hand, but since she had no idea if the other person was mirroring her movement, doubt instantly crept in. She began to fear that if this continued, she might start questioning whether her “Soul Theft” was even still active, risking backlash from her own conviction.
In the distance, Black Sheep had just gotten back on his feet when he raised his arms in front of himself, bracing against another devastating attack. Yan Zhichun couldn’t tell if Black Sheep was lucky or just that sharp, able to detect the enemy’s assaults in an instant. But even if he could keep blocking, how were they supposed to win?
If she had to guess, most of the “Extremists” were probably like her right now—scattered like snipers, waiting for the enemy to reveal themselves. If the target showed even a glimpse of their form, they could unleash a coordinated barrage and end the fight in an instant. But how could they force the enemy to appear?
Yan Zhichun realized the one critical flaw in their team was now laid bare: she didn’t understand each member’s abilities, making it impossible to devise a coordinated strategy like “Cat” would have.
Even though Su Shuang had just announced that “ripples” had appeared on everyone, most didn’t even know what “ripples” were—it had been mentioned in passing. If she said too much, it might raise suspicion.
She reached up and slowly rubbed her chin. If White Sheep were here… If he didn’t know everyone’s abilities, how would he plan their tactics?
“He’d probably say that as long as we start now… it’s never too late,” Yan Zhichun murmured.
With that, she straightened her thoughts. If she hadn’t taken the time to learn about the “Extremists’” abilities before, she’d just have to start now. Wallowing in frustration wouldn’t get her anywhere.
She turned to the “Extremist” beside her, an elderly man she barely knew, who had been hiding with her.
“Excuse me, what’s your ‘Echo’?” Yan Zhichun asked softly.
But the old man didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he was staring at the back of an “Ant,” his expression unusually conflicted.
Then, with a grimy hand, he reached out and gently patted the “Ant” on the shoulder.
The “Ant” whipped around as if electrocuted, startling the old man.
The creature—human-like but not quite—turned its hollow, bloodshot eyes toward them, then slowly opened its mouth.
Yan Zhichun saw that its tongue had been partially severed, and its teeth had been pulled out.
“C-Can you hear me?” the old man whispered.
The “Ant” only tilted its head in confusion before slowly stretching out a bony, pale arm. The sight of that emaciated limb made the old man instinctively take a step back.
Finding nothing, the “Ant” hesitantly withdrew its hand and touched its own shoulder, where a faint warmth lingered. Though visibly puzzled, it couldn’t see anything, so after a few seconds of blank staring, it turned back and resumed its crouched position.
“They can’t see or hear…” the old man muttered. “I feel like…”
He touched his forehead, feeling an unnatural heat spreading through his brain. Strange thoughts began swirling in his mind.
“Old man, are you okay?” Yan Zhichun whispered. “Is something wrong with these ‘Ants’?”
“‘Ants’…?” The old man turned to her, their eyes meeting.
His face was deeply lined, the creases filled with grime so old it seemed part of his wrinkles.
The moment their gazes locked, Yan Zhichun sensed an unsettling madness in him. If he truly had an “Echo,” he was likely a formidable one.
“Young lady…” the old man rasped. “What do you think… we humans evolved from?”
“Huh…?” Yan Zhichun frowned. Out of all the things she’d expected, this absurd question wasn’t one of them.
Was this really the time for existential musings?
“Old man… if we survive this, I’ll gladly spend two hours explaining the entire ‘Origin of Species’ to you. But right now, we might die here. Can you just tell me what your ‘Echo’ is?”
“Aren’t you curious, young lady?!” The old man seemed obsessed. “These things… these ‘Ants’… When you see so many of them gathered like this, doesn’t it trigger some strange, buried memory? Maybe it’s ancestral—something etched into our DNA…”
“Okay, okay…” Yan Zhichun pressed her hands downward in a calming gesture. “I’ll try to understand, but you need to keep your voice down.”
The old man lowered his volume but remained fervent. “You see it too, don’t you? Our ancestors dug up strange bones with shovels, piece by piece… We evolved from those bones!”
His hands mimed digging motions in the air.
“Good grief…” Yan Zhichun rubbed her temples, her expression strained. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“They don’t have faces!” the old man hissed. “And these ‘Ants’ have no features! It’s a grand transition! Maybe these ‘Ants’ are the missing link between us and the ‘Faceless Ones’!”
“F-Faceless Ones?” Yan Zhichun froze. That term struck a chord—she’d heard it somewhere before.
White Sheep had once sworn to her that he’d spent years in his inner world with a faceless person.
“I saw them!” The old man gripped her hands, his eyes wild. “An entire crowd of faceless people! Their bones are buried everywhere! You’ve seen it too, haven’t you?”
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