Chapter 1195: I Have a Second Plan

*”It might be a way to die that you’ve never experienced before.” Song Qi slowly extended his hand and placed it before Ma Twelve’s eyes. “That is—being blown to pieces by me.”*

*”Blown to pieces…?” Ma Twelve frowned at Song Qi. “Sounds pretty damn thrilling.”*

*Without hesitation, Ma Twelve reached out and clasped Song Qi’s hand.*

*What Song Qi had to do next was both difficult and simple.*

*He had to treat Ma Twelve’s body as a whole and transform him into a living bomb that could move freely.*

*”Twelve, this stays between us,” Song Qi said. “Not only must it be kept secret, but we also need a foolproof plan. If Vermilion Bird finds out we know… he’ll definitely prepare defenses.”*

*”Brother Seven, you’re the brains here,” Ma Twelve replied. “You think, and then teach me.”*

*”Good… I need you to do everything in your power to touch Vermilion Bird,” Song Qi instructed. “Especially when he’s on the verge of suffering a fatal blow.”*

*”I think I get it…”*

*”I’ll focus on attacking Vermilion Bird relentlessly, pushing him to the brink of death,” Song Qi continued. “If White Tiger wasn’t lying, Vermilion Bird will definitely transfer his consciousness when he’s dying.”*

*”Fuck me, that’s brilliant!” Ma Twelve laughed. “Goddamn it… once he transfers into me, we’ll blow him to hell!”*

*Song Qi nodded and withdrew his hand from Ma Twelve’s grip.*

*The setup for **Explosive Combustion** was complete. Now, with just a single thought, his close comrade would be reduced to a firework display.*

*Though he felt he now held a trump card, Song Qi still hadn’t fully grasped the meaning behind **Puppeteer**.*

*His teammates were currently using their bodies to block Vermilion Bird. Would there even be enough time left for him to figure it out?*

*If someone truly was controlling Vermilion Bird, then **Cat** was doomed to waste all their attacks on an empty husk, and the only outcome awaiting them would be annihilation.*

*Song Qi clenched his fist slowly, realizing he needed to add one final layer of insurance for the entire **Cat** team.*

*This layer couldn’t even be shared with Ma Twelve.*

*After all, Ma Twelve was destined to die in the **First Phase**—he only needed to know his death had meaning.*

*Song Qi himself would be the **Second Phase** of this assassination plan. This time, he could only gamble, betting that Vermilion Bird, like Black Tortoise, existed in some bizarre state beyond human comprehension.*

*Only then would he, as the **Second Phase**, stand even the slightest chance of killing him.*

*The odds of winning this gamble were far too slim—so much so that Song Qi had no confidence at all.*

*……*

*Song Qi watched as Ma Twelve let out a mad laugh, then slowly extended his hand again.*

*”You think this will kill me…?” Ma Twelve grinned. “You’re all so disobedient… I’ve used that body for years… and you went and turned it into a sieve…”*

*Song Qi nodded, staring at Ma Twelve. “Before, you could flicker beside people to kill them. Now, you’ve switched to **Displacement** for murder. So, you don’t have **Teleportation** anymore… right?”*

*Ma Twelve’s face twitched slightly before forcing a smile. “What do you mean?”*

*”It means right now… you can’t dodge or escape.” Song Qi straightened his arm, then clenched his fingers slightly.*

*Ma Twelve’s body instantly began to twist and swell. He never expected this body had already been infused with **Immortal Arts**.*

*”W-Wait… hold on…” Ma Twelve’s bloating form squeezed out a distorted voice. “Just wait a second…”*

*Panic spread across his face as he flailed his arms wildly, but there was no one around to grab.*

*”Filth… get the hell out of my brother’s body,” Song Qi said coldly.*

*”Let’s make a deal…” Ma Twelve trembled. “We can make a deal! I can give you—”*

***BOOM!***

*Before Ma Twelve could touch anyone, his body burst like an overfilled water balloon, releasing a muffled explosion.*

*A rain of blood sprayed onto the remaining fighters—warm, foul, and thick.*

*The last few survivors shielded their faces, feeling the chunks of flesh flying toward them. Perhaps this was truly the **Land of Finality**.*

*Had Vermilion Bird finally been obliterated this time?*

*”Lao Qi… what the hell was that just now…?” Qian Wu muttered, his voice tinged with fear.*

*”Relax, Brother Wu. Everything’s going as planned.” Song Qi’s gaze remained sharp, scanning the scattered remains.*

*Now came the **Second Phase**. If this gamble paid off, **Cat** would win.*

*”After all… **Cats** can eat **Birds**.”*

*Within seconds, Song Qi spotted a strange, wriggling lump of flesh where Ma Twelve had exploded.*

*This piece was different—it was alive.*

*Qian Wu immediately sensed something wrong and stepped forward, but Song Qi raised a hand to stop him.*

*”Brother Wu… thank you for looking after me all these years,” Song Qi said. “Hope we get to drink together again someday.”*

*”Lao Qi…” Qian Wu’s brow furrowed.*

*”Didn’t expect my gamble to pay off.”*

*Song Qi strode forward, grabbed the lump of flesh, and turned it over. Three shifting eyes stared back at him, surrounded by bite marks.*

*”The **eyes** are your true form, aren’t they?” Song Qi smirked. “I always wondered—why does biting the eyes in your mouth strengthen your **Conviction**? Turns out you weren’t biting eyes at all… you were biting **yourself**. Deepening your belief through extreme pain and terror—that makes sense.”*

*The three eyes locked onto Song Qi before the flesh split open between them, forming a grotesque mouth.*

*A raspy, distorted voice emerged: “How… disobedient…”*

*”If I’m not mistaken… these three eyes are **Soul Theft**, **Puppeteer**, and **Spirit Migration**, right?” Song Qi tightened his grip, preventing the flesh from squirming. “You used **Puppeteer** on yourself to hover inside your own mouth… clever.”*

*Only now did Zhou Mo realize what Earth Pig had meant by **”distant”**—because what they had fought wasn’t the true body of the **Echoer**.*

*”…So you knew all along…” the flesh muttered, its mouth twisting into something resembling a grin.*

*”Your original host’s body had **Teleportation**. When near death, you teleported this lump of flesh away, then used **Spirit Migration** to possess Nineteen before finally latching onto Ma Twelve.” Song Qi’s grip turned crushing. “Too bad this flesh of yours has been enhanced. Even if Twelve was blown to bits, it wouldn’t necessarily kill you.”*

*”Ha… haha…” The flesh chuckled hoarsely. “Even if you know my secret… what can you do? My **Soul Theft** and **Spirit Migration** are still active. Right now… you can’t move… and I’ve touched you…”*

*”No.” Song Qi’s voice was ice. “Vermilion Bird, you didn’t touch me. **I touched you**.”*

*”…What?”*

*”You’ve already lost.” Song Qi said. “Your body is now filled with **Explosive Combustion**, and mine will self-destruct in one minute… This is your end.”*