Chapter 42: I Can Counterattack
In the thirty-sixth district of the Flow Street, the Vulture District.
Ichimaru Gin and Aizen had already left. Su Xiao still sat on the wooden crate, his eyes thoughtful.
The strange fluctuation earlier gave Su Xiao a persistent feeling of a thorn in his throat, but frustratingly, that fluctuation vanished in an instant.
Just as Su Xiao was about to take a long-term approach, the strange fluctuation reappeared. Su Xiao stood up, his gaze shifting to the southwest.
"Amu, go rendezvous with Shadow. If I haven't returned by dawn tomorrow, assist Aizen and Ichimaru Gin in seizing the Hogyoku tomorrow. Remember to call Beini and tell her she doesn't need to fight, just assess the situation."
As Su Xiao finished speaking, the warehouse behind him opened, and Amu quickly walked away. The reason he told Amu to call Beini was that Beini was quite clever.
"Bubu, come with me."
Su Xiao leaped onto a nearby rooftop, disappearing into the night after a few bounds.
When Su Xiao first sensed the strange fluctuation, it vanished instantly. The second time, it lasted a bit longer, about two to three seconds.
Based on the direction, the source of the fluctuation should be within the three areas of District 78, District 79, and District 80.
Su Xiao hurried forward through the night, soon arriving at District 79. He stood on the tallest tree in District 79. Beyond District 75, there were no more houses, only a few wooden sheds visible.
The strange fluctuation did not reappear. Su Xiao pondered for a moment, then took a blood-stained piece of cloth from his storage space.
Seeing the blood-stained cloth, Bubu Wang's dog face twitched, his eyes seeming to say, "Master, you're treating me like a tracking dog again!"
"Stop the nonsense. Is the owner of this bloodstain nearby?"
Bubu Wang sniffed the cloth, then sniffed around the area, finally shaking his head.
"Could it not be her..."
Su Xiao's brow furrowed. The strange fluctuation was something he absolutely could not ignore.
"Keep searching. Compared to District 79, District 80 seems closer to the direction of that aura."
After leaping down from the tree, Su Xiao led Bubu Wang toward District 80.
A full six hours passed, and Su Xiao and Bubu Wang still had no findings. Just as he was about to give up, the strange aura appeared again, this time within District 80.
At such a close distance, Su Xiao immediately determined the general direction of the aura's source: the wilderness on the outskirts of District 80.
Su Xiao quickly moved through the forest, and in less than five minutes, he burst out of the trees, arriving at a desolate wilderness.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang barked loudly, meaning, "Master, this dog smells it!"
"Of course, I smell it too."
Su Xiao covered his mouth and nose. A strong sour smell permeated the air. Something that could emit such a pungent, sour stench must be highly corrosive.
With a *shing*, Su Xiao drew his blade and advanced in the direction of the sour smell.
"Ugh~"
Bubu Wang made a retching motion, but he still pinched his nose, hopping forward on three legs.
After walking for a few minutes, Su Xiao arrived at a desolate wilderness. The silver moonlight illuminated a distant ruin.
Bubu Wang blended into the environment, approaching the ruin first, with Su Xiao following closely behind.
The wilderness was deathly silent, not even the chirping of insects. Su Xiao stopped as soon as he neared the ruin. Dozens of corpses lay scattered at the edge of the ruin. Judging by their attire, all these corpses were contractors!
After examining the contractors' bodies, Su Xiao found that they had not been killed by acidic weapons. Some died from arrows, some from blade wounds, and some even had their heads crushed by hammers.
Seeing these injuries, Su Xiao had already guessed who was responsible. There was a 70% or higher chance it was Death Omen.
The contractors' deaths were gruesome. They were all skin and bones. Besides their skeletons and a layer of withered skin, their organs, muscles, and blood were all missing. What was even more unsettling was that there were no signs of their bodies being cut open.
This kind of death made Su Xiao think of only one possibility: their life force had been drained completely.
Su Xiao swung his long blade downward, striking a corpse's leg bone with the back of the blade. With a crisp *crack*, the leg bone shattered like dry wood, and the cross-section of the bone even showed signs of weathering.
Su Xiao, wearing a gas mask, exchanged a glance with Bubu Wang. Although the scene was comical, the surrounding environment was extremely eerie.
Su Xiao slowly entered the ruins ahead. The ruins were not large, only the size of a football field. The outer perimeter was broken walls, but the interior had been cleared.
Entering the open area inside the ruins, Su Xiao saw a purple liquid on the ground. It resembled blood and emitted a fluorescent glow in the darkness.
Cyan Steel Shadow energy enveloped Su Xiao's right hand as he tried to touch the purple liquid on the ground.
*Sizzle~*
A slight stinging sensation came from his fingertips. The Cyan Steel Shadow energy surged, the stinging disappeared, and the purple liquid evaporated.
The open area was covered in splattered purple liquid. In the center lay a large patch of semi-fluid material resembling an amniotic sac, looking quite disgusting.
*Click.*
Bubu Wang's body stiffened. He looked down at his dog paw—he had stepped on a landmine.
"Don't move."
Su Xiao placed one hand on Bubu Wang. His mana quickly converted into Cyan Steel Shadow energy, forming a thin layer of light blue crystal that slowly wrapped around Bubu Wang's abdomen.
"Breathe in after three, two, one."
Su Xiao flexed his muscles. Seeing this, Bubu Wang shuddered, recalling a time when Amu had stepped on a mine.
"Woo~"
Bubu Wang let out a mournful whine, meaning, "Master, just let it explode. This dog can take it."
"No, you can't."
Su Xiao sensed this landmine was not simple. The pressure-release mechanism was likely Death Omen's twisted joke. Even his Instinct ability hadn't detected this mine, though that was probably because he hadn't stepped directly on it.
Bubu Wang was on the verge of tears, his pitiful eyes seeming to say, "My life is over."
"Three, two, one."
Su Xiao rushed a few steps in front of Bubu Wang, crouching low while delivering a straight kick.
*Bang!*
Bubu Wang was sent flying. Mid-air, he even used his tail to spiral and adjust his direction.
Just after kicking Bubu Wang away, Su Xiao immediately activated the Dragon Shadow Flash ability. After appearing twelve meters away, a layer of energy shield formed in front of him.
*Clang~*
A spring ejection sound came. A clown's head popped out, connected below by a thick spring.
The clown stuck out its tongue, made of plastic, seemingly mocking Su Xiao. Seeing this, Su Xiao not only didn't dispel the energy shield but also generated another layer as he retreated.
At that moment, the clown's head retracted.
*Boom!*
Flames instantly engulfed Su Xiao. Large cracks appeared on the energy shield. This type of shield cracking didn't mean fragility but rather force dispersion.
The explosion's flames spread three hundred meters before stopping. The surrounding area was lit up as bright as day. Mid-air, Bubu Wang's tail was practically frozen in fear—he definitely couldn't have survived that blast.
The flames formed a clown's head, tongue out, grinning cheekily.
A few seconds later, the flames receded. The ground within three hundred meters was covered in sparks, with some areas even turned to glass.
Inside the two layers of Counter Shield, Su Xiao swung a fist sideways. With a crisp *crack*, the Counter Shield shattered.
"Phew~"
Su Xiao exhaled a breath of hot air. Clearly, he had been ambushed by Death Omen. Death Omen's personality seemed erratic, but her mind was very meticulous.
Two kilometers away, Death Omen, observing this through a telescope, let out a giggle.
"Wahaha, blow you to bits! Let you try to cut me!"
Death Omen took off her black gloves, her fair little hand reaching toward her inner thigh.
"Don't be crazy. He's found us. Death Omen, retreat."
"No way. Little Pidan, go eat that guy."
Death Omen grabbed a creature that looked like a preserved egg beside her and tossed it out. With a *splat*, Little Pidan stuck to the wall.
"It's still in its infancy. Eat my ass! Hurry up and retreat. Do you want to get cut again?"
Shayanod urged urgently.
"That guy just took a hit. I feel like I can win."
"Grandma, a Law Destroyer taking an explosion of that scale is nothing. Retreat!"
"No."
Death Omen's stubborn mule personality suddenly flared up.
"Doesn't getting cut hurt?"
Shayanod changed his tone.
"Uh... then let's retreat. Just so you know, I'm not chickening out. This is a strategic retreat. Yeah, that's right, exactly."
Death Omen suddenly changed her mind again. Getting cut by Su Xiao was no joke.