In the quiet car, Ke Mingqing scrolled through the player forum. 'It looks like what Heimeng said is true,' he thought. 'A group of players wiped out the vampire hunter organization and learned about Bai Ziling from them.'
An Youlu suddenly looked up, shooting him a suspicious glance.
To avoid raising her suspicions, Ke Mingqing raised his phone to block the forum panel from view, pretending to use his phone while actually swiping the interface.
["What do you want with such a low-level super-human species? A main quest?" — Player ID: Yorker (IP: New York, USA)]
["Yeah, a main quest." — Player ID: Lanfeng (IP: Leijing, China)]
'What a lame excuse. Whose main quest would involve such a weak super-human species?' Ke Mingqing scoffed inwardly.
He switched to Giovanni's perspective and glanced at the white-haired girl sleeping on the hotel bed. A bedside lamp illuminated her pale, bloodless face, her snow-white hair spread across the pillow like a field of snow.
'As long as she can be killed, there is a chance to obtain a heart that grants immortality when transplanted,' Ke Mingqing thought. 'It's no surprise they came to Leijing after learning this. I'd definitely come and try my luck too.'
He continued scrolling down the forum and soon spotted a comment from "Li Chunchun"—late, but never absent.
["Not at all. I just happen to need her for a quest. So if any of you have clues, it's best to capture her alive, otherwise my main quest is ruined and I'll miss out on a lot of Attribute Points." — Player ID: Lanfeng]
["I am the representative for the players here in Leijing. May I ask how many of you came over?" — Player ID: Kuroki Family's Cat (IP: Leijing, China)]
["Six people in total." — Player ID: Lanfeng]
"Six players?" Ke Mingqing raised an eyebrow. "That many?"
["Understood. I'll contact you another day, and we can meet up. Also, this city is very dangerous, so I suggest you act with caution." — Player ID: Kuroki Family's Cat]
["Alright, no rush. We'll be staying here for about a month. If we really can't find that white-haired vampire, we'll just drop it." — Player ID: Lanfeng]
The thread ended there; no matter how far he scrolled, there were no more replies.
Ke Mingqing closed the forum panel, leaned back against the soft leather seat, and lowered his head in thought for a moment before opening the Chat Panel.
[Ke Mingqing: Don't contact them yet.]
[Kuroki Hitomi: Why?]
[Ke Mingqing: Their backgrounds are unknown, making them dangerous. Plus, this is different from Japan. Back then, it was just Kamishiro Kawa and Kamishiro Ruri, which was why I felt safe accompanying you.]
[Ke Mingqing: But this time there are six of them, and you don't hold the initiative. Players aren't like the super-human species; you can't see through their capabilities at a glance. They might even have some kind of mind-control skill.]
[Kuroki Hitomi: Thanks for the concern. I know what I'm doing.]
[Kuroki Hitomi: But I think there are only 89 of us left, and the goal of the Extinction of superhumans is still right in front of us. Would players really kill each other?]
[Ke Mingqing: I don't know. Don't project your own mindset onto others. It wouldn't be strange for any kind of idiot to exist in this world.]
[Kuroki Hitomi: Oh.]
[Ke Mingqing: After we get out of the car, let's go clear that dungeon you mentioned. We can also chat for a bit and figure out a strategy to deal with this group of players.]
[Kuroki Hitomi: I told you, I have things to do.]
[Ke Mingqing: I don't care.]
Kuroki Hitomi paused, slowly lifting her head from her book to glance at Ke Mingqing's expression out of the corner of her eye.
The Maybach continued speeding down the road. Neither spoke for a long time, nor did they communicate through the Chat Panel anymore. The only sounds left in the car were An Youlu softly memorizing English vocabulary and the rustle of her turning pages. The driver's fingers tapped against the steering wheel, and the tune of "Hotel California" lingered in everyone's ears.
A while later, the Maybach stopped in the Old Jingmai District. It didn't pull too close to that old apartment building, instead parking at the corner of the long street. An old woman at the convenience store fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan, staring at them dumbfounded.
This had been An Youlu's request. She was just a little maid from the countryside borrowing a place to stay at a classmate's house; there was no need for such a grand display. Being chauffeured in a luxury car was too extravagant for a low-key woman like her.
But what An Youlu hadn't expected was that before she could even get her suitcase out of the trunk, Ke Mingqing and Kuroki Hitomi had already stepped out of the car and walked away without looking back.
An Youlu froze for a moment, looking up at Kuroki Hitomi's retreating back, and asked, "Eldest Miss, where are you going?"
"On a date. Where else?"
Kuroki Hitomi stated expressionlessly. She spoke as if it were perfectly natural, grabbing Ke Mingqing's hand and turning to leave. Their figures gradually vanished into the crowd at the street corner.
While the sun had yet to set, the boy and girl arrived at a corner of the Old Jingmai District and stopped in front of an abandoned bridge tunnel. A crystalline blue dungeon panel floated in midair.
[Weekly Dungeon Name: The Quake Demon in the Ancient Tunnel.]
[Recommended Party Size: 4]
[Recommended Level: 22]
[Dungeon Description: The moment you hear the drumbeats, you are already dead.]
[Clear Rewards: Low-level skill card, superhuman coins, experience points.]
Ke Mingqing and Kuroki Hitomi exchanged a glance and placed their palms against the top of the panel. The dim interface was gradually suffused with fluorescence before finally erupting into a blinding flash of light.
[Entered dungeon. The dungeon will be cleared upon completing the objective: Kill the dungeon boss, "Drumming Quake Demon".]
When they regained their senses, the boy and girl were already standing in a seemingly endless tunnel. Dim, yellow wall lamps illuminated this cramped world.
The two gazed into the distance and spotted a massive shadow near the end of the tunnel. The giant wore a red kasaya and a demon mask. It sat cross-legged on the ground, a massive war drum placed on either side of it.
[Dungeon Boss Name: Drumming Quake Demon]
[Challenge Difficulty: Medium-High]
[Kill Reward: Chance to drop the B Rank rare item, "Drum of the Quake Demon".]
Ke Mingqing said as he walked forward, "Don't move."
"Why?" Kuroki Hitomi was puzzled.
"I want to solo the boss. I need to test a new skill."
"What new skill?"
"You'll know when you see it." Tossing out those words, a strange light flashed in Ke Mingqing's eyes, and a stark white humanoid figure instantly materialized by his side.
[Theater Puppet deployed. Theater Puppet No. 01, "White Jack", has been born.]
White Jack slowly raised its hollow eyes, adjusted the white top hat on its head, and revealed a spine-chilling smile.
Kuroki Hitomi stared quietly at White Jack's back, a little dazed. Even though she already knew White Jack was Ke Mingqing, seeing him create this puppet with her own eyes still left her somewhat shocked.
Only at this moment did it truly feel real to her—that the "White Jack" who had turned Leijing upside down over the past two months really was Ke Mingqing.
"Thunder God."
Ke Mingqing spoke suddenly, and immediately after, a black-and-blue notification box popped up in his vision.
[Prompt: A Rank skill, "Thunder God", activated.]
"Black Lightning Form."
Ke Mingqing chanted silently in his heart as he walked forward. He looked down at his palm, a pitch-black arc of electricity flashing past the corner of his eye.
[Black Lightning Form: The destructive power of the black lightning form is greatly enhanced (However, the rate of charge consumption will significantly increase while using black lightning).]
In that instant, scorching black lightning wreathed both the Theater Puppet and Ke Mingqing. Their aura surged instantly alongside the temperature. From afar, they looked as terrifying as demons and gods.
[Warning: Your current charge reserve is at 55%. After the Theater Puppet activates the "Thunder God" state, it will consume charge at the same rate as your main body. Please allocate and use your charge carefully.]
Ke Mingqing stared at this line of text, raised an eyebrow, and did some quick mental math before muttering, "Half an hour only restored five percent of the charge... Does that mean if I drain it completely, it'll take ten hours to fully recharge?"
He sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Inside the tunnel, two lightning-clad shadows split left and right, sprinting along the tunnel walls like a Ninja. They plowed two charred trails into the stone, shooting straight toward the Drumming Quake Demon.
The giant demon sensed the players' arrival and instantly awakened like a cracking statue.
The next second, the Drumming Quake Demon suddenly slapped a war drum.
With a massive Boom, two colossal shockwaves blasted toward the left and right tunnel walls, shattering the concrete and the lamps together with overwhelming force.
White Jack's top hat and Ke Mingqing's bangs were blown high into the air by the oncoming gale.
"That fast?" Ke Mingqing was momentarily stunned. "But I can still react."
A moment later, he and the Theater Puppet stomped off the walls and tumbled down from midair. Narrowly brushing past the shockwaves, the black and white figures landed safely in the dead center of the tunnel.
Ke Mingqing finally understood why the player squad from Leijing had been completely wiped out in this dungeon. His agility attribute was already infinitely close to A Rank, yet he still almost couldn't react in time—let alone other players at this stage of the game.
"No rush. Eat a Rasengan first."
Ke Mingqing looked at the menacing Drumming Quake Demon in the distance. He raised his right hand, flipping his palm upward. At the same time, the Theater Puppet began rolling its hands together above Ke Mingqing's palm as if forming a ball.
"Correction... it's a Big Ball Rasengan," White Jack said as it rolled the lightning sphere.
Watching this scene, Kuroki Hitomi sighed softly and muttered wordlessly, "Id... iot."
White Jack's motions of rubbing the air grew faster and faster. Pitch-black lightning danced above Ke Mingqing's palm, condensing into an abyssal sphere.
Gripping the lightning sphere, Ke Mingqing sprinted toward the Drumming Quake Demon alongside the Theater Puppet.
Right at that moment, the Drumming Quake Demon continuously slapped its massive war drums. A shockwave that covered practically the entire tunnel swept toward them.
Such a broad area of effect? Isn't this a guaranteed death trap for anyone else? Did the damn system design this level with its feet? Ke Mingqing was momentarily stunned.
In a flash, he shielded White Jack, standing right in front of him. At the same time, a thin little paper puppet appeared on his left palm. Burning with blazing gold in its eyes, the paper puppet shouted to the heavens:
"Superman Philosophy!"
Instantly, a thick layer of gold coated Ke Mingqing's body.
He glanced back. White Jack was completely unharmed. In the distance, facing the incoming shockwave, Kuroki Hitomi activated her B Rank skill, "Maiden Revolution."
A slender silhouette formed in midair. It was a young girl covered entirely in thorns and roses. She wore a crown of thorns, magnificent flowers blooming all over her body, and held a longsword woven from red and green.
The Maiden Tyrant's eyes glowed with a deep crimson light. She swung the red and green sword, stirring up a dazzling shower of petals that formed a thick curtain.
The power of the shockwave decayed over distance. By the time it reached Kuroki Hitomi, it was no longer as fierce.
The Maiden Tyrant's curtain of flowers barely managed to block the shockwave. Petals scattered, fluttering over the girl with the tear mole like a flurry of snow.
Seeing this, Ke Mingqing stopped worrying about Kuroki Hitomi behind him.
He and White Jack split up again, repeating their earlier tactic as they closed in on the Drumming Quake Demon five hundred meters away. Five hundred meters... four hundred meters... three hundred meters... two hundred meters... The outline of the Drumming Quake Demon grew clearer and clearer.
Ke Mingqing knew full well that the closer he got to the Drumming Quake Demon, the harder it would be to dodge its shockwaves. At this distance, it all came down to luck.
The next moment, as if proving his thought, the Drumming Quake Demon viciously struck its war drum. A thunderous roar echoed through the tunnel, and a practically corporeal wave of air roared toward him like a flood!
It's aiming for me... Ke Mingqing's pupils shrank, his facial features almost distorting in the air pressure of the aftershock.
Seizing that final fraction of a second, a faint blue light flashed across his eyes.
At the same time, a system Pop-up appeared before him.
[Prompt: You have used the E-grade skill, "Phantom Shift", on "White Jack".]
In the next instant, Ke Mingqing and White Jack swapped places.
"Motherfucker, I'm cannon fodder again..." White Jack raised a hand to pull down the brim of its hat, taking the full brunt of the incoming shockwave for him. Every part of its structure dissolved into lingering smoke and dispersed.
Kuroki Hitomi stared at this harrowing sight, her mouth opening slightly in shock. But Ke Mingqing still hadn't called out to her for help; his figure was still pressing closer toward the Drumming Quake Demon!
At this point, the distance between Ke Mingqing and the Drumming Quake Demon was less than 200 meters.
[Prompt: Your Theater Puppet No. 01, "White Jack", has died in the dungeon.]
Ke Mingqing glanced at the notification in his vision, then looked up at the Drumming Quake Demon.
If he had barely managed to survive just now by swapping places, at this distance, the moment the Drumming Quake Demon struck its drum, he would be instantly reduced to ash, leaving no bones behind.
Thus, Ke Mingqing resorted to a trick, activating the E-grade skill, "Mist of Loss." A violet fog instantly expanded outward, enveloping more than half of the tunnel.
The Drumming Quake Demon lost track of his position. Ke Mingqing advanced through the fog. Three seconds later, he burst out of the mist, charging forward like a thunderbolt, and slammed the pitch-black lightning sphere in his palm right into the Drumming Quake Demon!
With a resounding Bang, wild lightning erupted, practically forming a miniature magnetic field. Even though it was black light, the entire tunnel was illuminated. When absolute black reaches its extreme, it becomes white.
The Drumming Quake Demon roared amid the ink-black lightning storm. Tears ripped across its red kasaya, and the demon mask on its face slowly shattered. The red health bar above its head visibly plummeted.
[Perfect Hit!!! (A flawless strike!)]
[Prompt: Dungeon Boss "Drumming Quake Demon" Health: 100% -> 65%!!!]
"The Rasengan actually works?" Ke Mingqing was stunned.
In the next second, the Drumming Quake Demon moved! It hoisted its massive right palm and struck the war drum beside it.
Ke Mingqing reacted instantly, shifting his body slightly to let the Drumming Quake Demon's shockwave purposefully graze his shoulder. An instant later, his shoulder blade exploded, sending a morbidly beautiful spray of blood into the air.
Squelch—!
Amid the splattering blood, Ke Mingqing put distance between himself and the Drumming Quake Demon, turning around to hide back inside the Mist of Loss.
Kuroki Hitomi frowned, watching the scene quietly. She couldn't understand why Ke Mingqing was always like this—he clearly could ask for help, yet he refused to.
This was a boss with a "Recommended Player Level" of 23. She, Gu Mengqing, Li Chunchun, and Orange Peel had come here yesterday, only to fall short at the final hurdle.
Let alone with just Ke Mingqing by himself.
"Is it that hard to ask for my help...? Why won't you say it just once?" Kuroki Hitomi lowered her head, her lips moving slightly.
At this moment, in the fog at the other end of the tunnel, Ke Mingqing shrugged his mangled right shoulder. He had gotten injured on purpose, just to test the other form of "Thunder God."
"Blue Lightning Form..."
The boy murmured softly, and a notification Pop-up appeared in his eyes.
[Blue Lightning Form: The blue lightning no longer possesses lethal power, but can be used to heal a target's wounds, including yourself. (When you wrap your body in blue lightning while in a near-death state, the healing effect is significantly enhanced).]
Ke Mingqing cast his eyes down, looking at the wisp of blue lightning dancing across his skin.
The gash torn into his shoulder by the Drumming Quake Demon was stimulated by the electrical current. It felt as though it wasn't lightning at all, but a pool of warm water washing over his skin.
Ke Mingqing's wounds healed at a visible rate. Soon, new flesh grew over the injury, covered by a layer of brand-new skin.
He raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise and faint joy in his eyes. He muttered, "This healing speed is incredible. It feels almost as fast as that Magic Card, 'Firefly'..."
The Drumming Quake Demon was still roaring. It raised its giant palm and savagely smashed the drum. Amidst the deafening boom, a shockwave swept through, dispersing the thick fog that had filled the tunnel!
Ke Mingqing had anticipated this. He lunged to the side to avoid the attack, his body clinging to the tunnel wall like a spider.
At the same time, a streak of intertwining black and blue lightning suddenly danced in his pupils, shining brilliantly in the dark.
"Fusion Lightning Form," Ke Mingqing said softly.
[Warning: You have consumed all your remaining charge to enter the "Fusion Lightning" form—the merging of blue and black lightning gives birth to the ultimate, most dangerous color!]
[Fusion Lightning moderately boosts the player's "Agility" attribute. The lightning's intensity reaches its absolute peak and gains partial "Devour" properties.]
Ke Mingqing hung his head, watching his own body with interest. The pitch-black lightning and blue lightning coating his skin were now gradually blending, transforming into an ink-like black-blue hue.
The inky current rapidly coursed over every inch of his skin, washing over the pores on his cheeks all the way to the top of his head.
In a flash, his eyes were flooded with intertwining black and blue lightning, and every strand of hair on his head stood straight up.
The liquid, ink-like arcs of lightning violently flared outward like the quills on a hedgehog's back, tearing dozens of gashes into Ke Mingqing's school uniform jacket.
Ke Mingqing lifted his head, his lightning-lit eyes locking onto the Drumming Quake Demon.
The next moment, his figure vanished from the tunnel wall.
Kuroki Hitomi stared up at the scene, utterly stunned.
In the moments that followed, she had no idea what was happening. She completely lost track of Ke Mingqing's movements. She could only see the intertwining, dancing arcs of pitch-black and deep-blue lightning. It was like watching a galaxy splashing and surging through the darkness, or a thunderbolt descending from the heavens with an unstoppable, piercing sharpness.
Soon after, a thick, dark crimson steadily emerged amid the vibrant flashes of color. It was the Drumming Quake Demon's blood. Its red kasaya was shredded layer by layer. The black-blue figure tore off the creature's mask and crushed it into dust with a single grip.
The beast couldn't even let out a roar; its heavy wails were drowned out by the storm created by the black and blue lightning. It gradually succumbed to this tempest of electricity, falling to its knees and slumping heavily into the deep crater beneath its feet.
"Can you see it?" Kuroki Hitomi stared blankly, whispering to the Maiden Tyrant.
The Maiden Tyrant fell silent for a moment, then shook her head.
Kuroki Hitomi blinked.
She finally understood. Long before she realized it, Ke Mingqing had entered an entirely new realm—one that, no matter how high she craned her neck to look, she would never be able to reach.
After a while, the deafening roars vanished. All that remained of the black and blue storm were lingering, scattered arcs of lightning, and a mutilated mass of flesh, mangled beyond recognition, kneeling on the ground like a statue.
[Prompt: Dungeon Boss "Drumming Quake Demon" Health: 65% -> 0%.]
[Congratulations. The players have successfully cleared the weekly dungeon, "The Quake Demon in the Ancient Tunnel". The reward settlement phase will begin in ten seconds.]