Chapter 682: Dangerous Game

Chapter 682: Dangerous Game

Yang Xinxin found Zhou Ke'er and made a request.

The request made Zhou Ke'er's expression change slightly.

"Have you really thought this through, Xinxin? That experiment is extremely dangerous."

"And it's unbelievably painful. It might be the most agonizing experience a human can endure."

Yang Xinxin walked over with a smile, her hands clasped behind her back, looking up playfully at Zhou Ke'er.

"Big sister, Xinxin also wants to gain greater strength... to help Brother!"

"So, let's begin!"

Seeing the determination hidden within Yang Xinxin's smiling face, Zhou Ke'er realized her mind was made up.

She sighed softly. "Alright, then."

Without saying much else, Zhou Ke'er led Yang Xinxin over to a surgical table.

Yang Xinxin kicked off her shoes, revealing her feet wrapped in white cotton socks, then climbed up onto the surgical table, lying down with a smile.

Zhou Ke'er, expressionless, used restraints to secure Yang Xinxin’s wrists and ankles, tying her body down as well — to prevent her from struggling during the experiment.

Throughout the entire process, Yang Xinxin kept smiling — a smile of acceptance.

Zhou Ke'er felt a pang of guilt. She took a deep breath and gave a final warning:

"You still have time to regret this. I'm really afraid you won't be able to endure this pain."

Yang Xinxin slowly closed her eyes.

"Big sister... let's start."

Zhou Ke'er said no more. Deep down, she also understood — Yang Xinxin was making the right choice.

Though this method wasn't guaranteed to work, their long-term research had concluded that it was worth trying.

Zhou Ke'er pushed over a transparent frame — a box made of acrylic, just large enough to enclose Yang Xinxin's head.

Once the device was set up, she connected monitors to track Yang Xinxin's heart rate.

Watching Yang Xinxin lying there with her eyes closed, Zhou Ke'er reached out and opened the valve linked to the acrylic tank.

Whoosh—

Water began pouring into the tank, quickly submerging Yang Xinxin’s head.

Yang Xinxin's face twisted in pain. She struggled instinctively, gasping for air.

After about a minute, her struggling weakened, and her heart rate plummeted.

Zhou Ke'er's eyes stayed glued to the heart monitor.

Beep—

The ECG line flattened into a straight line.

But Zhou Ke'er didn’t rush to drain the water — she kept watching both Yang Xinxin and the timer on her watch.

Two minutes passed without any change.

Only then did Zhou Ke'er swiftly drain the tank, her hands turning transparent as she reached straight into Yang Xinxin’s chest.

One hand gripped her heart, the other her lungs — using her Doctor Ability to perform CPR.

Before long, Yang Xinxin's heartbeat resumed.

She suddenly jolted upright on the table, coughing up a mouthful of water.

As soon as she woke up, she instinctively checked her body.

However, this time — she didn’t feel any change.

"Did... the experiment fail?"

Yang Xinxin's expression dimmed with disappointment.

Zhou Ke'er calmly reminded her:

"I studied your cells — they have indeed undergone some mutation under gamma radiation."

"But this phenomenon is common among most post-apocalyptic organisms. It doesn't necessarily mean you'll develop a Superhuman Ability."

"So you need to be mentally prepared."

Near-death experiences were the best stimulus for triggering abilities.

If awakening didn’t occur under those conditions, there weren’t many other options left.

Zhou Ke'er looked at Yang Xinxin with pain in her heart.

To awaken an ability, she had chosen such an excruciating path.

"Originally, you could have obtained an Ice Soul."

Zhou Ke'er understood Yang Xinxin’s position in Zhang Yi’s heart.

As a genius computer specialist, she should have been Zhang Yi’s first choice to receive an Ice Soul.

Yang Xinxin stared blankly up at the surgical light above.

"I've always believed that the Ice Soul’s awakening method is flawed."

"Big sister, did you forget what we concluded?"

"The true determinant of a Superhuman Ability’s strength... should be Will."

"When facing death, the obsession within your heart crystallizes into your awakened ability. The stronger the obsession at the moment of death, the stronger the power."

"You three all obtained support-type abilities — which proves my theory."

"And I, if I want greater power, must push my will to its absolute limit — using this method."

This was the real reason Yang Xinxin refused the Ice Soul.

She had her own ideas.

She wanted to become a unique existence at Zhang Yi’s side — irreplaceable.

Zhou Ke'er took a deep breath and tried to comfort her.

"Even if you don’t awaken an ability, you can still help Zhang Yi greatly."

Yang Xinxin shook her head.

"That’s not the same."

No one ever disliked having more power.

And she understood — in Zhang Yi’s mind, she would always be the delicate girl who needed protection.

But Zhang Yi didn’t know — she also wanted to face danger alongside him, to fight side-by-side.

Zhou Ke'er reached out, planning to untie Yang Xinxin’s restraints.

Yang Xinxin, however, said coldly:

"Continue."

Zhou Ke'er froze, her hand stiff in the air.

"You..."

She was too shocked to speak.

The sensation of dying — it was something no one wanted to experience again.

Yet Yang Xinxin wanted to go through it again?

Yang Xinxin looked at the stunned Zhou Ke'er and smiled sweetly.

"Don’t worry, you’re here. I won’t actually die."

"But next time, maybe wait a little longer. Let me really feel the despair of dying. It might be more effective."

Zhou Ke'er’s body began trembling slightly from fear.

Her little cousin... was terrifying.

But she couldn’t refuse Yang Xinxin’s request.

Gritting her teeth, she began the second round of the experiment.

With her here, Yang Xinxin wouldn’t die.

But repeatedly dancing on the edge of death... just thinking about it made one’s scalp tingle.

...

Linhai City.

After fleeing Jiangning City, the remnants of the Moon of Corrosion regrouped at Linhai City.

This was the only place they had completely emptied — no enemies remained here.

Although they had defeated the Celestial Squad and slain Deng Shentong, they had paid a heavy price themselves.

Naruse Hanachiyo, Wagatsuma Nanako, Takizawa Takashi, Kamiya Gedou, and Akutsu Shinichiro.

These five had all died in that battle.

This kind of loss had never happened in the Moon of Corrosion's history.

Even back in Kanto, when facing powerful enemies, they had always escaped danger thanks to Takeuchi Mayumi’s foresight.

Now, the remaining members returned to their hidden icebreaker ship docked at the harbor and set sail.

Led by Phoenixin Ren, the eight survivors stood at the bow, silently mourning the land they were leaving.

Though they were a band of desperate outlaws, their time together had forged genuine bonds.

They mourned the five fallen companions from the depths of their hearts.

After the mourning, Phoenixin Ren put on his gray newsboy cap.

"This battle went beyond our expectations. Mayumi’s prophecy was disrupted... but overall, we won."

"Next, we must create even greater chaos — and use it as leverage to negotiate with Jiangnan District!"

Hearing this, Takeuchi Mayumi’s face darkened.

She lowered her head, speaking sorrowfully:

"Their deaths were my fault. I failed in my duty. My divination... went wrong."

Phoenixin Ren quickly turned around and gently gripped her shoulders.

"Mayumi, it’s not your fault."

"Hanachiyo was already at risk. You tried to save her — we just didn’t anticipate the Celestial Squad’s Captain appearing nearby."

"But as for the deaths of Kamiya and the others... that’s a different story."

A dark glint flashed in Phoenixin Ren’s eyes.

Those five were key combat assets — losing them dealt a heavy blow.

At that moment, Shinguuji Seiichiro pushed up his glasses and said coldly:

"Among our enemies... I encountered someone extremely dangerous."

Everyone turned toward him.

"A dangerous enemy? More dangerous than Deng Shentong?"

Phoenixin Ren asked with a light laugh.

"No — it’s a completely different kind of danger."

Shinguuji Seiichiro recalled the events of that day, a chill creeping up his spine.

"Kamiya and Akutsu were both seriously wounded when they were killed — but even in that state, they shouldn’t have been finished off by ordinary bullets."

"The man I faced was an incredibly powerful spatial-type ability user. His bullets carried monstrous force."

"If he were just a sniper, it would be manageable. But when my shikigami attacked him... he swallowed them."

Hearing this, the others’ faces turned grim.

Shinguuji Seiichiro’s shikigami were powerful — each on par with a Delta-class Superhuman.

For someone to crush his abilities so easily... their level must be terrifying.

At that moment, Tsukamoto Nobunaga also spoke up.

"If you're talking about that guy... I have an impression too."

Everyone turned to him.

Nobunaga said calmly:

"Wagatsuma Nanako and Takizawa Takashi were sent to chase him. Likely, they died at his hands."

The Moon of Corrosion members were all stunned.

In other words — out of their five dead companions, four had been killed by the same man!

Who exactly... was that person?

Author's Note