He quickly returned to Joeyâs house and found Old Jack in the basement, happily eating a hot dog.
Nearby, Renie was completely focused on her Forging, with Chengzi ready to assist at any moment. Joey and a few other children watched with faces full of curiosity; they had been observing for hours but still hadnât had their fill.
"Jack. Jack Reeves. Do you recognize that name?" Liu Ling asked, getting straight to the point.
"Jack Reeves?"
A confused expression appeared on Old Jackâs face. "Never heard of him."
"Then take off your clothes," Liu Ling said bluntly.
"Oh."
Old Jack would grant almost any request from the "Tin Punks" who wore Tinfoil Hats. He finished his hot dog in a couple of bites, wiped his hands on his grimy pants, then took off his old down jacket, followed by the several shirts he wore underneath.
Finally, an aged body covered in gruesome scars and tattoos was revealed.
Liu Ling gasped. The injuries this body had suffered were horrific: burns, bullet holes, knife scars... Practically no skin on his upper body was intact, and it was covered in a large number of tattoos.
His arms, chest, and back were all tattooed with these striking phrases:
âJack Reeves, 32, Advanced agent with the FBIâs Supernatural Division. Investigating the Akita Town murders. The killer is Father Natas. Stop him!
âBe careful. Father Natas possesses powerful Supernatural Power. He can weave beautiful dreams, influence emotions, and summon Demons.
âAn evil power is influencing the entire town. You must wear a Tinfoil Hat to block its influence. This is very important!
âThe mayor is being controlled. Not to be trusted.
âThe sheriff, too.
âThe children can effectively harm the Demon.
âProtect the children.
âDonât forget your mission and your duty.
âDonât forget! Donât forget! Donât forget!
âIf anyone sees this, please help me!
âKill Natas!
"This..."
Chengzi, standing nearby, saw this and was stunned speechless.
"Huh? What are these?"
Old Jack looked at the tattoos on his arms and body, puzzled. âWhen did I get these?â
He tried to rub them, but they didnât come off. Instead, a layer of black grime sloughed off.
Liu Ling opened his mouth, but he didnât know what to say.
Judging by the text, Jack Reeves had clearly known he was about to lose his memories. He must have also realized he couldnât save Akita Town, which was why heâd gotten so many tattoos to remind himself...
...or perhaps, to remind those who came after him.
Unfortunately, this method of conveying information was far too covert. Who would think to strip a homeless manâs clothes right off the bat?
But Liu Ling also understood that if Jack had gotten the tattoos in a more conspicuous place, then after he lost his sanity and memories and entered a new cycle, the abnormality would surely have been discovered. That would have attracted Father Natasâs attention, ultimately leading to his death.
He only had one life. He couldnât afford to die so easily. He had to use his body to pass the information onâeven if there was a chance no one would ever discover it.
"Old Jack... you..." Joey and the other children were also stunned.
"Huh? Whatâs wrong with you all?" Seeing their complicated expressions, Old Jack looked completely baffled.
Liu Ling took a deep breath. "Jack Reeves, you really donât remember anything from your past at all?"
"Whoâs Jack Reeves? What are these things on my body?" The name meant nothing to Old Jack; he was just confused about where the tattoos had come from.
He had completely lost his memories.
"Liu Ling, whatâs going on?" Chengzi asked, still in the dark.
Liu Ling pulled Chengzi outside, away from the children, and explained everything.
"So thatâs what happened..." Chengzi fell silent.
"Sigh... Once this cycle is over, we need to end this Akita Town loop for good. With the Star Associationâs technology, Jack can still be saved," Liu Ling sighed.
·
ă2:13 PM.ă
On a rooftop, Zhou Chen, who was observing the duel, suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Yao Hu had broken through.
ăIn the arena.ă
Yao Hu was covered in blood. The grueling, hours-long battle had left him with numerous injuries, but by now, they had all healed. As one of the Tier Two Ascenders with a top-tier physique, his Endurance and Recovery Ability were both monstrous.
"Itâs been a while since Iâve felt this fired up. I havenât had a fight this satisfying in ages. As a punching bag, youâre more than qualified."
Yao Hu sneered. "Now, can you feel it?
âMy Soul is screaming!"
His aura exploded, surging violently, and growing stronger with every second!
Behind him, a golden soul with folded arms appeared. Its face was identical to Yao Huâs, its entire body seemed cast from Gold, like the legendary Unmoving Bright King. Its eyes burned with a deadly golden flame, and its face was as solemn as a mountain, radiating an intimidating aura without any show of anger.
The Golden Soul!
Yao Hu could have broken through to Tier Three a full year ago, but he had been constantly suppressing his advancement, continually tempering his Soul, wanting to achieve his breakthrough in the midst of the most exhilarating battle possible.
Now, his Golden Soul, honed to its absolute limit, was finally born. Its terrifyingly potent willpower spread unrestrained, and a sense of Fear bloomed even in the heart of the Demonized Natas.
So, even Demons could feel Fear?
"Mmm... good. Very good."
Yao Hu flexed his hand in satisfaction, feeling the Power contained within his muscles. For the first time, a savage smile spread across his face. "Let me guess. You were planning to rely on the Power of Sin from the citizens of Akita Town for infinite regeneration, right? Hoping to wear me down until my Physical Strength ran out?"
Natas remained silent, because that was exactly what he had been planning.
Who would have thought the manâs Endurance would be so monstrous? They had been fighting for hours and were still evenly matched.
This once again made Natas question everything. After all, he possessed Demon Power! No one in this World should have been able to stand against him!
Now that his opponent had broken through and grown even stronger, that fierce, aggressive aura gave him an unprecedented sense of pressure and danger.
Natas knew he was in big trouble...
"You think Iâm exhausted? Let me tell you, that was just a warm-up. The real fight starts nowâ!"
Of course, Yao Hu knew that against an enemy with such a powerful Recovery Ability, the best strategy was to obliterate them with terrifying Power that exceeded both their damage threshold and their rate of recovery!
BOOM!
The ground trembled. In an instant, Yao Hu appeared before Natas, raised a scorching-hot fist, and threw a simple, unadorned punch.
The air CRACKED!
A hurricane of force erupted as thunder boomed, like a divine punishment visited upon the Demon. A hole instantly appeared in the demonic body, punching straight through from front to back as if struck by an annihilation beam. The Power of Sin contained within was utterly obliterated by the sheer, domineering violence of the blow.
At the same time, terrifying heat erupted from beneath the shattered snake scales, exploding a second time!
This was a Martial Arts Skill Yao Hu had developed after some tinkering, taking inspiration from Zhou Chenâs "Flame Burst" and "Rock-Breaking Force" and combining them with his own Extraordinary Abilities.
BANG!
Shrapnel flew everywhere as the savage power coursed through every inch of his body. Natasâs entire form instantly exploded, and the pitch-black, profane Power of Sin gushed out like a fountain.
The Magnetic Gloves activated. A surging barrier of Thunder Magnetism formed, blocking all of the Power of Sin.
At Yao Huâs command, the dense Thunder Magnetism coalesced into four chains that snaked out, attempting to bind Natasâs limbs.
But Natas had already learned this lesson the hard way from Zhou Chen; he wasnât about to fall for it again. He instantly flapped his Wings to accelerate away, putting distance between himself and Yao Hu before frantically absorbing the Power of Sin generated by Akita Town to repair his body.
Black ooze writhed, and the massive hole in his chest rapidly filled in.
Natas hadnât expected Yao Hu to become so powerful after his breakthrough. The Power in his fists was worlds apart from before. A single punch had shattered his body. If he took a few more...
In that brief moment of shock, Yao Hu appeared before him without any warning, giving him no time to think. He clenched his fist, aimed for the Demonâs face, and ruthlessly smashed his Iron Fist forward with unstoppable force.
Round two had begun.