Death of the Expert

On the second floor of Dengke, Wenren Sheng leaned back behind a wooden table by the window, resting with his eyes closed.

What should have been a pleasant gathering had turned into a farcical contest. It seemed like an accident, but it would not waste much of his time. It was a good chance to review the book he had started reading yesterday.

In everyone else's eyes, though, it meant Wenren Sheng had little interest in this contest.

The others were extremely interested. They too wanted to know why the Xu Family's Five Colors Group spent so much money every year supporting two Old Men who looked as though they had one foot in the grave.

After all, many of them were newly risen figures in the business world, first-generation entrepreneurs. Their knowledge of Alien Power was limited to online rumors and gossip within their circles; they had never encountered it up close.

They had all seen Wenren Sheng dispel the abnormality on Wang Chenggui just now. Naturally, they were reluctant to leave. No one was more sensitive than they were to the importance of information.

Inspector Liu had originally intended to drive them all away, but the two Old Men claimed to enjoy a lively atmosphere. With no one watching, there would be less excitement, and they would have no spirit for the fight. They had insisted on letting everyone follow them upstairs.

Inspector Liu had remarked strangely at the time, "The more people watch, the less spirit you'll have..."

After an unknown amount of time, someone suddenly said, "Strange, what are they doing?" Only then did Wenren Sheng open his eyes.

In the middle of the second floor, an open space had already been cleared, with several tables pushed together.

A laptop sat on the tables, running a piece of software. One of the Black Shirts was operating it rapidly.

Wenren Sheng looked closely and saw a little figure appear in the program, with a long Sniper Rifle opposite it.

Old Man He, Old Man Li, and Afu and Wang Chenggui from the other side all stared at one another.

Old Man He could not help asking, "Little Liu, what are you doing?"

"Of course, we're setting up simulated combat data for you. You didn't think the Patrol Division would really allow you to engage in a live-ammunition showdown in this cramped place, did you?" Inspector Liu asked in return.

"Uh, isn't that how it's supposed to be?" Old Man Li asked back.

"Of course not, Uncle. Times have changed," Inspector Liu said teasingly.

Only then did the dumbfounded onlookers understand why the Patrol Division had been willing to make an exception and let them observe...

Under normal circumstances, every few years there were tragedies involving people watching arrests and getting struck by stray bullets. Risking one's life just to watch the excitement was truly bizarre.

Old Man He frowned slightly, then asked, "Can this thing of yours really fully simulate my combat data?"

"It needs to be collected first. Of course, if you don't want it collected on-site, we can use the routine inspection data from this year's New Year's Day," Inspector Liu explained.

"Use the data from then. Collecting it now would waste too much time," Old Man He said at once.

"Do you two have any objections?" Inspector Liu asked Wang Chenggui and Afu.

"No, no problem," Wang Chenggui hurried to say.

Afu seemed to want to say something, but after his lips twitched a few times, he still said nothing.

A few minutes later, the Black Shirt nodded at Inspector Liu, indicating that everything was ready.

"Both sides, come confirm it. Afu, this is the latest American NWT-20 Anti-Materiel Rifle assigned to you. Senior He, this is your simulated figure."

Everyone fixed their eyes on the screen.

Clearly, they could not make out the truly important details. If they could, Inspector Liu would not have allowed them to observe...

All they could tell was that the gun looked imposing. From its over two-meter-long body and its enormous rounds, each much larger than an adult's palm, they could understand why this could not be carried out here.

If they fought here, a single shot would send high-speed fragments flying from the impact, and these thrill-seekers would become tomorrow's spectacle for others online.

The simulated figure was a rather crude 3D person. Its only unusual feature was the layer of white light covering its body.

Yet after seeing it, Old Man He nodded slightly in approval.

Someone could not help saying, "This is enough? They're all simulated things. Wouldn't it be easy to cheat?"

"Keep your voice down. You dare question the lords of the Patrol Division?"

"I heard that Patrol Divisions everywhere have a Chief Inspector position. You have to activate something called the Seed of Justice to hold it, so it must be fair."

The crowd discussed it among themselves, but Inspector Liu paid them no mind. After confirming everything, he said,

"Then let the contest begin."

He then operated the mouse and clicked a button in the software.

Everyone immediately focused intently on the laptop screen.

It was as though the scene had been slowed down. The bullet burst from the barrel in an instant, traveled forward in a straight line, and finally struck the simulated figure slowly.

As everyone's eyes remained fixed on the screen, Wenren Sheng alone glanced toward Old Man He, a trace of doubt in his gaze.

Wu Shanshan had already told him about the two Old Men.

One was He Shiqiang, and the other was Li Shi'an.

What puzzled him was that his Seed of Mystery had been unable to see He Shiqiang's data, while Li Shi'an's was normal.

Li Shi'an, Mystery Points: 95/95.

Mysterious Composition: ???

Could it be because Li Shi'an's power had suffered some kind of loss, while He Shiqiang was stronger, causing this phenomenon? He knew that if a target was stronger than him, there were many things he would be unable to see. However, this was the first time even the panel data had failed to appear.

That seemed to explain why He Shiqiang had stepped forward for the contest rather than Li Shi'an.

"Did he lose?"

An onlooker suddenly cried out.

Wenren Sheng came back to himself and saw that the screen had already begun replaying the impact. The simulated figure had been struck squarely in the chest. White light flashed over its body, and the bullet seemed to be blocked for a moment, yet it continued onward without wavering.

In the end, the simulated figure's entire chest caved inward as though struck by a massive hammer, then exploded with a bang, perfectly simulating the process of a human body becoming countless fragments.

Fortunately, they were only crude pixels. If it had been real footage, it would definitely have needed censoring. This was a genuine cannon execution...

Even so, some of the onlookers could not help crying out in alarm.

"That's terrifying. Don't people get shot several times in movies and still spend ages whispering sweet nothings?" a young woman said, clutching her chest.

"That's all the Director's arrangement..."

"Exactly. Not to mention multiple shots, I've heard from bodyguards that unless it's a low-powered pistol, one shot is enough to knock you to the ground, leaving you groaning in agony. Against something practically like a cannon, it's lucky if there are even fragments left to see."

"Alien Power sounds so mystical, but it really can't confront modern weapons head-on."

"Exactly. It can probably only be used for underhanded battles offstage. Didn't that Inspector say just now that it no longer plays the leading role in warfare?"

The crowd kept talking, their disappointment impossible to hide, yet mixed with a strange sense of satisfaction.

He Shiqiang, however, seemed to have aged another ten years in an instant. He muttered to himself, "How could this be? Have we really been eliminated? Are people like us destined to become nothing more than rats in the gutter?"

Li Shi'an silently walked over and supported his swaying body.

"Actually, we knew this fact long ago. Otherwise, we would not have kept refusing to come out. It's just that when death came, we still wanted to leave this world carrying the invincible glory of the past."

"Is that so?" Two murky tears had unknowingly appeared on He Shiqiang's face.

Although Wang Chenggui had won the contest, he did not show much joy. He merely kept staring at the other side, as though lost in thought.

Was he afraid they would refuse to pay up?

But with so many witnesses, if the two Old Men did that, they would only lose the last shred of their dignity.

Sure enough, after being despondent for a while, He Shiqiang suddenly stretched out his five fingers and thrust them fiercely into his own abdomen.

"Ah!"

The crowd cried out in alarm, only calming down after a while.

A hazy object emitting white light appeared in He Shiqiang's hand. It was surrounded by mist, making its exact form impossible to see.

"This is the Alien Power I nurtured for two hundred and sixteen years. Today, I lost, so I'll give it..."

Wang Chenggui could no longer contain his excitement. He hurried forward, accepted the hazy object, and his face filled with joy.

After He Shiqiang handed over the Alien Power, before he could finish speaking, his head suddenly drooped. His eyes closed, and his breath vanished.

"Old Brother He!" Li Shi'an caught his suddenly limp body, tears streaming down his aged face.

The crowd was filled with sorrow.

Wenren Sheng's brows furrowed tightly.

At last, the Seed of Mystery displayed an event prompt.

Mysterious Event: Death of the Expert. A Mysterious Realm expert who had lived for more than two hundred years and witnessed countless historical events died before your eyes, making you understand that even seemingly powerful Mysterious Realm experts could never escape the bounds of flesh and blood. Yet behind all this, there seemed to be a deeper and more terrifying truth.

Mystery Points: 91.

Mysterious Composition: ???.