The Death of Deputy Han

"Hum..." Crackle--

Blue electric arcs danced.

A severed mechanical left arm lay horizontally on the ground, twitching every now and then like a dying fish.

The cross-section was smooth, filled with broken wires and flickering sparks, while Pitch Black machine oil mixed with blood splattered across the floor.

"Despicable!"

"Bai Zhou!!!"

Howling in agony, Deputy Han lay on the ground writhing, his forehead beaded with sweat, his back arched like a roasted shrimp.

I was careless!

This was no child at all!

Smashing the cup as a signal was actually a trigger for a trap.

He had shouted "Watch this next strike," only to unleash a blinding light from who knows where...

This person, he was rotten to the core!

Someone even more devious than the Blood Worship Cult--

"Who are you?"

"Who exactly are you?"

His only remaining hand reached futilely toward his left side, eventually slapping against the empty, barren ground.

"Screech..."

His fingernails scraped frantically against the cold, hard floor, producing an exceptionally piercing sound.

His scarlet mechanical left eye flickered wildly, ticking and clicking.

Only now... did Deputy Han's vision begin to return to normal.

But the very first thing he saw as his blurred sight cleared was—

His own arm, lying on the ground not far away.

Immediately following that, a massive wave of pain swept through his entire nervous system, arriving with a delayed reaction.

"Ah--!!"

A cry of pain, suppressed to the extreme and accompanied by a shrill, thin voice, echoed through the silent Resting Mausoleum.

The dense, towering rows of tombstones offered no response.

They remained as silent as they always were.

Silently watching him roll on the ground.

"Tap..."

Footsteps slowly approached.

A Pitch Black Short Club cast a shadow over Deputy Han's face.

Deputy Han shuddered instinctively, his mind clearing significantly.

"Don't you have my file?"

Bai Zhou arrived at Deputy Han's side, eyeing the wound where the arm had been severed.

Wires of various colors were intertwined and fused with flesh, emitting weak, unstable sparks and making "hissing" sounds from time to time.

Shards of steel were embedded densely within the muscle, and the traces of high-temperature scorching had turned the area into a charred, black tumor mixed with Silver White metal.

A faint wisp of smoke rose, and the smell of burning metal mixed with the stench of rotting flesh was nauseating.

"It seems you have lost your means of reliance."

The majestic mechanical half-body had turned into such a state in the blink of an eye.

After losing the metal left arm that served as his primary offensive tool, the rest of Deputy Han's metal half-body was rendered mostly useless.

The battle was decided.

--The victor was Bai Zhou, sheltered by the "light."

"Hoo..."

Bai Zhou let out a long breath.

Refreshing.

It felt as if a burden had been lifted, or as if every pore in his body had suddenly opened up.

It was hard to describe the feeling of the power dynamic flipping at this moment.

All the caution and suffocating tension he had felt in the base until now, Seemed to have been vented out along with the execution of that strike, the Moon Ember Sacred Oath Slash.

A stifled breath was finally released.

It felt like eating a bowl of ice-chilled strawberries drizzled with milk on the hottest day of summer.

It was as if Bai Zhou was finally beginning to realize...

That no matter how much unknown, mystery, or suffocating injustice and chaos existed in the world, He could always trust the blade in his hand.

No matter how vast the disparity between him and his enemy...

In short, just Slash first and ask questions later!

However, on the other side, Deputy Han was feeling quite uncomfortable.

"It shouldn't be like this... it shouldn't be like this!"

Gradually, Deputy Han stopped howling.

Perhaps he felt that it was somewhat humiliating.

He tried to make himself look a bit calmer, a bit more dignified...

But this was, of course, futile, because no matter what he did, he was still lying on the ground.

And Bai Zhou stood to the side, watching his every movement and change in expression with a blank face, as if he were observing...

A stink bug.

A clown.

This made Deputy Han feel a surge of irritation.

He raised his head and struggled to sit up, as if he were still that same arrogant deputy.

But he quickly realized that his life was in the hands of this youth he had never once looked at with respect, and so he couldn't help but lower his head.

"If... if we could do it again, it shouldn't be like this."

"You ambushed me!"

He gritted his teeth, his mouth stained with blood, and whispered, "If you have the guts, let's set up a proper formation and fight again!"

"--I will kill you!"

He could not accept such a defeat.

He was truly unwilling to accept that he had been hacked down and lost an arm just like that.

He was clearly only one step away from advancing to a Level 3 Extraordinary.

He had clearly already crafted a Mechanical Briefcase for himself that was comparable to, or even stronger than, a Level 3 Extraordinary.

How could this...

"But, my dear Deputy Han..."

Bai Zhou shook his head, finding it amusing.

Coming from the simple, honest folk of Evening City, and having achieved his extraordinary status only a week ago, Bai Zhou looked at Deputy Han—who had been an Extraordinary for nearly a decade—with a serious expression and said:

"You should have understood long ago."

"--This is what a real battle is."

A life-or-death battle!

In a true fight for survival, the one who stays alive gets to enjoy everything; who cares about the methods used?

Besides...

"Did I sneak up on you from behind?"

Bai Zhou tilted his head, asking with genuine confusion, "Wasn't every move I made open, honest, and upright?"

--That is just how we Adventurers are.

Deputy Han fell into a silence, wanting to speak but stopping, then wanting to speak again, his expression looking quite constipated.

Indeed.

It was far too "open and honest"—the eighty thousand lumens of blinding light were enough to sear anyone's eyes.

But as it happened, every time Bai Zhou made a move, including the "smashing the cup as a signal," he had stated it clearly in advance.

He was like a gentleman from ancient times who strictly adhered to martial virtue.

...As for whether the content of his shouts matched the content of his strikes, that was an entirely different matter.

However, Bai Zhou had to admit...

He had relied on trickery, and quite a lot of it at that.

In a head-on confrontation, he was indeed no match.

For this, he had the battlefield ruins of the Deep Ruins Realm to thank—

In the process of maneuvering through the slaughter, he could sense that Deputy Han's control over his mechanical half-body was actually somewhat sluggish.

It was as if the level of the mechanical half-body was higher than what Deputy Han could currently fully command, and he was merely driving it by force.

A battle where his stats were completely crushed, where he absolutely could not afford to be hit, yet where there were gaps to be exploited...

Bai Zhou was not unfamiliar with this at all.

Because the very first extraordinary battle of his life had been exactly like this.

—His combat mentor, the white Bloated Giant, had been just like this.

Thus, Bai Zhou fought with practiced ease.

With a few effortless rolls, he dodged the critical Killing Move that Deputy Han had been plotting for so long, appearing like a seasoned veteran, or perhaps someone who understood Deputy Han's weaknesses exceptionally well.

This was what made chills run down Deputy Han's spine, leading him to believe that Bai Zhou was an undercover agent from the Blood Worship Cult, sent specifically for him.

And in the end—

The Short Club gave Bai Zhou the qualifications to clash head-on with the mechanical arm, And the ability to summon "Light" provided the perfect cover for his secret technique to strike...

It was the Chemical Reaction of this combo that led to the final, fatal blow.

Otherwise, even if Bai Zhou had unleashed the Moon Ember Sacred Oath Slash, it might not have been effective.

...No wonder Ya hadn't been optimistic about Bai Zhou taking action against Deputy Han.

After all, she could never have imagined that someone could undergo such a transformative change overnight.

That mysterious mark, while similar to a Secret Technique Imprint, did not need to occupy one-sixth of his Destiny, nor did it interfere with his own extraordinary path...

It allowed Bai Zhou to possess an extra ability out of thin air, beyond that of a "Destined One" of the same level.

—An ability that felt as if it were innate, born with him.

"May the light forever soothe your trembling soul."

Bai Zhou inexplicably thought of the words Laia had left for him.

Was this what it felt like to be protected by "Light"?

Going alone to the Deep Ruins Realm on the night before the battle...

This decision, which Ya couldn't understand and only he himself grasped, had, in a sense, changed the trajectory of his fate tonight.

In fact, Bai Zhou had also been curious about one question—

Before becoming an Extraordinary, the gifts he received for completing a Last Will were always "items."

...After becoming an Extraordinary, why did they become "abilities"?

Was "Light" a special case?

Or was it because he had awakened his Destiny that such a change had occurred?

—Perhaps those previous gifts could have been "abilities" all along.

But back then, Bai Zhou hadn't awakened his Destiny and couldn't bear the weight of the gifts, so they had manifested as items...

This was Bai Zhou's conjecture.

He would know the answer the next time he fulfilled a Last Will.

For instance...

That not-quite-right-in-the-head Skeleton General.

Above his head, there still hung the final, missing requirement: [Let Me Rest]...

"...So, are you really Bai Zhou?"

Deputy Han struggled to sit on the ground, looking up at Bai Zhou:

"How could you be Bai Zhou? How did you deceive everyone?"

Deputy Han still couldn't understand.

When they first arrived at the base, everyone had undergone a comprehensive physical examination.

How had Bai Zhou, an Extraordinary, managed to make all those tests fail?

As for the possibility that Bai Zhou hadn't been a Level 3 Extraordinary, but had only started coming into contact with the extraordinary after entering the base—

Deputy Han hadn't even considered it.

However, Bai Zhou answered with a question of his own:

"Deputy Han, now, I believe I can ask you a question."

"What?"

"Why did you kill Brother Liu?"

Bai Zhou looked at Deputy Han with confusion.

"As far as I know, he should have trusted you quite a lot."

"...Of course he trusted me."

Mentioning Section Chief Liu, Deputy Han furrowed his brows.

"Because we are from the same hometown and entered the Special Management Department at the same time."

"In the beginning, he even took good care of me."

"Later, I was valued and promoted by the Major, and after that, I brought him to the Major's attention and got him promoted as well."

"Old Liu wasted over a decade at the grassroots level; without my help, he would have continued to waste away."

"--Tell me, on what grounds would he not trust me?"

Same hometown, same entry period, and the camaraderie of mutual support.

It was no wonder that when Section Chief Liu mentioned his "backer," he was trusting and full of confidence.

"But you killed him."

Bai Zhou lowered his eyes, his voice calm.

"And you turned him into... that state."

"What's wrong with that?" Deputy Han asked back with a look of astonishment.

"...What?"

"Isn't this his honor?"

Deputy Han shook his head repeatedly.

He had initially assumed Bai Zhou was a Blood Worship Cultist, but he hadn't expected that Bai Zhou had truly come for Liu Zhen.

He wore an expression of utter bewilderment.

"Do you know what we are trying to achieve? Do you know how grand our blueprint for the future is?"

"You don't know; you only know how to kill!"

"You only care about what's right in front of you... that is exactly where you and people like Old Liu are base and selfish."

He said earnestly: "In this world, the birth of every new order requires the paving of countless lives."

"--This is the necessary path."

"The Major and I are the executors of this path."

"And you all have the privilege of becoming the bricks and stones we use to pave the way; isn't that a good thing?"

"We will become the heroes of history, and you will be heroes too; we are all striving one after another for the same cause."

Bai Zhou was stunned.

Then, he fell silent, saying nothing.

He began to watch Deputy Han quietly as he continued to speak.

He was so calm that it was as if his anger had vanished.

So that was it... that was how it was.

This Deputy Han, or rather, the many more people behind Deputy Han, were even more arrogant, more self-righteous, and more unrepentant than Bai Zhou had imagined...

And they were even more deserving of death!

Deputy Han was still speaking:

"Did we not hold a funeral for Old Liu's sacrifice? Did we not award him the title of Heroic Martyr?"

"--What is the difference between dying at our hands and dying at the hands of a Blood Worship Cultist? In fact, this value is even greater, and even more 'heroic'!"

"People will not forget his meritorious sacrifice; isn't that wonderful? Do you know how much his death pension is?"

"You don't know, but you should have known by now--"

As he spoke, Deputy Han's words inexplicably overlapped with what Bai Zhou had said earlier, "This is the real world."

Verbally, Deputy Han believed he had regained the upper hand.

He had always been quite proud of his own eloquence and reasoning.

However, "Smack--!"

And then, Deputy Han received an incredibly forceful slap across the face from Bai Zhou.

A tooth flew out, mixed with blood and foam.

Just like the slap the Officer had delivered to the Black Robe on the public trial platform back then.

"You are a bit too noisy."

Bai Zhou rubbed his wrists, considering whether to use the Short Club next time.

...But Deputy Han was not as resilient as Black Robe.

Proud as he was, sheltered by the Major, when had he ever suffered such grievances?

He was actually so enraged that he coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, and then...

He began to wail and sob in fury.

Clutching his chest, he accused:

"I am Old Liu's benefactor, and I am your benefactor too. So, if I need your help for a higher ideal, shouldn't you help me?"

"The Major spends money to support you, unconditionally satisfying all your demands, letting you live lives you wouldn't even dare to imagine..."

"When he needs you, is it not only right that you pay him back?"

"Even if this payment and return requires the price of your life, it must be done—is this not the very definition of loyalty and righteousness since ancient times?"

The more he spoke, the more aggrieved Deputy Han felt.

"How could you kill me just because of this?"

"It was I who gave you the qualifications to become a Hero, to witness history, and even to become a part of history itself!"

"For so many years, they have all eaten so much, and I have been the one supporting them all along."

"To achieve the most perfect upgrade, I kept Old Liu, refusing to settle for less, until I saw you."

"I originally thought that once you grew up, I would let you and Old Liu shine and burn for me together..."

"Who would have thought that even someone as patient and gentle as I could be repaid with such ingratitude?"

He was aggrieved, even devastated.

"Just to wait for someone with a constitution like yours, I haven't even been able to bring myself to take a single bite!"

By the end, he was almost roaring hoarsely at Bai Zhou—

"By what right do you kill me!"

"If Liu Zhen has an opinion, let him come himself!"

"He only died; he wasn't wasted. He was integrated into a part of someone superior!"

"--Do you not want to see Old Liu rushing toward a better person?"

"How could you kill me for this!"

Bai Zhou: "..."

Then, Deputy Han received another slap across the face.

"There is no saving you."

Bai Zhou took a deep breath, a chill running down his spine.

What did he mean by "he only died, he wasn't wasted"?

What did he mean by... "rushing toward a better person"?

How could he have thought to communicate with Deputy Han to probe for information?

It was like talking to a brick wall.

As it turned out, he had long since been brainwashed into a...

Cannibalistic Madman.

Thinking this, Bai Zhou took a few steps back, walking over to the suitcase on the side.

With a "click,"

He opened the suitcase he had brought and rummaged through it for something.

"Also, there is one thing you got wrong!"

At this moment, Deputy Han was still venting.

With emotions surging, he was like a breached floodgate, pouring out words as if accusing the world of something.

"It is true that I made the human materials."

"Because according to the Major's instructions, waste must be utilized to maximize the value of every person, both in life and in death."

"--But I didn't kill Old Liu!"

"--He was killed by the Major!"

Deputy Han's voice caused Bai Zhou to stop his action of rummaging through the suitcase.

The Major...

Fine.

Understood.

"Just because the Major happened to need a Beyonder characteristic."

"It could have been anyone, yet he just had to pick Old Liu, who happened to be in his office looking for him!"

"--Tell me, why did Old Liu have to go looking for him when he had nothing better to do? Did he really think the Major was some kind-hearted saint?"

"I raised Old Liu for my own use; now that the Major has taken him away, do you think I don't feel the pain?"

Deputy Han continued to ramble, clutching his chest in agony:

"Old Liu is dead, and I am more heartbroken than anyone. That is exactly why I wanted to cultivate you even more!"

"Do you know how much effort I spent fighting for your promotion just to secure that slot? Do you know how much I value you?"

"You don't know, you just want to kill me!"

"You villain! Returning kindness with ingratitude!"

Look at how aggrieved the child is.

Deputy Han was a mess of tears and snot, looking as heartbroken as if his parents had died.

He seemed to truly believe it from the bottom of his heart.

He truly believed, from the depths of his soul, that Bai Zhou had no reason to kill him.

But that was exactly why...

He deserved to die even more.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Bai Zhou rummaged through his suitcase for a long time.

Finally, he pulled out a small black box.

"Actually, I didn't intend to kill you with my own hands."

Holding the small black box in both hands, he said indifferently.

At this moment, his expression and tone overlapped somewhat with the usual Ya.

"--Really?"

Deputy Han immediately looked up in surprise.

Then, he met Bai Zhou's icy gaze.

There was not a shred of emotion in those eyes, as if bestowing any emotion upon him would be a complete waste.

"So, I prepared this for you."

Under Deputy Han's uneasy gaze, Bai Zhou walked over and slowly opened the small black box near him.

A stiff, thick tube hung limply inside, its walls covered in wrinkles, pulsating with a rhythm that resembled breathing.

"[Legacy of Blood Thirst]?!"

Deputy Han shrieked.

"How dare you--?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?"

Bai Zhou retorted.

"The Black Box is dangerous, certainly, but I never intended to take it with me."

"--Rest assured, I prepared it for you, for all of you."

Just like the test Bai Zhou faced when he first arrived at the base.

Black Box F-1120, [Legacy of Blood Thirst]...

Slowly writhed as it awakened.

"Starving, aren't you?"

"This time, eat to your heart's content."

Bai Zhou said to the Legacy of Blood Thirst.

For some reason, when Bai Zhou's "left hand" approached the [Legacy of Blood Thirst], The [Legacy of Blood Thirst] clearly recoiled in fear, trying to shrink away.

Then, it was tossed by Bai Zhou, along with the black box, toward the screaming, flailing Deputy Han.

"Ah-- get it away! It's right on my face!"

"It's so disgusting, ahhh!!"

Bai Zhou slowly exhaled a breath of pent-up frustration.

"Let it stay here and start its rampage."

An unrestrained Legacy of Blood Thirst would soon drain Deputy Han into a dried husk.

He didn't even qualify as "talent."

Then, it would spontaneously seek out the next target.

Bai Zhou looked down at Deputy Han, who was writhing frantically like a maggot, trying to shake off the Legacy of Blood Thirst:

"Don't be in such a rush."

"You are merely the beginning... a bit of interest."

While Deputy Han was in a panic, Bai Zhou picked up the Short Club, occasionally poking and prodding him amidst the chaos.

Soon, with a crisp "snap"—

Bai Zhou flicked a black notebook out from his embrace.

"No!"

Seeing this, Deputy Han's already pale face turned a sickly, bluish white.

Even the strength of his struggle against the Legacy of Blood Thirst seemed to weaken significantly...

Bai Zhou picked up the notebook from the ground and flipped through it for a few moments.

Hmm, he couldn't read it.

But it was the real deal.

A ledger recording transactions.

The final entry was dated today, containing the very data Deputy Han had just recorded.

Satisfied, Bai Zhou tucked the notebook away and looked at Deputy Han.

"Rest easy as you go; let's see what Brother Liu has to say to you."

"As for that Major..."

Under the gaze of Deputy Han, who looked at him as if he were a Madman, Bai Zhou rubbed the Golden Ring that had appeared on his finger at some point and turned his head toward the direction of the base.

Sporadic gunfire echoed intermittently.

A war was nearing its end.

And so, it was time for Bai Zhou's arrangements to take the stage—

A play, with two performances in the first half, each drawing its curtain on a different stage.

Yet at this moment, the performance of the second half was about to converge on a single stage.

Bai Zhou's eyes flickered.

After all, he had prepared for so long, put in so much...

A single Deputy Han... how could that be enough?

If he couldn't get the principal, he would have to collect more interest.

"The show is about to begin; I wonder if you'll have the chance to see it."

"If you can see it, then watch closely; perhaps it will make you feel a bit more balanced."

Bai Zhou turned to look at Deputy Han, his eyes brimming with a murderous intent that chilled the deputy to the bone.

Then, he made a solemn promise to Deputy Han:

"That Major, he will go to keep you company as well."

"I guarantee it—"

"Very soon."