Day of calamity

"That's true, that 'E-cigarette' Item he's using requires quite a bit of lung capacity," Li Nian said, peeking out from under the trash can. "So what do we do now... Sister Zhu Ming, it seems like we can't stop him."

"He's a 'Tier 4' monster; it would be a miracle if we could stop him so easily," Lin Yu said, staring at Tengshe's figure. "There's no other way but to get closer to him near [Azure Sea Sky Dome] and fight him—once he's within three meters of us, I still have a plan."

"However, I might need you to operate [Azure Sea Sky Dome] for me then... In that case, I'm really grateful you came along."

As Lin Yu spoke, Li Nian naturally trusted her unconditionally.

"Okay... Sister Zhu Ming, I believe you!"

Furthermore, Li Nian was even a little happy because Lin Yu acknowledged her role.

"I will definitely shut down [Azure Sea Sky Dome]!"

"I already said it's not closed yet... I'll tell you what to do when it's closed!"

Lin Yu said helplessly.

As the two were talking, Tengshe moved closer. He looked at the trash can in Li Nian's hand, then at Lin Yu, and then stretched out his finger and opened his mouth.

"You guys wah la la la la la Gulu gurgle gurgle!"

Bubbles billowed from the Tengshe's mouth, as if it were trying to say something, but its voice was completely swallowed by the water.

Lin Yu patted Li Nian on the shoulder, and then a stream of water lifted Li Nian upwards, quickly approaching the direction of [Azure Sea Sky Dome].

Lin Yu, however, remained where he was, watching Tengshe.

"Come on," Teacher Tengshe... let me see your skills.

Lin Yu raised his hand, revealing the biggest trump card of the character "Zhu Ming".

Since the start of this battle, Lin Yu has used the power of the Two Authorities, "Desire" and "Frost".

Currently, "Desire" has been temporarily "exhausted," and "Frost" is not strong enough without the [Guest Appearance Invitation].

But...

The "Authority" that Lin Yu can borrow and utilize is definitely not limited to just these two.

White Spider Silk appeared on Lin Yu's hand.

Although Zhu Qiansi is still on vacation, Lin Yu can still use the pirated "Karma Threads" supernatural power.

This is the "Authority" that Lin Yu is most familiar with, has wielded the longest, and is almost an integral part of his life—"Destiny."

A broken Destiny entangles his left hand.

In his other hand was a delicate crystal bottle filled with viscous, dark blood.

This is another significant gain after leaving the "Gray Domain," a lesson learned from the "Black Swan" phenomenon.

The blood of Lera Avi, or rather, Lu Xiao—and within this blood lies a violent and chaotic "Authority"—"Calamity."

A looming Calamity rests on the Right Hand.

Then...

Spider Silk spread and grew along Dark Current undercurrent like flowing water; the blood at the mouth of the crystal bottle diffused in the water like bright red threads.

"Destiny" and "Calamity" are intertwined and work together to create a situation that even the "Tier 4" cannot ignore...

Fated Tribulation!

The bright red silk threads rushed towards Tengshe in the water, like a net ensnaring him.

Looking at the scene before him and feeling the surging aura of Authority, Tengshe couldn't help but curse again.

"You're Gulu and gurgling?!"

But this time, Lin Yu understood what Tengshe was cursing about.

"Where the hell did you get so much Authority?!"

"Just a bit luckier."

Lin Yu spoke in a low voice, and then bright red silk threads wove into a great net of Destiny and Calamity, enveloping both Lin Yu and Tengshe within it.

Then...

Both of them were simultaneously trapped in a "Karma Illusion"!

Damn it!

Tengshe cursed loudly and sat up from the damp puddles!

He was currently sitting under a bridge, on a pile of cardboard boxes and cotton wadding—but due to the weather, his makeshift "nest," which should have been dry, was now submerged in a thin layer of water.

Tengshe immediately realized that he was once again trapped in some kind of "illusion," and this time...

It seems even harder to escape from the environment woven by "Desire" than before.

Although he was so caught up in Desire that he was unaware he had fallen into a trap and still retained a clear mind, Tengshe felt that the current situation was even more troublesome!

Because when he is in the throes of "Desire," he can return to normal as long as he regains his senses.

But now, he is fully aware of his situation within the environment... so how can he break free?

"Of course, Teacher Tengshe. Although the 'Desire' Authority was personally wielded by the Deity, and they also mobilized most of the power of the entire Authority, compared to the environment created by the combined effects of 'Destiny' and 'Calamity,' that 'Desire' environment is still somewhat lacking."

A cool, clear female voice rang out, Tengshe turned his head, seeing...

A pretty girl in a white lab coat stood at the entrance of the bridge arch, waving and greeting him.

Without a doubt, this guy is...

"Zhu Ming of the 'Freedom Alliance'!"

Tengshe stared at the other party and spoke unhappily.

He stood up, rushed towards Zhu Ming, and prepared to grab him by the throat, pin him to the ground, and force him to let him out.

But...

During the charge, Tengshe sensed something amiss.

But before Tengshe could react, he felt his body lose its balance.

It hurts.

My lower abdomen hurts so much!

The Tengshe lay on its back, then realized what had happened.

I was just kicked to the ground by this "Zhu Ming"!

How so?

Tengshe gazed up at the sky, half of which was obscured by the bridge arch and the other half by dark clouds, and fell into deep thought.

"I... am so weak."

"The Tengshe murmured."

He realized what the problem was.

My physical condition... has suddenly become very poor.

Just like an ordinary person without any special abilities—or even worse than an ordinary person.

Then, the sky, which was half-hidden by dark clouds, was covered by a beautiful face.

Zhu Ming looked down at him and said, "After all, this should be some point in time before you joined the 'Death game'."

"I have used the Authority 'Destiny' and 'Calamity' simultaneously... This must be around the time of the worst 'calamity' in your life, an event that can be called 'Calamity'."

"However... I'm now a 'normal person' too—it's just that you're so weak that you can't even beat an average girl, which is still quite surprising."

Tengshe sat on the ground, looking at his hands, which were still rough and dirty, but were noticeably more youthful with fewer calluses and scars and more new abrasions, and said helplessly.

"I've been sleeping under bridges... I must not have had enough to eat for days. Have you ever seen a homeless person who is strong, energetic, and has inexhaustible strength?"

Then, he sat down and looked at Lin Yu: "Where did you get so much Authority? I don't even have this much Authority, so why do you?"

Tengshe asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I don't know either. I just suddenly got a bunch of them. Maybe I was just lucky," Lin Yu paused for a moment, "But it's not really luck, because the process of getting each one was quite complicated."

"I heard your potential rating in the 'Psychology Society' is 'S'... I feel that's too low," Tengshe sighed. "With so much 'Authority'... no wonder you dared to challenge a 'fourth-tier' opponent when you're Tier 2 4."

"I'm done for—do whatever you want with me, kill me or torture me."

As he spoke, Tengshe lay down on the wet ground.

Lin Yu looked at Tengshe, his hands in the pockets of his white coat. "I won't kill you... nor can I kill you—this is just an 'illusion'."

"If that were enough to kill a 'Tier 4', I would have killed both 'Fluoxetine' and 'The Diviner' long ago."

As Lin Yu spoke, Tengshe opened its eyes again. "That's true. So how do we end this illusion?"

"How could I possibly tell you?" Lin Yu looked at Tengshe, "My goal is to trap you."

Tengshe nodded. "That makes sense... Well then... let's go!"

As the still-young homeless man spoke, he suddenly sprang up from the ground and leaped to the side.

They stood in front of the bridge arch, next to a River —not wide, but it looked quite deep, and with the recent rains causing the water to rise and the current to be rapid.

Tengshe plunged into the water, then raised the middle finger at Lin Yu on the shore, before resolutely keeping its head underwater.

Soon, the Tengshe's figure disappeared from the water.

Lin Yu, standing on the shore, sighed and shook his head. Then the whole world began...

Collapse.

This was naturally the "escape" method that Tengshe had come up with.

But clearly, Lin Yu made no move to stop it, which meant that this method would not succeed at all.

The next moment...

The illusionary world completely collapsed, but immediately...

"Grass!"

Beneath the newly appeared, Old Bridge, Tengshe leaped up from a pile of old cardboard boxes and cotton wadding, cursing loudly.

He looked at Zhu Ming at the entrance of the bridge and spoke.

"You're messing with me about Groundhog Day, huh?!"

(*A movie with a time loop theme)

Lin Yu, dressed in a white coat and appearing as "Zhu Ming," looked at Tengshe with his hands clasped to his chest.

"That's a really old movie. You young people probably wouldn't know what you're talking about, uncle."

"But thankfully I did see it... so my answer is, yes, this is Groundhog Day."

"Death is the greatest Calamity of your life, from which you cannot escape."

Tengshe stared at Lin Yu: "What if I kill you?"

Lin Yu said, "Then you can give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Tengshe sprang into action once more—his earlier words were not a threat.

That was the plan he actually intended to implement.

Having learned from its previous experience, this time Tengshe didn't charge straight at Lin Yu. Instead, it pulled out a small knife from under his pile of old cardboard boxes. Although it was somewhat dull and rusty, it was still sharp.

Tengshe, gripping a small knife, cautiously approached Lin Yu.

Then...

Lin Yu walked forward impatiently, grabbed Tengshe's wrist, and slit his own throat with a single stroke.