Slay, Remove Mask, Settle

Zhang Anzai recalled the performance of Bi Gan in that studio earlier; despite suffering a critical injury to the head from a World Breaker, he had instantly locked his state and recovered.

This was a talent skill that only a boss could possess. Although it wasn't the unreasonable kind seen in a true second phase, it was still a powerful special effect.

After that incident in the studio, he had delayed for so long specifically to allow his special talent to recover, hoping to gain a chance to survive a fatal injury under the hands of Zhang Anzai, who was empowered by the Wolf-Head Mask.

Unfortunately, he underestimated Zhang Anzai's willpower. Even after being eroded by the Wolf-Head Mask for so long, with the assistance of the Official Division members, he had still managed to wake up and dodge that lethal sneak attack.

"So calm... is this what a genius is?" Bi Gan, one hand gripping a machete pressed against his chest while the other hung limply at his side, spat out these words with an unreadable emotion.

Zhang Anzai had no intention of showing mercy; he decisively raised the Meat-Sawing Blade in his hand and brought it down fiercely.

"Pfft!" The monster's innate ability was clearly still on cooldown, and a deep wound was carved into Bi Gan's neck.

Under the influence of the Wolf-Head Mask's consciousness, Zhang Anzai felt nothing about killing for the first time. Instead, he decisively pushed aside the man's hand and followed up with several more strikes.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Confirming that if he kept hacking, the remains could no longer be described as a corpse and that resurrection was truly impossible, Zhang Anzai did not hesitate. He reached out to rummage through the blood-soaked body and quickly found the key.

"Make him take off the mask!"

From outside the arena, the reminders from the Official Division members came through. Clearly, they felt that it was safe now and there was no need to keep wearing the mask.

But how could Zhang Anzai take it off? If he did, his cover would be blown. He could only endure the discussion of the crowd and run back along the secret passage he had just come from.

Fortunately, the Official Division had many people with many opinions, and there were always those with different perspectives:

"The player has his own judgment. The fact that he could abandon the corpse and decisively run outside shows he still has his wits about him. It's fine to keep it on; it might help him get out faster."

In reality, Zhang Anzai was not having such an easy time. Even after escaping the Exhibition Area in a panic, he still felt a thick, pungent scent of blood lingering around his nose.

This eerie aura was seducing him to run back and devour Bi Gan's sack-like corpse until nothing remained.

So, he had no choice but to keep running.

Suppressing his urges, Zhang Anzai ran outward, feeling like crying but unable to shed tears.

Who knew, it seemed he was still a step too late. After crossing most of the warehouse's iron shelving, he found himself involuntarily collapsing to the ground, wondering if moving on all fours would be faster.

"No, I really have to take this off!" Zhang Anzai raised a hand to grab the Wolf-Head Mask on his head while lifting the key with the other.

"Clang!" Zhang Anzai slammed his entire body against the side of the iron rolling gate at the main entrance.

This iron gate was, of course, driven by an electric button, but the button was encased in an iron box that required a key to open.

Zhang Anzai inserted the key and turned it with force while pressing his back against the wall. He dropped the Meat-Sawing Blade to the ground and used his freed hand to pull hard on the mask.

"Ugh..." Zhang Anzai felt extremely uncomfortable; the mask truly had to come off.

Taking it off now felt like having his entire head covered in adhesive bandages and then ripping them off with all his might.

It had the stickiness of glue, combined with the sensation of his own skin and flesh being stretched.

However, at least he was by the wall, so it shouldn't be a big problem. Once he took it off, he would immediately run out of the rolling gate and leave the instance, so his identity wouldn't be discovered.

The people in the Official Division watched the scene before them, feeling just as anxious as he was.

However, they didn't grow suspicious; instead, they thought he was making preparations for two contingencies: take it off if he could, and if not, run out of the instance immediately to find a way. It was his usual caution.

"Click, click..." The iron box on the button was opened with the key. Zhang Anzai hammered the button hard, and as the rolling gate slowly began to rise, he grabbed the mask with his other hand as well.

"Damn it!" He felt a rush of blood to his head, his scalp tingling, his eyes nearly splitting.

But soon, with a swish, the Wolf-Head Mask was finally ripped off.

As he had expected, although he succeeded in removing the mask, his true face quickly attracted the attention of the Official Division members.

Fortunately, he was by the wall, and the warehouse was pitch black; the third-person view couldn't capture his full appearance.

Most importantly, after Zhang Anzai removed the headgear, he suddenly felt a layer of thick hair falling down.

Only then did he realize that his hair had grown much longer under the influence of the headgear.

Although it wasn't enough to cover his entire face, it blocked his temples, and combined with the wall, it successfully obstructed the crowd's line of sight.

The rolling gate opened with a rattling sound, and Zhang Anzai decisively ducked and scrambled out.

The surrounding scene changed abruptly. The gloomy, oppressive, and deathly silent factory vanished from his sight. Before him lay the boundless long river and the sky, which had begun to feel familiar and even inexplicably reassuring.

"Finally escaped..." Zhang Anzai's body was slowly steadied once more, standing quietly upon the great river.

The scene before him was the same as always: a blend of water and sky, a palette of black and red that stretched beyond the horizon. Every time he arrived in this space, he doubted the reality of the scene before him.

It wasn't just this space; even this body within the instance, after gaining the player status, he had been trying to understand.

But for now, he only knew the official, generalized explanation that this was the shadow produced by his own body within what the game background called the Reflected World.

His understanding of this world, naturally, remained at the same stage of confusion as his understanding of this body.

Of course, that didn't stop him from entering the settlement interface.

He first checked the main body's side. The Official Division had sent him a message—not from the logistics assistant, but from Xu Xinhai himself.

"Handle the aftermath properly; you've worked hard. If needed, I can approve a day of leave for you. But before that, please adjust your state and come to the Official Division as soon as possible. The matter of the Ten Evils is no small thing and must be handled with caution."

This message indicated that he wouldn't be idle for the time being, but he should still have time to settle the accounts and tidy himself up.

Zhang Anzai let out a sigh of relief and shifted his focus back to the game world.

"The exploration of the Old Shadow has been completed."

"Evaluation of this reflection exploration: Above Average."

"Obtained: Old Dust x500"

"Bonus rest time: 10 days (you may enter early, or expend Old Dust to extend)."

"Additional spoils detected: [Two-Skin (Jackal)] [Blood-Stained Meat Saw] [Worn Bronze Sword]"

"Special output: Remains of player [Bi Gan]..."