Assassination

Although the monster on the ground had a humanoid shape, it was more beast than human. Its feet were hooves, its face resembled a dog's, and sharp claws jutted from its hands. Its grayish-white skin was gelatinous and covered in disgusting fungi. A scrap of cloth around its waist concealed its private parts.

Lu Li's shadow had pierced through its body and pinned it to the cave ceiling. It let out a sound like a sob, its mouth gaping in pain to reveal a maw full of fangs. Its face looked even more doglike now. In fact, this creature's habits really were much like those of a hyena.

Lu Li didn't know that this creature was called a Ghoul. Long ago, Ghouls had been human. They believed the human body contained tremendous energy, and that by performing a ritual of eating the corpses of their own kind, they could gain great power. Over time, their human forms had mutated into these monsters. They gained immense strength and long lives, but became hideously ugly and feared sunlight. And since human society was, after all, ruled by humans, they had no choice but to hide in the shadows, usually in city sewers or caves in remote wilderness.

But Lu Li didn't need to know what these monsters were. Ever since that accident, he had barely been able to feel negative emotions. Those emotions hadn't vanished into thin air, though; they had simply been suppressed. The memories of what had happened in the water had deepened Lu Li's negative emotions again. After the Witch had secretly manipulated him, that feeling of irritation became the fuse that set them ablaze.

A human-sized shadow rose into the air and enveloped the Ghoul. It poured in through the creature's nose and mouth, then transformed into a web of long, interlocking spikes that pierced it from within, turning it into a blossoming flower of Thorn. Dark green blood dripped from its wounds. With nothing supporting it, the Ghoul fell from the cave ceiling and landed in front of Lu Li. Years of performing the eating ritual had left it with extraordinary vitality. Its doglike mouth yelped rapidly, making a sound like weeping, as if trying to convey some message. These monsters had intelligence...

Lu Li stepped over the Ghoul and continued onward. The shadow inside its body transformed again, crushing it into a ragged sack. Then the shadow returned to its original form, flattened out, and flowed back beneath Lu Li's feet.

Beyond this point, the cave widened. The sound of running feet came from ahead. Two Ghouls charged on all fours, making rapid, sharp cries. Their eyes, brimming with hatred, locked onto Lu Li as they roared and lunged at him. Their black-red claws had been in constant contact with corpses and fungi for years. Even a small scratch could infect a human's wound, perhaps even passing on some of a Ghoul's habits. After death, the body might even revive as a newborn Ghoul. This was one way Ghouls came into being, though the success rate was extremely low.

Lu Li kept walking. Two Shadow Assassins suddenly appeared behind the Ghouls. They turned their hands, gripped their daggers in reverse, and stabbed them into the Ghouls' hearts from behind. Then both Assassins released their daggers in perfect unison and slipped away with uncanny steps.

Matching daggers were embedded in the same spot on each Ghoul's back. As the Shadow Assassins withdrew, the daggers instantly shattered and dissolved into shadow. Dark green blood spurted from the wounds. The Ghouls' charge faltered, and they toppled in front of Lu Li. As they struggled to lift their heads and watch him walk on without stopping, spikes burst from the shadows on the ground and pierced their throats, killing them for good.

The Shadow Assassins' weapons were originally meant to be made by filling them with materials like steel. But Lu Li had filled them with shadow instead. Though the Shadow Blades they formed weren't as hard as steel weapons, they were extremely sharp—and could dissolve back into shadow and return to the Shadow Assassins' hands.

The Shadow Assassins melted into the darkness once more. They made not the slightest sound or gave off the faintest trace of an aura. Their stealth had improved even further because their bodies were made of shadow. Unless Lu Li had a hidden connection to them, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect their positions either.

The commotion in the cave grew louder and louder, and Lu Li finally began to take things seriously. His steps turned strange. A mass of shadow rose from the ground and wrapped around him, leaving only his eyes, ears, and nose exposed. The next instant, Lu Li vanished completely, leaving behind no trace or aura.

The Shadow Assassins' stealth didn't rely on any mysterious power; it was simply a special way of moving. With complete control over his own body, Lu Li could imitate and learn it. With the shadow's help, he was just as good as the Shadow Assassins, if not better. His control over his body was greater, and he was smarter than they were.

Countless Ghouls ran about. Some were upright, while others scuttled on all fours. They breathed rapidly, their doglike noses searching the air for scents, while their night-vision eyes constantly scanned their surroundings. But Lu Li was wrapped in shadow, and he had forcibly closed the pores on the few exposed patches of skin, giving off not the slightest trace. His feet moved without a sound, and he blended into the darkness. Even the Ghouls' night vision couldn't reveal him. All they could do was snarl in agitation at the spot where he had last vanished.

Silently, Lu Li moved behind a Ghoul. In an instant, he went from nonexistent to real, unleashing his powerful negative emotions. Though he was already in the darkness, for that one moment he was glaringly conspicuous. The shadow around his hand transformed into a spike and plunged into the Ghoul's ear, instantly destroying its brain. Dark green blood blossomed. Lu Li stepped back to avoid being splattered, then vanished again.

The Shadow Assassins struck as well, cutting down the creatures known as Ghouls. A group of them seemed like blind men, as an unseen enemy killed their kind one after another. They were terrified and panicked, but it was no use. Their enemy from the shadows would not stop.

The last Ghoul fell. The shadows turned into tendrils and returned to Lu Li's body. The shadow covering him flattened out, and some dark green blood fell to the ground as it disappeared. There had been too many Ghouls; by the end, Lu Li couldn't always avoid the splashing blood. But there was no need to dodge anymore. The place was already soaked with Ghoul blood, so a little more wouldn't give him away by its smell.

The Shadow Magic inside him had continued to replenish itself in the dark, but sustaining the two Shadow Assassins had still consumed most of it. Once he had confirmed that every Ghoul was dead, the Shadow Assassins dissolved into black smoke and returned to Lu Li's shadow.

Happy Children's Day! From now on, Xu Ming will post the author's notes in the chapter comments to avoid disrupting your reading. Xu Ming's Qidian pen name is Wheel of the Void. Also, readers with ideas for developing the protagonist's abilities or combining his skills can join the reader group: 578342111.