Ambush

It was already midnight. Several players and the Mermaid Princess quietly made their way out of the port city. After a day of adjusting, the Mermaid Princess still walked awkwardly, but with Lu Li and the others covering for her, they managed to leave the city without trouble.

Outside the city, Lu Li and the others searched the main road for a suitable spot. Calling it a main road was generous—it was really just a dirt track strewn with sand and stones, with no trees. Dense forests lined both sides. The Prince's wedding procession would come this way, and its attendants would clear the forests to make a path. Lu Li and the others needed a spot with a good view where they could stay hidden, subdue the path-clearers, and create a chance for the Mermaid Princess to appear before Prince William.

The players knew nothing about military strategy or scouting terrain, so they picked a spot more or less at random, then began setting traps and waiting for their chance.

Hu Wenxu buried his Mutation organs in various places. These jewel-like objects, created through the Mutation of his eyes, were hidden in the surrounding area. They gave him a view of his surroundings while remaining difficult to spot.

Gao Xiaowen's ability was the Implant Path. Its precise effects were unclear, but Lu Li saw her scatter something across the road. He had no idea what it would do.

While Lu Li and the others were making preparations, Xu Haoran was fixed to an altar in a strange pose elsewhere. The maid stood nearby, her expression calm, while the Witch made the final preparations for the ritual before the altar.

She placed a piece of tongue in a strange metal box, added various potions and alchemical materials, then set it over a flame to bake. In a strange, harsh voice, the Witch chanted an ancient incantation.

A beautiful song came from the metal box. Plaintive and heartrending, it struck straight at the heart, bringing back memories of the best and most unforgettable moments in one's life. It made people lose themselves in the song and forget everything around them. The Witch's expression, too, grew dazed.

Nothing stayed the same forever. Back then, she had fallen in love with a human woman and, without hesitation, sought out the Witch of that time. She had traded away her future to change species. She and that woman had lived through the happiest time of her life, until a human organization working with the Merfolk found her and demanded her help. Her identity was exposed, and her vocal cords were cut.

After all those years of drifting from place to place, she had ended up back in the hands of the previous Witch. Now she was the successor, paying the price—paying with her future.

Just as the Witch's thoughts were about to stray and the incantation on her lips was about to falter, the green crystal that had mostly melded into her hand fully fused with it. She came to at once. Her past vanished into ashes, leaving not a trace. She continued chanting at an even pace, and the metal box rocked twice before falling still.

With a wave of her hand, the Witch drew the metal box to her and opened it. Everything she had put inside had become a purple crystal, one that came extremely close to a module. If it were given a name, it could be called Rule Module: Sound.

The Witch pressed the purple crystal against her throat. A puff of white smoke rose, and the crystal embedded itself halfway into a barely visible scar. She watched the stars shift across the sky, a beautiful smile appearing on her face. Her voice no longer sounded so harsh. "It's almost time..."

Another day was about to begin. The distant sky began to blaze with light, as if to drive out all the darkness. Yet there were always shadows beneath the light.

Prince William was the only heir to the royal family, so naturally his security had to be thorough. After he had nearly met with disaster on a pleasure cruise the previous year, his protective detail had grown even stronger. Guards searched along both sides of the road as they led the way, on the lookout for anyone lying in wait.

Jack was one of those guards. His family had served the royal house since his great-grandfather's time. As a citizen of the kingdom, his one wish was to earn distinction and lay the groundwork for his descendants to rise even higher.

"What's this?" Jack used his spear to turn over some grass on the ground, revealing something glittering beneath it. "A jewel!"

Jack glanced around, then quickly crouched, set down his spear, and picked up the gem. He wiped away some dirt and examined it closely. With a shine and size like this, only a noble lord could own such a jewel. If he presented it to His Highness on this happy day, perhaps the Prince would be so pleased that he would reward him.

As Jack hurriedly pocketed the jewel and turned to report it and present it, a fist moving at high speed appeared before his eyes. Then he lost consciousness.

"I hope I didn't hit him too hard." Seeing the guard's nose gush blood, Lu Li pulled back his fist and looked helplessly toward the wedding procession crawling along in the distance. Two units of elite guards, twenty men in all, protected it. Three more squads of guards marched ahead on both sides, while plenty of maids and other attendants traveled within the inner circle. By the standards of this era, it was an impressive force—enough to fight a small battle.

There were probably additional safeguards around the Prince's carriage, too. Their status was different now, and if they approached to request an audience, the guards would stop them. Since it was the Prince's wedding day, they might only be thrown in prison. So if they wanted to see him, they had to create their own opportunity.

The ground beneath the carriage's path began to writhe. Rings of black hair burst through the earth and bound the horses' hooves. Lu Li seized his chance, released his muscles, and leaped out of the forest. The muscles in his arm swelled as he gauged the force, then he hurled the handful of Eyeball Jewels in his hand, striking guard after guard.

Chaos erupted. The guards on horseback could barely stay mounted, let alone charge, as the horses thrashed with their legs bound. The other guards were struck by the Eyeball Jewels, which hit with tremendous force, and their movements faltered. Strange waves emanated from the jewels, making the guards' greed surge unnaturally. They frantically scrambled to pick up the jewels scattered on the ground.

This was one of Hu Wenxu's skills. Its core module was greed, and it could stir up an abnormal degree of avarice in people, giving it powerful control. Hu Wenxu used his Mutation organs, which resembled jewels, as the skill's medium, making them a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, Gao Xiaowen led the Mermaid Princess toward the Prince's carriage. Gao Xiaowen's face was as pale as if it had been dusted with white powder. Her long black hair dragged along the ground, making her look just like a ghost from a Japanese horror movie. A chilling aura spread around her. The hair that had sprouted from underground kept growing, binding nearby creatures and covering their mouths and noses until they passed out. Even Lu Li was attacked by the hair...