Attack

It was already midnight. Several players and the Mermaid Princess quietly headed out of the port city. After a day of adjustment, the Mermaid Princess was still walking somewhat unsteadily, but under the cover of Lu Li and the others, she successfully made it out of the city.

Lu Li and his group searched for a suitable position along the main road outside the city. Though called a main road, it was essentially just a dirt path covered in gravel with no trees, flanked by dense forests. The Prince's wedding procession would arrive from this direction, and the accompanying guards would clear the forests on both sides to open the path. Lu Li and the others needed a spot with a good line of sight that also offered concealment, allowing them to neutralize the path-clearing personnel at any moment and create an opportunity for the Mermaid Princess to appear before Prince William.

None of the players knew anything about military strategy or geographical reconnaissance, so they simply picked a rough location and began setting traps, waiting for the right moment.

Hu Wenxu buried his alienated organs everywhere. These jewel-like objects, generated from his own alienated eyes, were placed in hidden spots around the area, providing him with vision while remaining difficult to detect.

Gao Xiaowen's ability was of the Implant Path. Its specific effects were unclear, but Lu Li saw her scattering some items onto the main road, though he did not know what purpose they served.

Just as Lu Li and his group began their preparations, Xu Haoran was being fixed to an altar in a strange posture on the other side. Beside him stood the indifferent maid, while the Witch stood before the altar, making the final preparations for the ritual.

She placed a severed tongue into a peculiar metal box, added various potions and alchemical materials, and set it over a flame to calcine, chanting ancient spells in a strange, grating tone.

At this moment, a beautiful, mournful song emanated from the metal box, striking directly at the heart. It made one recall the most beautiful and unforgettable moments of the past, causing them to involuntarily immerse themselves in the melody and forget everything in the present. Even the Witch's expression became somewhat dazed.

Things in this world are impermanent. Years ago, he had fallen in love with a human girl and, without hesitation, sought out the Witch of that generation to undergo a species transformation at the cost of his future. He lived through the most beautiful period of his life with that girl until the Mermaid's underground organization found him and demanded his help, leading to his identity being exposed and his vocal cords being pierced.

After drifting for so long, he had finally returned to the hands of the previous Witch, becoming her successor to pay the price—to pay for his own future.

Just as the Witch's thoughts were about to drift and her chanting was about to cease, the green crystal that had mostly merged into her hand fused completely. She instantly snapped back to reality; the past had turned to ash and vanished without a trace. The chanting continued at a steady pace, the metal box shook twice, and then fell completely silent.

The Witch waved her hand to retrieve the metal box and opened it. Everything previously placed inside had transformed into a purple crystal. This crystal was extremely close to a module; if it were to be named, it could be called Rule Module: Sound.

The Witch pressed the purple crystal against her throat. A puff of white smoke dissipated, and the crystal became semi-embedded into a faint, invisible scar on her throat. She looked at the shifting stars in the sky, a beautiful smile appearing on her face, her voice no longer harsh: "The time is almost here..."

Another day was about to begin. The sky in the distance began to brighten, as if to banish all darkness, yet beneath the light, there were always shadows.

Prince William was the only heir to the kingdom's royal family, so security was naturally paramount. After a near-accident during a sea voyage last year, the guard detail protecting the Prince had become even more formidable. Along the way, guards searched both sides of the road to prevent any ambushes.

Jack was one of the guards clearing the path. His family had served the royal family since his great-grandfather's time. As a citizen of the kingdom, his current wish was to perform a meritorious deed and lay the foundation for his descendants to rise in status.

"What is this?" Jack used his spear to push aside some grass on the ground and saw a crystal-clear object: "This is... a jewel!"

Jack looked left and right, then quickly crouched down, set aside his spear, and picked up the gem. He wiped away the dirt and examined it closely. This luster, this size—only the noble lords could possess such a thing. If he presented it to the Prince on this joyous day, perhaps the Prince would be so pleased he would grant him a reward?

Just as Jack quickly tucked the jewel away, intending to return and report it, a fast-moving fist appeared before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.

"Did I use too much force?" Watching the guard's nose begin to bleed profusely, Lu Li retracted his fist and looked helplessly at the wedding procession slowly approaching. Two teams of ten elite guards each, three teams of guards clearing the path on either side, and a number of maids and attendants in the inner circle—in this era, this was a massive formation, enough to be deployed for a small-scale battle.

Moreover, there were likely protective measures around the Prince's carriage. Given their current status and standing, walking up to request an audience would only result in being blocked by the guards. Out of respect for the Prince's wedding, they might only be thrown into prison, so to see the Prince, they had to create their own opportunity.

As the carriage passed, the ground rippled. Circles of black hair burst from the soil, binding the horses' hooves. Lu Li seized the moment, released his muscle tension, and leaped out of the forest. The muscles in his hand swelled, and after estimating the force, he flung a handful of eyeball jewels he had been holding, striking the guards one by one.

The scene instantly descended into chaos. The mounted guards found their horses' feet bound, and the panicked animals thrashed about, making it impossible for the guards to charge or even dismount. Other guards struck by the eyeball jewels, which contained immense force, froze in their tracks. The jewels released a strange ripple, causing the greed in the guards' hearts to rise abnormally, driving them to frantically scramble to pick up the fallen jewels.

This was one of Hu Wenxu's skills. Its core module was Greed, and its effect was to stimulate an abnormal sense of greed in people, providing powerful control. Hu Wenxu using his own alienated, jewel-like organs as a medium was a perfect match.

On the other side, Gao Xiaowen approached the Prince's carriage with the Mermaid Princess. Her face was as pale as if she had been powdered with white flour, and her long black hair trailed on the ground, looking exactly like a vengeful spirit from a horror movie. A chilling aura radiated from her, and the hair emerging from the ground grew continuously, binding the surrounding creatures and clamping over their mouths and noses to knock them unconscious. Even Lu Li's position was attacked by the hair...