The first advancement requirement for [Gale Hunter] had been completed.
Qi Chuan died miserably, falling onto his back with nothing but two bloody holes where his eyes had been.
"A Tier 2 Professional's mental resilience is pretty high after all." Su Chen rubbed his brow, feeling waves of swelling pain.
Physical-type Professionals did not specifically train their mental strength, but professional advancement likewise improved mental resilience.
There was no way a low-tier mental Profession could instantly kill a high-tier physical Profession.
Only after confirming that Qi Chuan had no signs of life did Su Chen turn his attention to several thin glass bottles scattered beside him. They had originally been stored in a metal box but had spilled out during the fight.
"Targeted antidotes?"
Su Chen picked them up from the floor. Looking at the faint purple liquid swirling within, he saw labels attached to them. There were two bottles left, and he stuffed them both into his Storage Space.
"Mm..." He carefully closed the door, released his senses, and, with [Spiritual Vision], kept constant watch over the outside.
Iron wires coiled all around him. Thanks to [Dual Focus], he could now control more than half of them at once.
Whoosh!
The wires straightened one after another, darting back and forth through the walls with a continuous series of muffled thuds, like a rapid drumbeat.
Clang!
The crisp collision made Su Chen look toward the wall on his left. "There really is something else..."
With a slight exertion of force, he dug another metal box out of the wall. It was heavy and exquisitely crafted, blackish-yellow in color, with crisscrossing patterns embossed across its surface, woven into...
Su Chen examined it closely, trying hard to make it out. "It looks like... a vertical eye?"
Click!
The metal box opened on its own. A cross-shaped seam split open at its center and slid apart to either side, releasing billowing black smoke.
"What the hell is this?"
Su Chen jumped back in alarm, but the black smoke was faster than he had imagined. It had already wrapped around his body and burrowed into him.
"A delicious... soul..." A voice that seemed real yet unreal echoed beside his ears. Su Chen's gaze went unfocused, and he seemed to see a black-robed figure shaped like withered wood, bald atop its head except for a single vertical eye. "I shall grant you my blessing and make you my most devout believer."
"What the hell is this?" Cyan Wind Armor swirled around Su Chen's body, yet it could not stop the black smoke from pouring into him.
The panel suddenly appeared—
[External unknown power detected. It is eroding the host's Profession.] [Erosion of Profession?]
Su Chen shuddered in alarm.
[Sky-Rending Warrior has detected danger and is facing it head-on...] [Mystic Artificer is observing from the side...] [Engineering Apprentice is worrying helplessly...] [Gale Hunter has joined the battle...] [Space Storage User is rushing over...] [Scholar is calling for help...]
A string of messages refreshed before him. This was the first time Su Chen had seen these guys being so proactive.
[Profession crisis detected. External power is being tamed.]
"Y-your body... how can it be like this..."
The half-real, half-illusory voice by his ear suddenly turned uncertain and startled. Through the haze, Su Chen seemed to see the withered figure raise its head before gradually fading away.
"...I will remember your scent..."
Clatter!
The metal box fell to the floor and closed automatically.
[Taming successful. Obtained—Low-Tier Strange God's Power: Can be used on unadvanced Professions below Tier 3, allowing them to undergo certain unusual changes.]
Su Chen's heart pounded, and cold sweat covered his forehead. Just now, he had almost been unable to move.
Fortunately, he had survived this crisis.
"So Strange Gods can actually erode Professions..." Su Chen murmured, staring again at the so-called [Low-Tier Strange God's Power].
Since it had already been tamed by the panel, its hidden danger was probably gone.
After resting for a while, he looked at the yellow-black metal box on the ground and did not dare touch it casually.
"No wonder they're called Strange Gods. They really are bizarre. Does that mean Jiang He's murder, the theft of the Holy Word Stone, and all these inexplicable incidents were fundamentally the Strange God's secret handiwork?"
"This thing can definitely prove that Qi Chuan had a problem. In that case, I don't need to hide this killing." Su Chen immediately took out his wristband from his Storage Space. After opening it and scrolling through it, he found Old Yuan.
Qi Chuan had bribed Hu Xiang and sent killers after him. He had to die, regardless of whether he was Zhou Xian's man or whether he had any connection to the Strange God.
The only difference was that if he had no connection to the Strange God, Su Chen would have to clean things up himself. But now, someone else could wipe his ass.
"Teacher, I found something. Please come over as soon as possible." He phrased it vaguely. Who knew whether Southwind's data exchange center could intercept such conversations?
The signal here was poor. Su Chen had to stick his head out the window before the message could be sent. Lights had already come on in the floors below.
Old Yuan quickly replied, "...I can't get away right now. If it's not anything major, have Old Sun go over first."
"It is major."
Only after a moment did a reply come. "Understood. I'll get there as soon as possible. If you need help, contact Old Sun."
After thinking it over, Su Chen opened another chat window. "Brother Sun, southern outskirts... bring people here immediately."
At the same time, somewhere in Southwind City, a figure draped in a black hooded robe suddenly looked up. Its pupils were pitch-black, but its face was filled with uncontrollable shock. "The holy artifact has disappeared!?"
After that, Su Chen searched the room inside and out once more. Only after confirming that nothing had been missed did Fatty Sun finally arrive with his people.
This old Inspection Guard, who was suspected to be a Tier 2 Professional, pushed open the door while panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face.
His gaze swept over the corpse lying on the ground, but he immediately rushed toward Su Chen, who stood by the window, and asked with concern,
"Brother, you weren't hurt, were you?"
Several Inspection Guards gradually entered from outside. They were familiar faces—his colleagues from the Seventeenth Patrol Squad.
"Han Da, Lily..." Zhao Xiong pointed to either side as everyone cautiously moved around the corpse.
"Boss, this person seems to be... Qi Chuan?" Han Da merely glanced down before looking up in astonishment.
"Qi Chuan?" Fatty Sun, who had been listening closely, underwent a dramatic change in expression. His face was full of agitation. "Oh, brother, why is your temper so explosive? How could you kill him?"
"Was it because of that woman who came last night? What did she tell you? Did you record it? Hurry, leave, hurry up and leave. We'll cover up the scene..."
Zhao Xiong and the others exchanged covert looks, as though they had just stumbled onto some juicy gossip.
Su Chen smiled as if helpless. "Where could I even go? Wouldn't my teacher find out no matter how well you covered it up?"
Fatty Sun's expression flickered. His fawning attitude toward Su Chen came from Yuan Chenyang. How could something like this possibly be concealed?
But he immediately skipped over the subject, asking in apparent sudden realization, "Qi Chuan seems to be a Tier 2 Professional, right? Brother, how did you kill him?"
"He starved for several days in the Inspection Department, then I added a little poison..." Su Chen answered as though it were nothing.
That was vicious.
Fatty Sun's mouth twitched, but he also noticed that Su Chen was far calmer than expected, making him mutter to himself inwardly.
"Hey... Lily..." Su Chen suddenly spoke. "Don't touch that thing."
Lily stopped moving. Looking at the object covered by the Shadow-Hiding Garment before her, she shrugged and turned to inspect something else.
"...Why does this wall look like it was sprayed with bullets? It's full of tiny holes..." Han Da leaned in close to the wall.
"What's going on here?" A deep voice came from outside the door, making Fatty Sun jolt.
Why had Inspector Yuan arrived so quickly? He had only just sent the message.
Zhao Xiong and the others instantly stood straight, their throats bobbing as they did not dare make a sound.
"Is this Qi Chuan?" Yuan Chenyang walked in, frowning at the corpse on the ground. His gaze passed over Fatty Sun and landed on Su Chen. With a sigh, he said, "Go back. I'll handle this."
Su Chen was rather surprised. He had thought Old Yuan would ask him for an explanation or something.
"Teacher, over there." Su Chen pointed at the place covered by the Shadow-Hiding Garment.
Yuan Chenyang's eyes shifted slightly. He stepped forward and lifted a corner of the Shadow-Hiding Garment. At just a fleeting glance, his pupils abruptly contracted.
This was... a Strange Artifact!
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