Cleanup Team headquarters.
In Situ Shibai's office, he tapped a finger lightly on the desk. The entire room instantly turned black and white.
[Image Space: Permanently creates a special virtual space. Its maximum range increases with Mental Strength. It can animate images of other people into controllable shadow people, who can only move within Image Space.]
"Captain!"
A shadowy Chen Ming appeared before Situ Shibai.
Situ Shibai looked down at a map. "Have you found out where the Investigation Team went?"
"Captain, according to my investigation, nineteen of the Investigation Team's twenty-two teams began leaving Mingzhu City in April. The Shen Team, Xu Team, and Hai Team are still in the city, but none has shown anything unusual," the shadowy Chen Ming replied.
Situ Shibai smiled knowingly. "The lack of anything unusual is the most unusual thing of all. If I remember correctly, the Shen Team's captain is Xu Zheng. His ability is Death Scythe. Whenever someone dies in Mingzhu City, his scythe absorbs the concept of death on its own. So many people have died lately. Would he really do nothing?
"And the Xu Team's Wang Huashi is exceptionally sharp. Even some adventurers noticed something was wrong, yet he noticed nothing at all. Does that sound reasonable to you?
"As for the Hai Team's captain, Su Su, she stayed in Mingzhu City because she was hospitalized with serious injuries. Chen Ming, find out how badly she's hurt. Check the records of her last mission, too, and see if anything seems off."
The Investigation Team was not responsible for Mingzhu City's safety.
Its mission was to gather information on Mutated Beasts and wild people. When an unknown Mutated Beast was discovered, the team was supposed to investigate its abilities and maximum Level.
The Heavenly Foxes had appeared in Mingzhu City without anyone noticing. If Zhang Ping had not exposed them, the Cleanup Team would have needed at least a month or two to figure out what was happening. By then, it would have been far too late.
Both the Investigation Team and the Patrol Team bore undeniable responsibility for the Heavenly Fox invasion.
But the Patrol Team had already been wiped out. That made the surviving Investigation Team deeply suspicious, especially the three teams still in the city. How had they survived, and why had they noticed nothing?
After Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan's first meeting, Situ Shibai had ordered the shadowy Chen Ming to investigate those three teams. Now, he was certain there was something wrong with them.
Once the shadowy Chen Ming left to carry out his orders, Situ Shibai studied the map, his gaze growing distant.
This felt less like a beast disaster and more like a catastrophe caused by people.
His instincts were stronger than Chen Ming's, and he knew Mingzhu City was not so easy to infiltrate. The Investigation Team operated on the outskirts as a line of defense against unknown Mutated Beasts. Even the Patrol Team would have been difficult to slip past. Someone must have helped the invaders from within.
"Could it be the remnants of the Zhu Family?"
Situ Shibai suddenly thought of what had happened two hundred years ago, then turned toward the window.
"Now that Sisi is back, it's time I went into the city. I should meet that young man she says has limitless potential."
He remained seated, but his body suddenly split in two. One body stayed behind the desk while the other rose and walked out.
[Flesh-Splitting Double: Splits the body into multiple bodies. Each shares the body's attributes equally; the more bodies created, the weaker each one becomes.]
When one of him opened the door, it did not lead into Cleanup Team headquarters. Beyond it lay a street in Mingzhu City.
[Shortcut Door: Consumes Mental Strength and stamina to reach a destination quickly by opening a door. Maximum distance: 100 kilometers.]
At daybreak, Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan set off for Mingzhu City.
With Moon King no longer interfering during their two-day absence, the Cleanup Team had been able to monitor the entire city. They could not stop Prince Yue from hunting, but they had dealt with every Mutated Beast that approached Mingzhu City.
Liu Sishan now needed to take over Jin Bo's duties for the time being.
If other Mutated Beasts attacked Mingzhu City, she would have to lead a team to defend it. Zhang Ping was free to go.
After saying goodbye to Liu Sishan, Zhang Ping returned to Iron Soul. Qiu Qiang had not taken any missions over the past two days and happened to be at the shop looking after Liu Tiefeng. When he saw Zhang Ping come in, he smiled. "Back early? Didn't you say your training would last five days?"
Zhang Ping knew Wang Jieming had excused his absence by saying Beast King Fist Hall had arranged several days of closed-door training for him.
"I'm a fast learner, so I finished early," he said with a smile.
With that, he started upstairs to put down his luggage.
But the moment he stepped forward, he sensed something was wrong. He looked at Qiu Qiang and Liu Tiefeng. Both stood perfectly still.
He spun around. Outside the shop stood an old man with white hair and a white beard, though his face had few wrinkles. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he wore a genial smile. Yet his eyes seemed to see straight through Zhang Ping.
[Relatively Frozen Spacetime: Pulls the target into a Special Space anchored to the moment it was created. When the space is released, living beings within it return to that anchored point in time.]
"Who are you?" Zhang Ping asked warily, setting down his luggage.
Situ Shibai teased him with a smile. "Don't you have the Appraisal Technique? Use it and find out."
[Appraisal failed] [Appraisal failed ×6] [Appraisal failed ×66] [Appraisal failed ×666]
Zhang Ping said nothing. This old man was even harder to appraise than the Lone Testicle Orb. In truth, though, he already knew who he was.
He had heard the man's voice before through Wind Whisperer. It belonged to Situ Shibai, captain of the Cleanup Team!
"Hahahahaha!"
Situ Shibai burst out laughing as he walked in. He could tell every time Zhang Ping used the Appraisal Technique on him, which he found amusing.
Most Awakened with the Appraisal Technique thought it left no trace. To Situ Shibai, that was far from true.
In his eyes, rays kept shooting from Zhang Ping's eyes to scan his entire body. But he blocked those invisible rays before they could reach him. No matter how many times Zhang Ping tried, he would never get a result.
[Information-Sealing Energy Film: Creates an energy film invisible to the naked eye. Matter covered by the film cannot be appraised or seen through.]
"Stop trying. I have an ability that blocks appraisal. You wouldn't get a result if you tried ten thousand times—or a million." Situ Shibai stopped before Zhang Ping, smiling.
He then passed Zhang Ping and headed upstairs. After a moment's silence, Zhang Ping hurried after him.
They went up to the second floor and sat down in the living room.
"How should I address you?"
Zhang Ping poured Situ Shibai some tea, then asked cautiously.
Situ Shibai's hand stopped just as it touched the cup. "Don't play games. A name is meant to be used. Surely you know mine?"
It was plainly a test.
Zhang Ping was testing whether Situ Shibai knew his secret: that he had used Wind Whisperer to listen in on the Cleanup Team's confidential affairs.
Situ Shibai had no interest in trading hints with him, so he brought it up directly.
By bringing it up so openly, he was also showing that he would not hold it against Zhang Ping.
"Mr. Situ, what brings you here this time...?"
Seeing that Situ Shibai had read his intentions—and understanding what he meant—Zhang Ping asked with great caution and respect.
Liu Sishan had warmed to him over the past two days and grown considerably closer, but she had not let down her guard completely.
The Cleanup Team should not have fully trusted him yet.
Apart from his use of Wind Whisperer to uncover their secrets, he could think of no other reason for this visit.
He genuinely could not understand why Situ Shibai had chosen this moment, and this manner, to meet him.
"Zhang Ping, until you can block people from reading your mind, you'd best not think too much." Situ Shibai sipped his tea and smiled faintly.
[Mind Reading: Reads another person's thoughts through eye contact.]
Zhang Ping immediately ordered himself to calm down and stop thinking wildly. In an instant, he cleared every stray thought from his mind.
"Do you know that in the two hundred years since I appeared, Mingzhu City hasn't produced another Infinite Tier ability? I even investigated whether someone was interfering, but it seems our luck really had run out."
Situ Shibai took no notice of Zhang Ping's change. He set down his cup and spoke slowly.
[Seed of Fortune: Produces seeds of fortune. Planted in a city, one becomes that city's fortune; planted in an organization, it becomes the organization's fortune; planted in an individual, it becomes that person's fortune. Observing their fortune reveals whether they are rising or declining.]
"Fortunately, after all these years, an Infinite-Tier Ability User has finally appeared. How could I not come and meet you?" Situ Shibai looked at Zhang Ping and smiled.
Zhang Ping now understood why Situ Shibai had come.
But because of the command he had given himself, his face remained blank and his heart calm. He simply picked up the teapot and refilled Situ Shibai's cup in welcome.
Situ Shibai tapped a finger beside his cup a few times to signal that it was enough. "There's also something I'm very curious about: whether my ability can copy an Infinite Tier ability."
He had been the only Infinite-Tier Ability User until now. Every ability he had copied had been below the nation-protecting tier; not one had been Infinite Tier.
He did not know whether he could copy one.
Finding out would require Zhang Ping's cooperation.
"Of course, I wouldn't ask you to take part for nothing. Whatever the result, I'll give you two gifts of thanks and answer all your questions." He looked at Zhang Ping, paused, then continued.
Zhang Ping still had doubts. "Mr. Situ, would being copied have any harmful effect on me?"
"Hahahaha! No. Copying an ability doesn't harm its owner. You can rest assured of that," Situ Shibai said with a laugh.
Still cautious despite his composure, Zhang Ping asked, "Can I refuse?"
"Of course. But why not look at what I'm offering first?" Situ Shibai nodded.
He held out a hand. A Black Hole appeared beside his right hand, and he drew out a long-handled scythe of extravagant design, followed by a golden bracelet.
After placing both on the table, he explained, "This scythe is called the Fear War Scythe. It can instill fear in other creatures and evolve by absorbing blood. In my early years, I used it to slaughter over a million Mutated Beasts. It drank the blood of countless beasts. Its hardness and sharpness are now almost unmatched. Calling it a divine weapon would be no exaggeration."
"This bracelet is called the Golden Treasury. I used it often in my early years, too. It's connected to a Storage Space of 450 cubic meters. I'm sure you understand what that means."
With that, Situ Shibai drank his tea and waited for Zhang Ping's answer.
Zhang Ping stared at the scythe and bracelet on the table. He would have been lying if he said he was not tempted.
The Fear War Scythe was especially enticing. Paired with Nether Mist, it would raise his strength by an entire tier.
"If you can't decide, why not appraise them?" Situ Shibai said, amused to see Zhang Ping struggling to contain his interest.
Zhang Ping's eyes lit up. He activated the Appraisal Technique.
After several failed attempts, he successfully appraised both pieces of equipment.
[Fear War Scythe: This weapon can bind to a user. All living beings other than its user within three meters are affected by the Fear War Scythe and feel fear. The Fear War Scythe can also absorb blood to evolve continuously. Each evolution requires more blood than the last. Current evolutions: 159.] [Golden Treasury Bracelet: When worn, it opens a Storage Space of 450 cubic meters.]
As he appraised them, images appeared before Zhang Ping's eyes. A burly blacksmith forged the Fear War Scythe, then threw dozens of people into molten iron. Amid their screams, black smoke surged from the metal and formed a shrieking skull in midair.
The scene changed. A handsome young man in a long coat slaughtered Mutated Beasts with an enormous scythe. Not far from the beasts, men and women with indistinct faces appeared terrified beyond measure.
The images shown by the Golden Treasury were even more horrifying. A woman was bound, and molten gold was poured over her. Several Awakened stood around her and activated their abilities at once. Flames gradually consumed the woman's body, burning even the gold into smoke.
When the thick smoke cleared, only the bracelet remained.
The images ended.
Zhang Ping's expression darkened.
The Assassination Ring, the Fear War Scythe, the Golden Treasury Bracelet—all three pieces of special equipment had been made at the cost of human lives.
It was too cruel.