The moment A-Train walked in, the atmosphere heated up.
Matchstick Man, who had just been amusing himself at a server's expense, immediately extinguished the flame on his fingertip and sidled up to him, grinning like a lackey.
Echo Girl stopped tapping her glass and came over with her drink.
Iron Wall was even more direct, grinning broadly as he thumped his chest.
"A-Train! I saw you on the news today. The ratings were pretty good this time, right?"
A-Train casually tossed his empty beer bottle into the trash.
"Come on, it was just a shootout between a few gangs. How good could the ratings be?"
Chen Mo stood in the corner holding a tray, without so much as looking up.
These people were more concerned with the ratings. Nobody cared how many people had died or what had happened.
He had overestimated them before.
Lady Morningstar leaned against the sofa, her silver-white battle jacket draped casually beside her. Her gaze was hazy, and her tone was a little suggestive.
"Wasn't there an Asian man who took the test subject? I heard the company was getting anxious."
A-Train's smile stiffened for a moment.
"Yeah, we still haven't found him. The docks are a surveillance blind spot, but I'll find him. It's only a matter of time."
Mind Master chuckled beside him.
"You're in The Seven. Of course nobody doubts you."
Chen Mo kept his head down in the corner, polishing a glass, barely able to suppress a grin.
The killer's right here listening to you all shoot your mouths off.
A door farther inside opened.
Ezekiel walked out with two staff members in gray uniforms, a mysterious smile on his face.
"Friends, just enjoy yourselves tonight. The final handover is underway on the underground level. After ten thirty, the estate will arrange a more private program."
At the word "private," knowing smiles appeared on many faces in the lounge.
Chen Mo stopped polishing the glass.
The underground level.
A handover.
This place really was more than just a club for these superhumans to go wild.
Ezekiel looked at the PR director.
"Have the unauthorized personnel been cleared out?"
The PR director nodded immediately.
"It's underway. It'll be finished soon."
Keeping his head down, Chen Mo picked up the empty tray and turned to leave.
A-Train suddenly looked over from the crowd.
"That assistant..."
Mind Master followed his gaze.
"What about him?"
A-Train stared at Chen Mo's retreating figure.
"He looks familiar."
Mind Master laughed.
"He's one of the staff here. Of course he looks familiar."
A-Train looked away and took a glass of wine.
"True."
Chen Mo left the lounge and turned into the corridor.
The fake smile vanished from his face.
"What was that, a black man's sixth sense? Key and Peele's The Shining?"
The entrance to the underground level was at the end of the corridor.
Two guards stood outside the door, their waistbands bulging.
Chen Mo held up the tablet.
"The director told me to check the list."
The guard glanced at his ID badge, then stepped aside to let him through without a second thought.
A long flight of stairs led down behind the door.
Chen Mo stopped halfway down.
At the turn, a researcher in a gray uniform stood with his back to him, talking on the phone.
"Yes, the test subject still hasn't arrived. Something went wrong at the old docks, and the lab isn't happy."
"We'll move the other test subjects tonight. The director said we can't let them go to waste."
Chen Mo's gaze turned cold.
Can't let them go to waste?
True. So I'll make sure to eat every piece of trash here. After all, we can't let anything go to waste.
The researcher hung up and had just turned around when a hand clamped over his face.
Black-and-red filaments burrowed into his skin.
The researcher didn't make a sound before his body rapidly shriveled.
Memories flooded in.
A layout of the underground level.
A cargo transfer list.
The location of the drug stockpile.
And information on several superhumans attending tonight's party.
Lady Morningstar: intense light manipulation, emotionally unstable, long-term dependence on enhancement drugs.
Iron Wall: hardened skin, enhanced strength, weakness in the slow nerve response at his joints.
Matchstick Man: small-scale fire manipulation, abnormal body temperature regulation, lung damage.
Echo Girl: high-frequency sound waves, enhanced cochleae, average resistance to shock.
Mind Master: Emotion Sensing, not genuine mind reading; judged a person's state through microexpressions and changes in brain waves.
Chen Mo opened his eyes.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
"They even wrote me a nutrition label before serving the meal. How thoughtful."
Devouring the researcher hadn't brought him any improvement.
But the memories he gained were still useful.
Especially the location of the drug storage room.
Chen Mo continued down the stairs.
At the end of the corridor, two researchers were pushing a metal cage.
Several test subjects with numb expressions were locked inside. Restraints bound their wrists and ankles, and numbered labels were stuck to the backs of their necks.
A boy looked up at Chen Mo, then quickly lowered his head again.
There was no desire to live in his eyes, only indifference.
Chen Mo's knuckles cracked softly.
"Don't worry. Tonight, no one's getting out of this place."
The drug storage room had a keypad lock.
It would have been a problem for anyone else.
But for Chen Mo, who had just devoured a researcher, it was practically a key stuck to the door.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
The door opened.
Cold air rushed over him.
Rows upon rows of blue vials sat on refrigerated shelves.
A few were darker, their labels marked with red lines.
Experimental concentrated compound V.
The Blacklight Virus immediately stirred.
"Easy. Don't act like you've never seen anything before."
Chen Mo raised a hand. Black-and-red filaments poured from his palm and wrapped around the vials.
The glass shattered, and the tendrils absorbed the drugs directly.
After the first batch, his body merely grew hot, and his bones began to itch.
But as soon as he swallowed a few vials of the concentrated drug, Chen Mo's vision went black.
Agony exploded through his spine.
It felt as though someone had pulled out his entire spine, replaced it with a red-hot steel cable, then shoved it back in inch by inch.
Chen Mo grabbed the refrigerated shelving.
The metal frame instantly twisted out of shape.
"Hiss... This batch packs a punch."
Black-and-red lines crawled up his neck and along the side of his face, only to be forcibly pressed back beneath his skin.
His muscles were being reshaped. His body didn't grow larger, but it became denser and tougher.
Every nerve felt as though it had been reforged. His vision grew clearer, and his senses sharper.
The faint sounds of violent collisions upstairs and the conversation of guards chatting at the far end of the underground level were picked apart and fed into Chen Mo's ears bit by bit.
Without opening his eyes, his brain could register the surrounding layout.
More importantly, Blacklight began simulating energy, using information he had devoured earlier to analyze how superpowers worked.
Chen Mo raised his hand.
Acid began to seep from his fingertips.
It hissed against the concrete floor, corroding a large hole in it.
"Concentrated acid?"
He turned his hand over. His muscles began to swell, and his palm abruptly expanded into a massive hammer covered in vicious spikes.
"Got a heavy hammer too."
Chen Mo chuckled.
"Nice. That's quite a version update."
Footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Why is the drug storage room door open?"
A guard poked his head inside.
He froze at the sight of the empty refrigerated shelves.
"What are you do-"
A black blade pierced his throat.
Chen Mo stepped forward and dragged him into the storage room.
The other guard had just opened his mouth to shout when a black-and-red tendril shot along the floor, wrapped around his ankle, and yanked hard.
The two men disappeared quickly.
Only two sets of clothes remained on the floor.
Chen Mo wasted no time.
His disguise shifted to match the guard from just now.
There was no need to hide anymore.
The boost from devouring the drugs was enough.
What could truly let Blacklight continue to evolve was superhumans.
And there were plenty upstairs now.
When Chen Mo returned to the first-floor corridor, the music in the VIP area was even louder.
Matchstick Man was leaning against the wall outside the restroom, smoking.
A flame flickered on his fingertip. Beside him, a waitress stood with her head lowered and her eyes red, clearly having just been harassed.
Matchstick Man spotted Chen Mo and blew out a puff of smoke.
"Oi, you, the guard over there. Come here and clean my shoes."
Chen Mo stopped.
"What did you say?"
Matchstick Man laughed.
"Deaf? I said, clean my shoes."
The waitress shuddered, not daring to raise her head.
A flame lit up in Matchstick Man's hand, his face full of mockery.
"What? Want me to roast you like a suckling pig, kid?"
Chen Mo looked at the flame and suddenly smiled.
"Sure."
Matchstick Man laughed contemptuously and raised his foot in front of Chen Mo.
"Do a good job, kid."
The moment Chen Mo bent down, his palm landed on Matchstick Man's ankle.
A black-and-red filament burrowed in without a sound.
The smile froze on Matchstick Man's face.
"You..."
Chen Mo looked up.
"Did you wipe it clean enough?"
Matchstick Man's body seemed to be rubbed away by an eraser, melting into Blacklight within seconds.
Information on flame manipulation flooded in.
Very weak, but better than nothing.
Chen Mo raised his head and clapped his hands.
"Looks like you can't afford my service fee, Match."
The waitress looked up, her eyes widening.
Chen Mo held up a finger.
"Remember, you didn't see me tonight."
The waitress nodded frantically.
Chen Mo walked into the VIP area.
Echo Girl was laughing on a sofa, tapping her fingers against the rim of her glass as she bragged about how she had screamed an enemy's head apart.
Chen Mo picked up a tray and approached.
"Your drink, ma'am."
Echo Girl glanced at him.
"Are the security guards waiting tables now? Fine, put it over there."
Chen Mo held out the glass.
Echo Girl had just reached for it when her wrist was seized.
Before she could curse him out, Chen Mo tightened his grip.
His repeatedly enhanced strength crushed Echo Girl's wrist in an instant, and Blacklight swiftly invaded her body.
Her eyes turned bloodshot in an instant. She opened her mouth to scream, but only broken, breathy sounds came out.
Blacklight engulfed her.
A new set of memories appeared in Chen Mo's mind, but it wasn't time to look at them yet.
A few drunks nearby thought Echo Girl had drunk too much and fallen into Chen Mo's arms.
Someone even whistled.
Chen Mo tossed the empty clothes behind the sofa and turned to look at Iron Wall.
Iron Wall was laughing by the bar, gripping a server's shoulder.
The server's face had turned pale with pain.
Chen Mo walked over and tapped Iron Wall on the back.
"Sir, the supervisor is looking for you."
Iron Wall turned around impatiently.
"Who?"
Chen Mo conjured a heavy hammer and smashed it into Iron Wall's jaw.
Thud!
A dull impact sounded along with the crack of breaking bone. Iron Wall's entire body rose an inch off the floor, his jaw shattered, and his head snapped back.
His tough skin really could take a beating. Otherwise, he should have been dead already.
Iron Wall staggered back two steps, clutching his jaw. His eyes were blank at first, then filled with rage.
"Who are you?"
Chen Mo shook out his hand.
"Pretty tough. No wonder you're called Iron Wall."
Iron Wall roared and swung a fist at Chen Mo.
Chen Mo sidestepped and drove his knee toward Iron Wall's joint.
Crack.
Iron Wall's knee bent backward slightly.
Fear appeared on the man's face for the first time.
"Impossible!"
Chen Mo grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the bar.
"Why do you all love saying that?"
Black-and-red filaments burst forth.
Iron Wall's tough skin seemed to be caught in the jaws of a black tide, peeling away layer by layer and melting into Chen Mo's body.
He had obtained the skin-hardening template.
Armor mode upgraded once again.
It was thinner and tougher, and covered him twice as fast.
At that, the drunks nearby finally sobered up and fled the dance floor screaming.
The two remaining superhumans finally realized something was wrong as well.
Lady Morningstar sobered up halfway.
Mind Master sprang to his feet, his eyes fixed on Chen Mo.
"You're a superhuman!"
Chen Mo raised his head. The security guard's face melted like wax, revealing Iron Wall's face.
"That's right. Too bad there's no prize."
Lady Morningstar screamed, and a brilliant light burst from her palm.
The lounge area turned blindingly white in an instant, but Mind Master was the first to cover his eyes and scream.
"Fuck! You idiot! You blinded me!"
Chen Mo switched to Blacklight perception in place of sight.
He pushed off the floor and darted up to Lady Morningstar, driving a punch into her chest.
"Lighting up the future by day, lighting up the booze pool by night. You're pretty busy."
The punch sent Lady Morningstar flying backward into a decorative wall. Her pale, naked body fell to the floor in a heap, and a pool of white liquid burst out onto the floor as well.
She clutched her chest, her face pale, and struggled to get up, only to cough up another pool of blood. She wouldn't be getting to her feet anytime soon.
Chen Mo stood where he was and glanced down at his palm. Every time he touched this woman, he felt as if he'd gotten something dirty on him, so he wiped his hand on a nearby tablecloth.
"That's fucking disgusting. Why did she have to burst too?"
Lady Morningstar's lips moved. She wanted to curse him, but in the end she gritted her teeth and said nothing.
Mind Master had barely recovered from the bright light when he turned and ran.
Emotion Sensing told him that the thing before him wasn't human at all.
It had none of a normal person's emotional fluctuations. It was just some kind of thing that looked human!
Chen Mo raised his hand.
Echo Girl's high-frequency vibrations shot from his fingertips.
Mind Master's body stiffened, and his steps immediately faltered.
Chen Mo walked over and gripped his shoulder.
"Didn't you say you don't eat people?"
Mind Master's face turned deathly pale.
"Don't..."
"Too bad I do."
The devouring was complete.
Emotion Sensing template added to the repository.
Chen Mo's world suddenly gained another layer of color.
Fear was a sharp, icy blue.
Greed was a viscous yellow.
Anger was a scorching red.
The entire VIP area was like an overturned palette.
The brightest streak of red among them was now standing in the doorway.
Rage mixed with shock, along with conspicuous killing intent.
A-Train stood there.
He was so fast that even his arrival looked like teleportation.
He looked at the mess strewn across the floor and at Chen Mo wearing Iron Wall's face. The ease on his face vanished completely.
"Who the hell are you?"
Chen Mo rolled his neck.
Black carapace emerged from beneath his skin, thin and close-fitting.
Flames sprang from his fingertips, then transformed into vibrating black blades.
A dark red light glowed in his eyes.
"Do dead men really have so much curiosity?"
A-Train lowered his body, and the air around him began to tremble.
"Do you know who you've crossed?"
Chen Mo grinned.
"I do."
"Takeout on the level of The Seven."
The next second.
A-Train vanished from where he stood.
The floor beneath Chen Mo's feet exploded as he held a black blade across his body.
"Come on."