Chapter 53: A Shattered Heart
The staff had vanished...
As if an eclipse had descended, darkness enveloped the fifty-story skyscraper. The entire building was eerily silent, broken only by the shrill, incessant cawing of the crows outside.
In that silence lurked murderous intent.
Chen Qi gazed down the pitch-black corridor; at its end, a small flame flickered—the flame of a lighter.
A young woman, dressed in a black outfit that exposed her midriff, was lighting a cigarette for herself.
There was a scent of blood; though she appeared immaculate, the heavy odor clung to her. Her attire was hauntingly beautiful, exuding an aura of danger.
She lit her cigarette...
Chen Qi’s eyes widened. More precisely, she was lighting a cigarette for the “self” inside her mouth.
Inside her mouth, a pair of pale, lifeless eyes stared at him—a monstrous entity resided there.
Bizarre, dark, incomprehensible...
A chill swept over him, as if he were encountering a shadow beast for the first time. Instinctively, he stepped back.
It wasn’t caution prompted by her size, but by her uncanny presence.
Rather than a human, she was more like a strange creature approximating humanity—a monster lurking beneath a human shell.
Chen Qi activated the Eye of the White Dove, scanning the corridor, where he saw drops of a thick, black liquid falling.
The Shadow of the Body exhaled a ring of smoke, leaning against the wall:
“Little brother, your companions have all been lured away by those birds. Now you’re all alone.
Come with me, there’s delicious food, and I’ll keep you company through this lonely night.”
A scarlet message flashed.
[A player tainted by madness is gazing at you.]
Level unviewable!
An enemy five levels higher!
Chen Qi was startled—even when challenging up, one should keep the gap within five levels.
A cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The enemy before him was in a completely different league from the Umbrella Man he’d faced before.
Security in this skyscraper was extremely tight; there was no shortage of guards in the corridors.
From what he could tell, she possessed the ability to remain completely undetected, or to kill them all silently, and reach the eleventh floor!
Yet not everything was unfavorable—the electricity had been cut, and it was the dead of night.
Only the moonlight remained...
This was the ideal terrain for the Night Traveler’s Garment.
Chen Qi retreated, checking for any other ambushes nearby.
Then, swiftly, he turned and activated the concealment of his Night Traveler’s Garment, sprinting toward the window at the end of the corridor!
Run first!
He fled, contrary to what the Crow Scarecrow had said—so cowardly?
The Shadow of the Body clenched the cigarette between her teeth, chasing after him with astonishing speed, her long white legs moving swiftly:
“Hey, hey, little Night Traveler. Weren’t you brave when you killed the Umbrella Man? Why run now?
Is it because I’m uglier than the Umbrella Man?”
“Hideous,” Chen Qi retorted as he ran.
Ahead lay a dead end—it was the eleventh floor...
“Dishonest,” the Shadow of the Body said calmly, still clutching her cigarette, chasing after him.
But the next moment, something happened that surprised her.
He leapt straight out the window—jumped from the eleventh floor.
He dared to jump from here!?
Impressive... The Shadow of the Body abandoned elegance, sprinting like a wild dog on all fours, using a burst of energy to close the distance.
Her speed was no slower than his; in an instant, she reached the window.
To prevent her prey from escaping, she leaned out, peering down.
Below, tiny security guards looked like ants, green trees, and Night Travelers battling the crow swarm.
But there was no sign of anyone falling.
Her eyes widened—no, he wasn’t below.
He was above her!
Chen Qi had been waiting outside the building, standing vertically thanks to his Black Rain Boots.
Prey could counterattack at any moment!
“Beware the cunning of your prey.”
The enemy before him radiated killing intent, her form no longer remotely human.
Without giving the Shadow of the Body time to think, Chen Qi gripped the Debt Collector’s Long Blade with both hands and drove it forward in a powerful thrust!
Before the Debt Collector’s Long Blade, human fat and bone were as fragile as paper—even the stronger Night Travelers were no exception.
The blade stabbed through her back, as effortlessly as piercing soft tofu, rupturing a heart that had beat for over twenty years.
Blood poured down from the heights.
Splatter!
“You… interesting~”
The Shadow of the Body clung to the window, coughing blood, staring at the cold blade protruding from her chest!
Her body grew deathly cold.
This newcomer struck faster and fiercer than the Butcher from the Holy Calamity Association!
Still not enough...
Black Prison Flame!
Instantly, black fire ignited along the blade!
“Don’t kill me, please…”
The Shadow of the Body feigned agony, struggling, forcing her hips forward, sliding off the blade because of gravity, plunging down from the eleventh floor.
Smack!
She crashed to the ground, scattering like a rose in bloom.
The burning cigarette in her mouth fell, extinguished by her own blood.
Was she dead? That easily? No…
From the woman’s mouth, a terrifying black shadow stretched out endlessly…
A trick!
Chen Qi turned to the New Sun Game.
[Black Prison Flame inflicts tearing burn damage on the player, subtracts 2 HP, 38 HP remaining, subtracts 1 sanity point.]
2 HP! The blade hadn’t hit its mark! This creature wasn’t physical?
Chen Qi retreated—her true form wasn’t human at all, but some monster hiding inside!
The real danger was only just beginning!
“Don’t think you’re the only one who can play dirty!”
The corpse was mere illusion!
By the window, a slender ghostly shadow bared sharp teeth, a vast shadow clinging to the wall, climbing upward!
The Shadow of the Body, cadre of the Net Shadow, real name Li Yue.
After becoming a Night Traveler, she delighted in murdering those who argued with her online.
A key target for the Day Traveler Association, her core talent was the rare [Mindless and Heartless].
In the New Sun Game, heart and brain hold extraordinary importance and are the most fragile parts.
For advanced players, many transformation spells cannot bypass this limit.
Yet the Shadow of the Body, thanks to her talent, was able to achieve a bodily transformation beyond her level at level eleven.
Once she sheds her skin, then discards heart and brain, she abandons her frail mortal form.
No heart, no brain, no flesh.
This shadowy form was her new body!
Through this talent, she possessed both offensive and defensive stances.
Though only level eleven, she had killed level fifteen players with this form!
She was a genius of Net Shadow, a monster that kills invisibly!
Witness true genius and terror, Night Traveler!
Under the assault of Black Prison Flame, the Shadow of the Body felt her mind growing unstable, but was only annoyed:
“As payment for damaging my body, you will become my new vessel.”
Chen Qi left the outer wall, darting back to his room, slamming the door shut.
Splatter!
Blood spilled from his right hand as he closed the door!
In the instant he shut it, a sinister shadow blade slashed, carving a crimson wound.
Chen Qi stared at the fresh blood on his right arm.
Speed, agility, perception, intuition!
Even with rapid growth, under a seven-level suppression, the enemy matched him in every attribute!
Chen Qi endured the pain in his right arm, shutting the door. In pure darkness, the Night Traveler’s Garment gave him the advantage.
Eye of the White Dove!
In spiritual vision, he saw the shadow slowly probing through the door crack, swiftly spreading to the ceiling, walls, and sofa.
It was as if the entire room was being devoured by the belly of shadow.
What was this thing…
It was his first time fighting a monster devoid of flesh!
The room was coated in a membrane of shadow, wrapped tightly, transformed into a deathly chamber.
Chen Qi held his breath. A monster without a normal body, no blood or flesh—he had no idea where to strike…
No, stay calm—the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he must be…
The Shadow of the Body sneered:
“In the past, my spell was indeed vulnerable to strong spiritual vision.
Now, I’ve overcome that weakness.”
A mouth full of smiling teeth opened within the shadows.
“Fear of darkness is a primal instinct—don’t hide it, little one. Welcome to my darkness.
You seem to have the ability to hide in darkness, but it won’t work against me. This space is too small.”
The ceiling’s shadow stretched out thin, ghostly hands, attacking from all directions like a rain of blades!
Chen Qi swung his blade, intercepting as many shadow hands as he could, but their speed was overwhelming—his ear was pierced through!
Blood flowed onto the floor.
The battle exhilarated the Shadow of the Body; she laughed madly:
“Interesting, Night Traveler! If the Crow Scarecrow were here—
He wouldn’t be your match… Too bad, your opponent is me!”
Her shadowy form curled into a crescent smile:
“What a pity. Sometimes, fate is like this—a single choice by another, and some are doomed to hell.”
[You received 3 points of damage!]
Not an absolute crushing—these shadows didn’t deal much damage!
He could fight…
Chen Qi spat blood, moving to the curtained window, observing the shifting shadows throughout the room.
The Shadow of the Body smiled from the ceiling!
Chen Qi had to admit, in this darkness, his senses felt sealed, his perception greatly diminished.
But his talent had never feared the dark.
The Search of the Morning Star.
Even with spiritual vision, in this darkness his field of view was very narrow—he set Earth as the sole keyword and activated the Search of the Morning Star.
A worthy opponent, deserving his full effort!
The Morning Star leapt from his heart, flying toward the left wall!
Wait! What was that?
He concealed his sight as much as possible, carefully watching the direction indicated by the Morning Star.
In a corner of the shadow, there was a small blood-red stone, like a heart, well hidden beneath the shadow.
In spiritual vision, the stone was inconspicuous.
Without the Morning Star, he would never have found it.
What was it? Chen Qi didn't know, but it was certainly vital to the Shadow of the Body!
Undoubtedly, it was the monster’s weakness!
This was his hope now…
All he had to do was find a way to destroy that weakness!
The enemy before him was worthy of the Fireblade Page.
The Fireblade Page could temporarily boost attributes; the better it was digested during use, the greater the bonus afterward.
Chen Qi took a reddish page from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.
The page tasted hot.
In the next instant!
The Shadow of the Body’s shadow hands attacked like a hurricane, full force, fiercer than before!
This strike could cripple his limbs, leaving him only able to play the New Sun Game with his tongue!
But something unexpected happened—her shadow hands were instantly severed!
A fierce blade wind flashed!
Fire-red text flashed in the New Sun Game.
Chen Qi glanced at the game out of the corner of his eye.
[Combat knowledge is pouring into you!]
[Consumed Fireblade Page: Agility +5, Strength +5, Intuition +5, in “Skill Learning” stance! Use your body to absorb the book’s knowledge during the effect!]
The text kept flashing! But now, Chen Qi had no time to read.
[Bloodblade Fruit digestion +5%, Bloodblade Fruit digestion +7%]
This Eyeless One’s Fireblade Page was marvelous!
Chen Qi felt all his attributes rising, and his technique…
It was as if a martial arts master stood beside him, correcting his every move as he attacked.
Combat knowledge surged in, fiery golden text spreading from his neck, glowing across his skin!
These words would guide his every movement as he struck!
He now was like a battle-hardened beast, murderous intent blazing in his eyes!
To Chen Qi, the monster woman before him was agile, but full of openings!
Her attacks were reckless, relying solely on speed and disregard for injury—and her intentions were painfully obvious!
He glared at her:
“Hey, woman! If that’s your full strength, tuck your tail and run!
If you have a trump card, then let’s fight to the death!”
Huh?
The Shadow of the Body fumed as her shadow hands were chopped down again and again.
What a joke!
With [Mindless and Heartless], she’d even killed people four levels above her!
Now she’d be killed by a lower-level player!?
“Heart Sacrifice, Spirit Recovery.”
At the cost of her own lifespan, she forcibly restored her spiritual power to use more spells.
“Come on, blade to blade, you mongrel!”
Chen Qi grinned savagely, holding his phone in his left hand, Debt Collector’s Long Blade in his right!
He lunged forward in a sweeping slash, like a storm!
“Courting death, little one!”
The Shadow of the Body roared, gathering shadow like water into ice, forming a fierce blade as she attacked!
But in that instant, she felt fear—a terror she hadn’t felt in ages…
His vicious, swift attack was a feint!
At the moment the blades touched, his own long blade dissolved into fragments, transported back to the game, vanishing.
Her attack missed its mark!
He flashed forward, stepping in.
Silver fragments appeared and coalesced in his hand—the long blade returned!
And his true target was her crystallized “heart”!
“No!”
The Shadow of the Body screamed in terror, her voice filling the room!
Her body writhed madly, desperate to stop his reckless move!
But it was too late—everything was too late…
From the moment he drew his blade, she’d been outmaneuvered!
Bang!
The sharp blade struck her black stone heart with perfect precision.
The stone emitted a shattering sound of despair!
Blood poured forth!
A scarlet message flashed!
[You struck the player’s “Condensed Heart,” hit the core, inflicted 35 points of damage.]