Chapter 148

In the quiet police station lobby, the startled residents quickly fell asleep, leaving only the faint rustle of turning bodies and snores in the air.

Qi Bin, however, was restless and couldn't sleep at all. He tossed and turned, several times on the verge of sneaking out of the station, but he always stopped himself. Finally, at 3 a.m., he decided that he would either succeed or die trying—no matter what, he had to take a gamble.

Just as he shifted to get up, he suddenly heard a distant rumble from the northern sky. It was followed by continuous thunderous booms that sometimes overlapped, the sound of explosions echoing endlessly. Startled, Qi Bin lay back down quietly.

The noise went on for several minutes before finally stopping. Then, without warning, torrential rain began to pour down outside.

"Oh, it's just thunder and rain..." someone muttered before drifting back to sleep. Another person, however, rustled as they got up, went to the supply pile, grabbed a carton of milk, tore it open, and chugged it down. Then another. And finished that one too.

—Why are these people so clueless? That sound was clearly not thunder! And why did that person need to drink so many cartons of milk in the middle of the night?!

After processing all that noise, Qi Bin lay back in his sleeping bag, the desire to leave gone. He'd go out once the rain stopped. It was only one more night, anyway. He found a thousand excuses for himself. The rain was too heavy; he'd be soaked to the bone, and he might not even find the corpse. Besides, that sound out there was unknown and terrifying; better to wait and see.

Meanwhile, under the rain, a group of people stood in a twelve-story abandoned building, gazing toward the residential area to the south.

The south side was an industrial zone surrounded by wasteland, and most of the residents lived in government-built resettlement housing. According to Lin Tu, the first phase of the resettlement area consisted of six buildings, each seven stories tall.

The second phase, still in planning, was on the land they now stood over. The surrounding blue iron fences enclosed an area larger than the first phase, with eight buildings—each twelve stories high.

From the rooftop, they could easily see the first phase in the distance. —Provided, of course, it was daylight and not raining.

While the scouts adjusted their night vision binoculars and infrared telescopes, Lin Tu silently ate a Night Blueberry and began adjusting her gold-rimmed glasses. When the zoom brought the flowers on the ground in the first-phase residential area into clear view, she frowned.

"The monsters have already entered the complex," Lin Tu said.

Song Hai was shocked. "How do you know?" From their angle, she hadn't brought any optical equipment at all!

"Are the residents okay?" Ming Lan asked, and the squad leader of the scouts turned around too.

Lin Tu didn't respond immediately because what she saw was so bewildering she couldn't think about anything else. "These monsters are a problem."

The rain was pouring down, yet the monsters seemed unaffected. Shouldn't the noise from all sides bother them? More incredibly, they were patrolling the complex in an orderly fashion—like clockwork.

"And the residents..." Her frown deepened.

"Monsters!" The scout finally spotted them and shouted.

While he was still counting, the squad leader couldn't help but approach. "Please, tell us—what's the situation with the residents?"

Lin Tu wasn't even sure she believed what she saw. The monsters were systematically entering the residential buildings, herding the residents out like sheep. The people, heads bowed, queued up and walked one by one to the main gate, where...

A human, or rather a monster, sat atop the two-meter-high gatepost. At its feet lay a pile of more than twenty human corpses.

After hearing Lin Tu's account, everyone present was stunned.

Lin Tu clenched her fists, because there was something even worse she hadn't mentioned. The bodies of the armed police were the most mutilated, bearing evidence that their resistance had enraged the monster and triggered its savage fury. And now, the humanoid monster was picking its victims like choosing desserts, ordering its minions to drag people out one by one and, in an extremely cruel manner, sever arms and legs, gouge out eyes… reducing these ordinary people to shrieking human stumps before finally killing them slowly, savoring the moment.

If this had been an ordinary humanoid monster, Lin Tu might have reported the scene and relied on the military's strength to destroy it together. But the problem was, the instant she spotted the monster, her phone buzzed—

[From "Nightmare Buster": You have discovered the disguise of Ace of Diamonds!]

[Note: This notification is only valid for five days. If you choose not to absorb the Ace of Diamonds clone, you will not receive such alerts when you encounter Ace of Diamonds again after five days! Conversely, if you choose to absorb the Ace of Diamonds clone, they will be highlighted in your vision automatically.]

Guess who this monster was? An old acquaintance of hers.

—Lin Tu's fists tightened.

That's why she hadn't mentioned that scene. If she had, it would have sparked outrage, and the armed police might have rushed down to save people—which was not what Lin Tu wanted. She had a better plan. She would kill Ace of Diamonds herself.

"I'm a little scared," Lin Tu said with a smile. "Why don't you guys go first for this rescue? I'll stay here and wait for you. Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble."

"That's fine," the squad leader agreed. He had been worried she might slow them down anyway. "The sniper and the scout will stay behind. They can protect you."

Seeing that Song Hai and Ming Lan clearly had no intention of leaving, Lin Tu resorted to the convenient excuse of "God," which managed to persuade them.

Lin Tu thought: Question Zhou Yi, understand Zhou Yi, become Zhou Yi, surpass Zhou Yi.

Military equipment was good, but even the best technology was somewhat weakened by natural conditions. Lin Tu was sure that the various telescopes of the armed police couldn't make out the details—at best, they'd see the number of monsters and people.

So she sat aside, quietly planning. Once the armed police had roughly assessed the situation and were about to attempt a rescue, after they left the building,

Lin Tu tapped one of the scouts on the back. "I need to go take a big dump."

The scout, seeing her clutching her belly and looking uncomfortable, plus her anxious expression, cautioned, "Be careful, then. Do it on this floor, don't go far. We won't mind."

Lin Tu: "...Okay."

The scout watched her walk over to a pillar on the other side of the floor and crouch down, then felt relieved.

But once squatting, Lin Tu peeked out from behind the pillar like a sneaky cat. Seeing that no one was watching, she stood at the edge of the twelve-story floor—where the walls hadn't been erected yet—and looked down.

The rain poured down in sheets. Below was truly a wasteland, not even a streetlight, pitch-black, nothing visible.

Lin Tu ate a blueberry, making sure she wouldn't die from a fall in the dark, then tied a rope to a nearby pillar. Holding it, she walked forward and jumped off the building.

"Hey, did you hear something?" One of the scouts asked.

Another glanced toward where Lin Tu had gone, saw nothing unusual, then ran to the stairs and looked around. He shook his head. "Something must have fallen. It's fine, no monsters."

.

At the resettlement area, Phase One.

Ace of Diamonds—more accurately, An Lu—was clutching a gold ring and laughing heartily: "The final winner is still me! I, An Lu, have traversed countless small worlds, but no matter where I go or how many competitors there are, in the end, I am always the strongest!"

Some inexplicable memories surfaced in her mind. For instance, she remembered she had transmigrated into this world. She had a vague sense that she was a ruthless and formidable figure who frequently traveled between worlds, but she couldn't recall specifics. It wasn't until she picked up this gold ring and could sense the locations and powers of other gold rings that she awakened.

—Whatever her past was, her mission now was to become the strongest in this world. She would rule this planet, kill all the other gold ring bearers who might threaten her, and absorb their power. She had worried that others might be strong too, but when she struck out casually, she realized she had been overthinking. She easily became the strongest, while the others... some of them hadn't even completed their first mission! A bunch of trash—how could they compete with her?

If she sacrificed a hundred more monsters, she could advance to the next stage. An Lu planned while looking around at the people nearby. In her eyes, these were all evolved humans like herself—they were hard to communicate with, but they understood basic commands. The ones kneeling on the ground, the ones under her feet—those were the real monsters, the ones that had to be dealt with.

Just then, An Lu felt a flash of light appear a few kilometers away. She whipped her head around. An intense attraction nearly drove her mad. A voice seemed to whisper to her: That is a thief! A thief who stole power that belonged to you! You must kill that person and reclaim the power!

"Quick! Sacrifice a hundred monsters now!" An Lu snapped orders at her "people." They stopped toying with their victims and directly tore apart the bodies of the "monsters" without ceremony.

An Lu felt it wasn't fast enough, especially when she heard rustling noises in the distance. With her enhanced hearing, she immediately recognized the sound of a group of monsters—likely heavily armed ones. There was no time left. An Lu couldn't suppress her murderous urge anymore. She didn't want to play games with these monsters; she was eager to find that thief.

"Stop killing for now! Hold this position!" An Lu ordered, deciding to postpone the sacrifice until she returned.

Several people hoisted in the air had just closed their eyes in despair when, a second later, they were dumped onto the ground. Though their tailbones throbbed from the impact, they scrambled back to the center of the crowd, their pants already soaked in terror.

In the distance, watching a black figure soar into the air and quickly leave the compound, the squad leader grew uneasy. After observing the monsters patrolling the perimeter, he said decisively, "Fire a red warning flare to let the command know we're in trouble. Request reinforcements!"

The phrase "no return" surfaced in his mind. But if he stepped back, someone might die; if he advanced, he might save someone. Right now, only his squad stood here—who else but them would do it? He took out his wallet and touched the photo inside. Even in the pitch darkness, he seemed to see five smiling faces. The red flare shot into the sky, illuminating his hands in blood-red light as he tucked the photo away—it was bad luck to have the photo turn red.

"Move out!"

Meanwhile, in the northern part of Han City, another "army" was also advancing under the cry of "Move out!" Calling it an army wasn't quite accurate—there were a full two hundred thousand soldiers, and that was just the first wave. The second and third waves were still on their way. If not for the mist over the disaster zone, which disabled high-altitude equipment, countless planes would already be circling overhead.

These soldiers weren't wearing ordinary clothes; they were clad in high-voltage insulating suits from head to toe. Most carried rifles and electric spears, and roughly one in six carried an electric fish machine—

The electric fish machine differed from a regular electric spear in that it packed a much more powerful punch. Compared to the fish machine, the electric spear's power was too low, its voltage too weak—like a masseuse giving a gentle tickle. The fish machine could instantly discharge high-voltage, high-current pulses at maximum peak power. It was called an "electric fish machine" because people once used such devices to spread current in water, shocking fish to death for easy catches. This fishing method was highly efficient but devastating to river ecosystems, so it had become illegal. It could kill fish, no doubt. There were also plenty of cases of it killing people.

Flashback to earlier.

When he learned that electricity could counter the monsters, the commander-in-chief immediately thought of the most easily conductive medium: water. And that reminded him of the electric fish machines that were rampant in his era. So he contacted the meteorological bureau and airlifted every available anti-aircraft gun and artificial rain enhancement shell to the area. He sent them into the disaster zone with the troops, where they fired hundreds of rain-inducing shells in rapid succession. Meanwhile, protective suits and electric fish machines were readied, flown from all over the country to the vicinity of Han City.

That was the origin of this downpour—and of the army that was now, under the rain, "armed to the teeth."

In the south, a red flare rose high. The army, which had entered Han City and was moving cautiously southward, finally had a target. A green flare shot up, signaling their arrival. Soon, red flares also rose from the police station where Lin Tu had been, and from several other points across the city.

"All units, listen to my command!" The army—or rather, the electric shock corps—quickly split into several squads, advancing toward the areas where the red flares had been fired.

As for Lin Tu.

She wasn't part of the military, so she didn't understand the meaning of the red and green flares. She only knew that red meant danger and green meant reinforcements were coming. —It seemed reinforcements were already on the way. Lin Tu thought she needed to hurry up and kill Ace of Diamonds.

Lin Tu waited quietly in place, having just absorbed the power of the Ace of Diamonds clone. It felt like drinking the [Human Evolution Liquid]—power surging through every limb. She wanted to check her phone, curious about her current physical level. At least in terms of strength, she felt she was twice as strong as before—maybe B or A rank. Thinking this, Lin Tu pulled out the [Powerful Milk Cup] and chugged the milk she had prepared.

A tearing sensation surged from her muscles, a bit sore, but satisfying. Four times the strength. Lin Tu clenched her fists.

Just then, a dark shadow flashed behind Lin Tu. A powerful gale, carrying rain, slammed toward her: "Damn monster! Die!"

Lin Tu was no longer the combat novice she used to be. She stood still, letting the claws approach. When it was two meters away, a pitch-black wire mesh wall rose from the ground, blocking the claws. As the mesh spread, it quickly closed around the shadow like a cage.

"Cornfield Effect!" Lin Tu tossed three corn cobs into the mesh and was about to charge in when she saw the wires and the cornfield illusion being sliced apart, like paper reduced to ashes—before the rain could even wet them, they fragmented and vanished. Lin Tu retreated two strategic steps, putting ten meters between herself and it.

"'Damn monster'?" Lin Tu said as she backed away. "I think you're the monster."

When she had observed from the high-rise, she hadn't clearly seen what Ace of Diamonds looked like. Now that she was closer, she could see it vividly. To call her a human would be a compliment. Her ears had completely disappeared—or rather, they had sealed shut, and the skin where ears used to be was black, sprouting numerous small tentacles like the monsters'. Her limbs had nothing to do with a normal human's; the massive muscles even couldn't be supported by her frame, forcing her to hunch over and snarl at Lin Tu like a wild beast. Her hands were her greatest weapon. Almost entirely metal-like, with sharp claws as long as half of Lin Tu's height. It was those claws that had just shredded Lin Tu's tools.

Ace of Diamonds... Lin Tu thought to herself. She was even stronger than the monster that had chased her into this world last time. Perhaps she was the strongest opponent Lin Tu had ever faced.

But so what? Lin Tu felt her excitement rising—her adrenaline was pumping, and words of provocation slipped out before she could stop them—

"Have you always been like this? Enjoying turning yourself into something neither human nor ghost?"

"Thief! You're the monster!" The moment Lin Tu finished speaking, Ace of Diamonds lunged at her.

"Moonlight Before the End," Lin Tu whispered, leaving a trace of moonlight behind, then used the Lighthouse to flash past her. Taking her off guard, she drew her long blade and slashed downward. Ace of Diamonds didn't have the tentacles like the other monsters, so Lin Tu thought she might land a clean hit. But the possibility was as slim as she had anticipated.

The blade had only cut halfway when Lin Tu sensed Ace of Diamonds twisting around at an unnatural angle, her claws sweeping toward Lin Tu. Lin Tu instantly used "Moonlight" to return to her original position.

"Sword Light!" Lin Tu swung hard at her side. After the blade light fell, she didn't press forward but used the Lighthouse to retreat two steps swiftly. The sword light struck Ace of Diamonds' waist, leaving a long gash from which black blood spurted.

Ace of Diamonds turned her head coldly, staring at Lin Tu, who had retreated more than ten meters away. "Good. Very good."

Lin Tu was about to taunt her, asking if she was another clone, when she saw the creature hunch over and suddenly extend a pair—no, two pairs—of arms from her back. These two pairs spread horizontally, each hand bearing five sharp claws. One pair crossed in front of her, forming a spiky armor; the other pair flailed about, covering the space around her completely.

"Ugh..." Lin Tu frowned, and in that instant, Ace of Diamonds pounced at her with lightning speed.

Her surroundings were covered in steel claws, so Lin Tu dared not get close and could only retreat. Lin Tu was fast, but it relied entirely on the [Lighthouse], which had a few seconds of cooldown. Ace of Diamonds, however, relied on sheer extraordinary muscle power, with no cooldown at all. This wouldn't work. Lin Tu would be caught eventually.

She stopped abruptly, bent down, and scooped up a handful of wet mud. At the same time, Ace of Diamonds closed to within three meters. Lin Tu hurled the mud at her, leaving moonlight behind as she retreated.

Ace of Diamonds didn't understand the significance; she thought a bit of mud was harmless and charged forward. But the mud hit her face. Ten seconds of immobilization.

Ten seconds... nine... Lin Tu used the moonlight to return to her original spot. Eight seconds... but her luck was terrible—a steel claw happened to be blocking her path, obstructing her strike. Six seconds... Lin Tu swung horizontally and severed the left claw. Four seconds... Without hesitating, she grabbed the other left claw, cut downward, and simultaneously executed a highly difficult escape maneuver. One second... Both claws fell to the ground. Ace of Diamonds' intact right claw struck at Lin Tu, but Lin Tu caught the rope descending from above and instantly teleported back to where she had fled from.

"AHHHHH!" A furious roar echoed behind her. The back of the right claw hit Lin Tu, not seriously injuring her, but it was a heavy blow to her abdomen. She doubled over in pain, coughing up two mouthfuls of blood.

Really... Lin Tu watched the blood wash away in the rain, wanting to mock herself—she truly was a fragile glass cannon. But there was no time for jokes now. Lin Tu had only one last trick.

She charged forward, evading Ace of Diamonds' furious attacks, and finally reached the spot she had prepared.

"Go to hell!" Ace of Diamonds roared, bringing her claws down. Another familiar wire mesh blocked her path. She ripped through it, revealing that damn face.

"Finally stopped running? Finally realize you can't kill me? Finally understand you'll be my defeated opponent?" Ace of Diamonds used all her strength—enough to smash a building—and slammed down at Lin Tu.

The next second, a small cat jumped out of Lin Tu's hand.

Ace of Diamonds suddenly felt a wave of confusion: Why... why did she hate Lin Tu so much...