Free Web NovelChapter 682: Chapter 622: I Will Become a Slave to Strength
The mere fact that [Mask] killed Xiaoliuzi means the young master won’t let him off. He’s doomed either way, so there’s no rush.
The hunched figure transformed into a fleeting shadow in the darkness, accelerating to its utmost speed. He, too, did not bother stopping any cars, as his full-speed run outpaced even a taxi.
He weaved agilely through the alleyways, deliberately choosing shortcuts.
The coincidence of Destiny is quietly unfolding at this moment.
Xiaojiu had already given up on finding the corpse, yet the "shortcut" he chose unknowingly aligned with the path the "corpse" took when it vanished, gradually converging.
Seven minutes and forty-seven seconds later.
As he passed through a dim, narrow alley, his ears twitched, sharply catching a faint "buzzing" vibration.
"Hmm?"
His peripheral vision glanced over the accumulated sludge in the drainage ditch by the side.
"Whose phone got left here...."
Yet his hurried footsteps didn’t pause, not having a moment to spare to pick it up, nor did he give it any notice.
Ahead, not far away, Feng Ju was running with all his might.
Suddenly, his frantic steps came to an abrupt halt, and an inexplicable chill crawled up his spine.
It was an indescribable and terrifying cold dread that assaulted his heart without any warning, causing his heart to skip two beats from its usual pace.
Perhaps the living might doubt their body’s instinctual warnings, but the dead have a profound and accurate understanding of it.
Feng Ju’s expression changed, and his ears perked up instantly.
It was no illusion!
The faint sound of footsteps behind him was clearly audible, frightfully fast, as an eerie and cold wind swept through the air.
Who?
Who’s pursuing me?!!
Feng Ju felt a sense of foreboding, violently twisting his neck, his bloodshot eyes staring intensely behind him.
"It’s, it’s him?!!"
Feng Ju’s pupils suddenly constricted to the size of pinpoints, utterly shocked.
It was one of the two old men who suddenly appeared in the sewer, then suddenly "killed" him.
The waxy, wrinkled old face was rapidly enlarging in his pupils, moving from far to near.
No, how deep is the grudge that killing me once isn’t enough, and you need to chase after me to kill me again?
For heaven’s sake, I don’t even know you all——
Feng Ju was both shocked and angry, anxious and furious.
He made the mistake of "doubting guilt," truly wronging Xiaojiu.
The latter really didn’t intentionally chase him; he had already given up looking for him.
With his mind set solely on reaching the villa quickly, Xiaojiu noticed a figure ahead as well.
His hunched back slightly straightened, cloudy eyes meeting Feng Ju’s eyes, the expression on his face rapidly changing— it was a sight that words could hardly describe.
In the words of the Ancient Era, it’s like searching a thousand times yet suddenly finding the person right in front of you.
It’s fate!!!
"It’s you?!" Both of their thoughts exploded with thunderous surprise.
The hunched old man never imagined that he would encounter the vanished corpse here in such a manner.
He abruptly halted and let out a spine-chilling laugh:
"Heh heh heh -- interesting, you’re actually not dead, and you’ve run this far..."
His gaze, like a sticky snake tongue, slowly licked over Feng Ju’s body, the waxy skin stretching into a menacing grin:
"Being unfaithful to the master is one thing... but you have other quirks hidden within you. We’re pressed for time, so I advise you to obediently tell us how you survived."
Feng Ju’s face was so stern that water could drip from it, an unprecedented despair rising within him.
He also wanted to answer the hunched old man’s question, but he didn’t know where to begin.
The question was too complex; explaining it thoroughly might require starting from the night the Filial Daughter stabbed him in the back..... no, perhaps even earlier, tracing back to long, long ago...
He only had a few hours left in his life.
He still needed to find the Sheepskin Scroll, decode it, prepare all the materials for the sacrifice ritual, conduct the ritual, and unlock the recharge channel, among many other tasks...
How could he possibly have time to tell stories to others?!!
So the most time-efficient option was to let the other party kill him again... or not~
Never mind whether his remaining life could support another "resurrection," he felt his balance likely wasn’t enough.
If he died again, he’d be cut off for non-payment!
Even if, by a stroke of luck, he could "revive" once more, would the other side not guard the corpse?
A "death escape" trick like this can only be used once, any more would really mean just "death."
Otherwise, are you really treating the other as a fool?
Feng Ju ground his teeth; dying here would make him die with regrets.
It would be better if he had just died in the hands of the Filial Daughter initially.
Had he died at the hands of the Filial Daughter, as a vengeful ghost, he’d at least know who to seek revenge against; dying at the hands of this old man, he’d have no idea who to seek as a ghost.
Once wasn’t enough, and now he’d be killed twice by an unfamiliar old man?!!
Feng Ju glared at the hunched old man, eyes wide with rage:
"Who are you exactly? What grudge or enmity do I have with you? Why do you relentlessly chase me?!!"
Coincidentally, Xiaojiu was also quite pressed for time, with no leisure to argue with Feng Ju here.
"Who am I? Heh heh heh -- ask your master on the Yellow Springs Road!"
The hunched old man leaned forward suddenly, his toes tapping lightly, causing the bluestone ground to shatter upon impact.
His eerie words still echoed in the alley when his whole being had transformed into a phantom, attacking Feng Ju with a shrill sound of breaking through the air.
His claw-like emaciated hand curved like a hook, aiming straight for Feng Ju’s throat!
"Not telling me the answer? No matter, I’ll keep my eyes open, I’d like to see how you come back to life this time!"
"Ahhhhhh----"
Feng Ju roared, like a Wild Beast at the brink of desperation, unleashing all his potential.
It turns out, the "dead" have stronger burst power than the living.
Because the muscles of the living have a self-preserving restraint, keeping you from dying, the dead have no such need.
Living means restraint, dying means indulgence, so the law of nature already hinted at life from the very beginning.
-- The freedom countless lives seek throughout their existence actually slumbers on the flip side of life.
Feng Ju gave it his all, the tips of his shoes tearing open, his big toe exploded with massive impact, and blood instantly soaked his sole.
His body lurched sideways, blasting out of the alley like a cannonball, charging straight onto the road.
Strength!
Strength!
Strength!!!
Feng Ju’s breath burned, every inch of flesh roaring with a craving for strength, not power or status, but the most primitive and pure violence.
If he had strength, why would he have to flee time and again, only to be relentlessly pursued by death every time?
To those without strength, death clings like a shadow you can’t shake off.
But with strength, death will steer clear of you.
Between life and death, time seemed to slow, and past deaths flashed like a montage in his mind, achieving complete enlightenment.
He was wrong!
That day at home, at the dining table, he shouldn’t have taught his daughter to be human rather than a monster.
If strength can be obtained, what does it matter being a monster?
If strength can be obtained, being human or monster doesn’t matter, conversely, without strength, what’s the difference; in the end, you can’t escape death!
"That’s right, what I desire isn’t just being alive, recharging balance, but living with... strength."
Feng Ju’s feet pushed and pulled against the ground, every push accompanied by the lament of his muscle fibers.
The blood vessels from the top of his foot up to his calf bulged like cobwebs, his skin cracking under extreme exertion, blood mixed with sweat trailing a black-red path behind him.
His speed was ascending, constantly surpassing his own limits, dodging the hunched old man’s deadly strikes time and again.
He was burning himself, burning with life, gaining strength beyond what his body could endure to escape!
"If I can survive today, then I must gain strength in the future, using any means necessary to gain strength, as long as I can survive....."
"As long as I can live on..."
Black flames ignited in Feng Ju’s pupils,
"From this day forth, whether human or monster, I will become a slave to strength ahhhhhh——!"
