Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Qiao Yu kept a solemn expression. “No. The arts of the Miao Territory are extremely sinister. They can even create illusions.”
Director Qiao Shihui’s mind went blank for an instant. She pointed at herself. “I… can create illusions?”
Her uncertain gaze met Qiao Yu’s pitch-black eyes, and her expression abruptly stiffened. As though brainwashed, she nodded along. “Right. I think my hometown is the Miao Territory.”
[Performance Score: 61.]
[The truth has been replaced. Director Qiao Shihui comes from the Miao Territory and practices gu sorcery. The falling head was caused by Director Qiao Shihui using a lost gu art of the Miao Territory. The streamer was merely a poor little victim she captured. Be careful-once a lie is exposed, it can never be patched again.]
-Impressive. The director hid that ability well.
-She even knows gu sorcery. That’s incredible… I thought it had been lost.
-+1. I’d only heard the name and never seen it. I learned something today.
-What is the streamer supposed to do now? The director was already so violent, and now she knows gu sorcery too. What can he do?
The power of the title was so great that Qiao Yu nearly believed Director Qiao Shihui had placed gu on him.
Steadying himself, he dragged Kong Xianya from the floor and ran toward the door.
But the moment he emerged, the streamers outside widened their eyes and shouted over one another, “The Aberration Source! He’s the Aberration Source!”
Qiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Only then did he remember hearing the system announce the appearance of an Aberration Source.
So had it been referring to him??
What should he do? Act again?
Better not. This skill was genuinely difficult to use well…
A pair of large hands suddenly wrapped around his waist and lifted him.
Qiao Yu looked up blankly. The newcomer’s long black hair drifted in the breeze, and his entire face was hidden in light and shadow, making his emotions impossible to read.
He said, “Caught you.”
Qiao Yu blinked. “How… How did you…?”
Return to normal?
Had the Aberration Source not been referring to him?
The drop came without warning. Qiao Yu’s feet struck the ground hard. When he looked down, he found a miniature Shang Yan buried against his chest and fell speechless.
“Your neck…” Shang Yan’s heavy eyelids fluttered twice. He raised both arms and carefully touched Qiao Yu’s intact neck. Only then did he lose consciousness in relief.
Qiao Yu hurriedly caught him, with no time to care about Kong Xianya, who had awakened long ago after being dropped onto the ground.
“He’s the Aberration Source! He can’t exist in this Instance!”
Only after Shang Yan shrank and fainted did the watching streamers recover their voices.
They pointed at the person in Qiao Yu’s arms, brows tightly furrowed. “With him here, none of us can leave the Instance.”
They were all experienced Red Name Streamers. Fear of Aberration Sources had long been carved into their bones.
Once one appeared, it had to be eliminated immediately. Otherwise, they would all be buried in the Instance. Even if they successfully survived seven days, they still would not be able to leave.
The clamor brought Kong Xianya back to her senses. She stared at Qiao Yu standing intact before her, rubbed her eyes, then realized within ten short seconds that her boss had apparently become everyone’s target.
An Aberration Source?
Were they insane? That was the director of the Security Bureau!
“Are you all crazy? You’re calling the director of the Security Bureau an Aberration Source?!”
The thought left Kong Xianya’s mouth exactly as it appeared.
The streamers froze, then retorted, “It’s not like I’ve never seen the director of the Security Bureau. Stop trying to fool us!”
Kong Xianya nearly choked with rage. Her boss was unbelievable. He had piles of bizarre items, and now the backlash had arrived!
No one recognized him at all… What could she do?
“You’re the ones who are crazy for protecting an Aberration Source! Do you want to die in this Instance?”
The streamers hated and feared Aberration Sources. They wanted nothing more than to drag this one out and destroy it immediately. How could they possibly listen to her explanation?
Besides… a group of little ghosts stood nearby watching the show.
The more they argued, the more agitated everyone became.
Just as the scene teetered on the edge of violence, Qiao Beibei raised a hand and pointed at Qiao Yu. He tried to speak, only for the quick-eyed Qiao Xiaowen to cover his mouth.
He looked at her in surprise. Her gaze remained fixed on Qiao Yu, curiosity flashing through her eyes.
“I’m not dying here with you. Hand over the Aberration Source!”
The instant the speaker finished, Qiao Yu’s normally mild expression changed. He narrowed his eyes, and a rare trace of murderous intent appeared on his face.
The shouting streamer quickly charged. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a dagger.
B-rank Soul Artifact-Sure-Hit Dagger: Once drawn, the blade must taste blood.
It did suit this reckless, impatient streamer.
Qiao Yu pulled the unconscious Shang Yan behind him and raised a hand to block. Without warning, his slender wrist was sliced clean through.
Before the streamer could look pleased, his expression froze.
Qiao Yu’s severed hand did not fall. It paused in midair, then abruptly flew back and reattached itself to the smooth cut!
[System Message: Once a lie is exposed, it can never be concealed again…]
The next second, an icy hand seized the streamer’s throat with such force that he could not break free. Suffocation and death slowly closed in on him.
-…I remember now.
-Didn’t the streamer’s head fall off earlier?
-Now his hand came off too… I’m losing my mind. Someone tell me I’m the one going crazy!
-Pen Spirit: Sigh. Fucking hell, the secret is out again!
-So here’s the question: Is the streamer human or a monster?
-Possessed by a malicious ghost?
-Don’t be ridiculous. Do you know how demanding the conditions for possession are? And after all this time, the body hasn’t rotted or started stinking. Calling him a demon would be more plausible.
-Thanks for asking, but becoming a demon has been illegal since the founding of the nation.
-Maybe he’s something like Superman.
-Bullshit. The streamer is Huaxian!
-…This is terrifying. Brother who first discovered the truth, are you still here?
-No. (leaves behind an unfathomable silhouette.jpg)
Qiao Yu’s ruthlessness frightened the streamers and stunned the orphanage’s little ghosts.
Within seconds, the child held in his grip struggled less and less, while Qiao Yu’s eyes began turning red.
[Ding! The Aberration Source is being assimilated by the Instance. Infection level: 10%.]
The cold, emotionless mechanical voice pulled Qiao Yu back from the brink of killing madness. As though burned, he abruptly released the streamer’s throat and sucked in a deep, ragged breath.
It was almost as if Qiao Yu, rather than the streamer, had been suffocating.
“Grab them!”
The frozen tension shattered. The streamers despised Aberration Sources. If one person could not handle it, then everyone would attack together.
Qiao Yu cursed under his breath. He somehow produced a stack of bright-red banknotes, flicked open the lighter he carried, and set fire to more than a thousand yuan.
-Oh? Has the miser changed his ways?
-Fuck, who cares whether the streamer loves money? Can someone explain what the hell is going on with him?!
-Pen Spirit: Sorry, I’ve got work. You all keep chatting~
After posting the comment, Ren Yan flashed into existence before Qiao Yu.
The streamers stared in terror at the beautiful malicious ghost holding a feather fan.
A malicious ghost. Another malicious ghost…
What was this streamer’s background? Why did these malicious ghosts obey him?
And… the one before them was no ordinary malicious ghost. A single glance from her left everyone struggling to breathe, cold spreading over their bodies.
Qiao Yu pressed his lips tight and laboriously lifted Shang Yan. The words emerged slowly through his clenched teeth. “Ren Yan, I’ll leave them to you…”
Qiao Xiaowen and Qiao Beibei, hidden among the crowd, glanced at the streamer on the ground clutching his throat and coughing. Then they exchanged a look, intense excitement flashing through both their eyes.
It seemed… they had found Qiao Yu’s weakness.