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墨書 Inktalez
The formidable Lich had always haunted Cui Ming's nightmares, leaving him at a loss for how to confront it. Unlike the desert, Shadow Island was not as aggressive, but the Lich's threat was significant. Cui Ming had never considered infiltrating Shadow Island, and he felt deeply moved by Li Qing's dedication. Although Li Qing had never ventured onto the island either, over the years, he had gathered a wealth of information about it. According to Beiyue, Li Qing had once contemplated sneaking onto the island to kill the Lich's son.
Currently, on Shadow Island, there existed a waning Lich, a powerful Lich Daughter, and a young Lich. The Lich Daughter was dutiful and obedient; if captured and forced to reveal the secrets of her training in Strategy, she would commit suicide to pass her power on to her brother.
Upon learning about True Origin Power, Cui Ming speculated about this inheritance. True Origin Power was like a seed that the Lich could plant in anyone's body, but it would be ineffective unless nurtured. If planted in the bodies of his daughter and son, the Lich could sacrifice all his abilities or lifespan to make the seed sprout. It was possible that the daughter possessed such power now.
There were two possibilities: one was that the ability to sprout still resided with the Lich, meaning he was not dead yet; he might simply be consuming his own power to enhance his daughter's strength. In this case, she could be seen as an extension of him, perhaps only at a high-level skill while he remained the true boss. The other possibility was that the ability to sprout lay with the daughter; in this scenario, the Lich might already be dead or on the verge of death, waiting for his end like an ordinary elderly person. In this case, his daughter would be the boss.
Shadow Island undoubtedly had a boss-level figure. If the Lich wasn't foolish, he would need the Warden's assistance to repair the Warden's soul lamp and then borrow the Soul Stealing Scroll to empower himself enough to capture his own essence. The Soul Stealing Scroll and Death Hat were treasures left behind by Death; it was unlikely that the Lich would give them to the Warden. Conversely, there was a chance that the Warden might plot against him.
Thinking along these lines sparked Cui Ming's interest as his mind began to race. Indeed, this was quite possible: once the soul lamp was repaired, the Warden could use the Soul Stealing Scroll to amplify his Force to its physical limits while enhancing the lamp's capabilities. Coupled with surprise attacks or other means... it could become overwhelming.
Cui Ming pondered for a long time before arriving at a realization: if sprouting occurred while the Warden faithfully served the Lich, when either the Lich or his daughter sacrificed themselves to help their son sprout, then at a critical moment, much like a Mage, the Warden could strike down all three and seize their treasures. Such nefarious individuals often concealed their true nature; with asymmetric information between the Lich and Three Continents and their residence on Shadow Island, deceiving them would be quite simple for the Warden.
Damn it! The Warden would definitely try to capture him; there was no doubt about that. As long as he remained uncaptured, his plans could not come to fruition. This brought him back around to Beiyue—she was far too dangerous. As they said, heroes often falter at beautiful women's gates—the gate where beauty is captured. He could only hope Evelyn could gather some information; once she confirmed where the Warden was located, he could trouble Wandering for assistance. Cui Ming felt confident about this—Wandering against the Warden alongside himself stood a good chance.
Leaning against a cave wall while snacking, Cui Ming occasionally used binoculars to check on the villa situation; Evelyn had taken on nearly all surveillance duties. About an hour later, Evelyn said, "Someone has triggered a trap."
"Who?" Cui Ming asked as he grabbed his binoculars.
Evelyn pressed down on Cui Ming's head and replied, "A woman who went to disinfect an empty villa next door to Jayce the Godfather... she stepped on the second one..." Evelyn felt devastated; that empty villa should have been an ideal ambush spot for Jayce since four traps were set within it. However, due to high sanitation standards and strict requirements, that cleaning woman had inadvertently triggered three traps within half an hour of disinfection.
Cui Ming studied this woman closely—was she a practitioner? She lacked Force but couldn't be ruled out entirely; perhaps she possessed some secret technique that concealed her Force. For instance, Zhir—one couldn't see his Force nor know if he possessed any until he needed it; then he could instantly reach peak combat readiness. In cultivation circles, very few had hidden Force abilities; there were some rare examples in both biological and otherworldly realms but they were extremely scarce. Nonetheless, whether human or from another realm, those capable of hiding their Force theoretically existed.
"Not our target," Cui Ming concluded.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Her disinfection technique is too skilled. I don't believe the target would have a part-time job in disinfection. Besides, it's only been a little over an hour; the chances of action are very low."
Evelyn said, "It's possible that the target has been hiding in the nursing home under this identity since the message was released."
"Ah... theoretically, that's a possibility."
"But in reality?"
"Anyway, I'd rather live in a cave than take up disinfection work just for the sake of it. Look, without Force protection, the disinfectant smells terrible, and the workload is so heavy. Well, no matter what, there is still a possibility; maybe the target actually enjoys it?" When it comes to jobs like cleaning or disinfection, there's always talk about loving one's work during promotions. But really, who would love such a grueling job in a poor environment? It's just something people have to do for a living or because the pay is better. Occasionally volunteering can be fun, but doing it day in and day out for decades... Of course, theoretically, there could be people who love these professions, but Cui Ming didn't know any.
Evelyn agreed with Cui Ming's view; disinfection work is scheduled. Once you go to one place, you must move on to the next; you can't stay too long at one location. A job constrained by time isn't very suitable for undercover work. Unfortunately, she had wasted three traps; Evelyn had set six traps last night, but today it was no longer feasible. Because Jayce had appeared, and his presence likely drew the target's attention. The target would be very cautious when planning to attack.
"I really hope we can get through this smoothly," Evelyn said, wishing the target wouldn't show up.
"I know that thought is impossible. From a human nature perspective, if I were in their shoes, I would definitely act," Cui Ming replied. "Don't underestimate Jayce; he is very popular in Twilight City. He can be considered a representative of the royal family and is active in social events as well as being a practitioner. However, theoretically... theoretically speaking, it's also possible that he would prioritize the bigger picture and wouldn't expose himself for trivial gains. If it were me, I would take risks and go after Jayce. Unless there's another possibility: what if the target isn't even near the nursing home? In that case, we would have wasted our efforts. This possibility isn't just theoretical; there's at least a 20% chance."
Evelyn smiled and said, "Then I hope that 20% chance comes true."
Cui Ming shrugged; whether you hoped for it or I did, it was already impossible to stop things from happening or not happening.
...
Evelyn was indeed professional; she lay still and focused intently on the villa through her telescope. In contrast, Cui Ming was much less disciplined. He lasted only five minutes before retreating to rest against the wall.
Jayce was currently doing well, meeting with the Godfather's daughter and visiting the Godfather. The old man and the young man sat together, sharing a heartfelt conversation. They were on the grass in front of the villa, basking in the sun and playing Go. Through the telescope, one could see that the Godfather was in good spirits, wearing a smile. The Godfather's daughter felt grateful towards Jayce.
However, a small problem arose in the afternoon. That rascal Jayce actually went fishing with the Godfather at Azure Lake. They were positioned two hundred and forty meters away from the villa, with Godfather's Daughter carrying the fishing gear while Jayce pushed the Godfather towards the lake. The location was quite undesirable; neither Cui Ming nor the hidden piece Little Lu were familiar with the water. Moreover, Little Lu needed more time to provide support, and with the wind and Beiyue entering combat, it would take even longer. The worst part was that the observation point could only see half of their fishing spot, just two people and a sunshade, with over twenty meters of empty space behind them.
Cui Ming watched as the Godfather's daughter returned to the villa, wiping away tears along the way. "Did Jayce tell the Godfather he would act as bait? Damn... Jayce wants to sacrifice himself to lure in the target."
Evelyn quickly replied, "But what about you?" No way, just because someone wants to die doesn't mean you shouldn't save them.
"It's hard to control," Cui Ming said. "Little Lu is using a pair of dual pistols, enhancing his capabilities as an Archer. Just like Miss Fortune, his force doesn't significantly impact his attack power. So Little Lu is effectively neutralizing Force. If they are ambushed by the lake, Little Lu might not notice immediately; even if he does, it will take time for Force to arrive. Recovering from a neutralized state makes it difficult for him to engage in battle right away." This strategy was proposed by Little Lu, who initially came to relax and have fun. However, upon hearing that Wandering was concerned about this matter, he asked if there was anything he could do to help. Naturally, Cui Ming obliged. Heh, Wandering still didn't know that Little Lu had arrived in Dawn City.
Cui Ming understood Little Lu somewhat; he was someone who disliked being indebted to others. Although he spoke one way, he felt grateful towards Wandering, wanting to do something in return.
But the current situation was quite complex. If the target ambushed Jayce, only Cui Ming could provide immediate support. In a two-on-one scenario where they were ambushed first, if the target turned out to be a crow, Cui Ming had no confidence. The most critical issue was that while Jayce had awareness of his situation, he struggled to gauge how far he should go—should he desperately save Jayce, or allow him to take risks while holding off the target until reinforcements arrived? If he fought desperately and both he and Jayce ended up dead before help arrived or lost most of their combat strength, would they be countered by the target?
Evelyn said, "We need to pull out Jayce. He's playing with fire." Her bottom line was Jayce's safety.
"If we pull out Jayce, he'll be furious," Cui Ming replied. "We'll find a way to warn him once; if he still refuses to follow our arrangements, we'll cancel the ambush plan."
"Cui Ming, don't tell me this situation wasn't anticipated," Evelyn asked.
"Haha... I did anticipate it; it's even better than I expected. I was worried he'd run off," Cui Ming said. "Don't look at me like that; I don't have a backup plan for this situation—it's all about adapting on the fly. I believe today’s chance of an attack is low; smart people tend to be suspicious and will definitely scout on the first day to gather intelligence about why Jayce is here." (To be continued.)
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