Chapter 166 The mantis stalks the cicada

"She really did disappear into thin air in the middle of the destroyed section of the stairs."

Qu Huan and the administrator checked repeatedly for a long time, but found no trace of Xin Que.

The woman's gaze fell on the three kings outside the window, whose victory or defeat was still undecided.

"Have King Qin Guang and King Yama not yet seized the map access from King Taishan?" Qu Huan asked.

【_Yes. 】

【Then comes the bad news.】

Real-time data shows that there are two reasons why King Qin Guang and King Yama failed to seize the prize.

[Firstly, King Taishan refused to release the map; secondly... during King Taishan's previous frantic pursuit of the notorious criminal Xin Que, two-thirds of the map access was compromised by his indiscriminate attacks.]

The map control line is currently malfunctioning and out of control. Even with the entire prison's resources, it will take at least 72 hours to repair.

Qu Huan's expression grew increasingly grim.

Too many things can change in 72 hours, not to mention that Xin Que and that unknown virus are lurking in the middle of the prison, waiting for their chance to strike. She and the prison simply cannot afford to wait.

"Administrator, calculate which option yields greater benefits: strangling King Taishan or fixing the malfunction."

The mechanical pupils, layer upon layer of mechanical eyes, locked onto King Taishan for a few seconds before quickly responding to Qu Huan's question.

Even after defeating the King of Mount Tai, the gained control isn't enough to fully control the entire map... currently, half of the map, including your current location, is still functioning normally.

[The returns are directly proportional to the risks.]

Qu Huanfei quickly calculated in his mind whether he should take the risk and gamble.

Although Xin Que disappeared from the club, based on Qu Huan's experience in fighting enemies, it is most likely that she is still hiding in the club.

After the two sides had been fighting for a long time, Qu Huan had figured out Xin Que's fighting attitude.

Arrogant, but absolutely cautious.

Qu Huan quickly integrated all the information, capabilities, and permissions at his disposal and ultimately made a decision.

"After killing the King of Mount Tai, immediately abandon that out-of-control part of the map area and compress the map area to a level that we can absolutely control."

"And then..."

Qu Huan looked at the hellish battlefield in the distance, his expression solemn.

"Since the clever person hiding in the corner will only show up and escape after the enemy has searched in vain and the battlefield is completely safe... then I will give her an absolutely safe chance to leave."

...

The battle lasted until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon before finally ending.

The statue of the King of Mount Tai collapsed to the ground with a crash. After a huge tremor and rumbling, the statue lost its vitality and petrified at a speed visible to the naked eye. The remains, like a stone mountain stretching across the city ruins, quickly weathered and developed patterns.

The morning glow shone on the statue that had turned into lifeless stone, and countless documents flew out from the boulder, slowly drifting into the sky.

Soon, the enormous stone statue vanished completely.

Along with the stone statue, several sections of the city area whose dividing lines had faded also disappeared.

Such a desolate scene is reminiscent of the map that King Taishan took with him before his death.

Looking down from the air, this once bustling city, built by the storyline, is now reduced to half ruins after the fierce battle between the three kings.

The remaining dividing lines also faded completely.

[The map is severely damaged; we request to pause the task. Maintenance personnel will intervene to repair it.]

[Approval received.]

[The minister's mental burden has reached a critical level for this task. Please immediately suspend your duties and cooperate with medical examinations.]

Everything came to a halt in the brand new morning.

The woman stumbled slowly from the shadows into the sunlight, her face filled with disbelief as she looked at the half-empty city.

"...It's over?" she asked incredulously.

The woman seemed somewhat dazed.

Those humanoid data were either destroyed or wiped clean.

In this half-empty city, she was the only living person left.

She walked slowly through the ruins, from morning until noon, until finally, exhausted, she leaned against a cracked wall and slowly sat down on a sofa in the ruins, gradually relaxing.

Looking up at the azure sky above, the woman found a comfortable position and sank into the soft sofa, slowly closing her eyes.

Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were closed. She might be asleep, or she might just be letting her mind wander.

Regardless of which theory is correct, the woman did not react to the steel knife held to her neck.

"Finally caught you," Qu Huan said coldly, looking down at Xin Que, who was covered in wounds and exhausted on the sofa. "This rat really knows how to hide..."

Xin Que seemed annoyed by the noise. She frowned slightly, quite irritated, and said, "Stop making noise."

Qu Huan ignored her feigned composure and instead gestured with his chin toward King Chujiang and King Song, who had slowly emerged from the shadows and taken human form.

“The administrator’s transmission channel has been opened,” Qu Huan said coldly. “The mental bodies of repeat offenders will be forcibly reclaimed.”

"This map is unusable; the prison must be rebuilt immediately..."

Just as the two kings were about to make their move to restrain and take away the criminal's mental body, Xin Que finally made his move.

She raised her hand and grasped the steel knife that Qu Huan had placed against her artery. She looked up at Qu Huan, her numb and tired face now showing a complex mix of emotions that Qu Huan couldn't understand. "I recognize your face."

Qu Huan frowned.

Blood dripped from his palm onto the sofa beneath the woman, blooming into countless bloody flowers.

“Qu Huan,” Xin Que’s voice was sarcastic, “Qu Huan, the head of the torture department who manages resources for assisting in the interrogation of prisoners?”

Qu Huan was shocked that her true identity would be exposed by a serious criminal. Her face immediately darkened. "Xin Que, you haven't lost your memory?!"

Xin Que's lips twitched, forcing an extremely strange smile. "Anyway, I'm going to die..."

Her lips moved as she stared intently at the woman looking down at her.

"Want to know how I regained my memories, Minister Qu?" Xin Que grinned even more strangely. "Look down, I'll only tell you."

Qu Huan's alarm blared loudly.

She immediately grabbed Xin Que by the back of the neck, whose hair was disheveled, and tried to slam him to the ground.

A sharp pain shot through my palm.

Qu Huan immediately realized something was wrong. She abruptly withdrew her hand and shouted at King Chujiang and King Song, "Bring the person away immediately..."

Qu Huan's body stiffened.

The movement was momentarily paralyzed.

She looked down at her palm, which had a small cut, and then at Xin Que, who was sitting on the ruins, laughing maniacally.

Xin Que laughed until tears streamed down her face. She ripped off the blood-stained shards of porcelain from the back of her neck, yelling, "Qu Huan, you've finally met your match!!!"

Qu Huan realized that the porcelain shard contained the virus that had slowed her movements. She stared intently at Xin Que, who was being held down by King Chujiang and King Songdi, and asked, "Is this your last struggle?"

Xin Que coughed up blood, her face contorted with rage as she glared at Qu Huan, hurling insults at her without restraint, "Idiot!!! Bitch!!!"

Qu Huan regained her usual composure and composed herself, saying, "A desperate madman..."

"Pfft."

Blood splattered in front of Qu Huan.

She staggered, her face filled with disbelief, and stiffly lowered her head to look at the long cone that had pierced her from behind to her chest.

"Don't worry," a woman's sinister yet all-too-familiar voice came from behind Qu Huan, "as long as I don't pull it out, you can live a little longer."

Blood dripped from the corner of Qu Huan's mouth. "You...you..."

If the one behind her is Xin Que...

Who is being pinned to the ground?