Chapter 169 Holding the Tai'a Axe Upside Down (6)
She didn't look at Zhao; instead, she tilted her head slightly and looked up at the sky.
In the distance, layers of clouds piled up, and the gloom seemed to weigh down on everyone.
A damp breeze swept across the rooftop, lifting the stray hairs from her forehead.
Suspicion inevitably welled up in her mind. If she hadn't gotten close to Lucico, perhaps he wouldn't have noticed anything amiss through mind reading—and Zhao wouldn't have been recalled prematurely.
A single, casual choice can change the entire course of one's life.
Zhao survived because of her.
He was supposed to die in Intori.
Zhao's existence will completely change the political situation in Pinne, but the person she truly wants to save is not here.
“I hope you can demonstrate your control now, otherwise I can only accuse you of assassinating the representative of the United Parliament.”
Zhao's voice pulled her back to reality. He didn't rush to act, pausing slightly. "I told Kovina that there's a lot you can achieve with your abilities, but she still thinks it's safer to get rid of you—Lucico doesn't trust you, and neither does she."
Shu Ningmiao sneered: "What do you mean by 'controllable'?"
"Don't resist my power, or I will redefine you." Zhao gestured: "Just apply a safe property to your mind."
The human brain and mind can also be given "properties" by his superpowers. He wants to change her mind and make it safe for him to use.
"Just like you did to Xiao Jiang."
She stood still for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Xiao Jiang, who was blocked by the supernatural energy field not far away, and raised her voice: "Xiao Jiang, Zhao has applied the [Confusion] property to your brain."
Zhao's voice was tinged with cold mockery, showing no intention of silencing her, and there wasn't even a hint of panic on his face: "Do you think saying this will turn her against you?"
Xiao Jiang clenched her fists suddenly and immediately gave her a look that said, "Stop talking."
Kovina and Zhao didn't believe her to begin with, and the more she said, the more dangerous it would be. In this situation, saying even one more word was gambling with her life. Xiao Jiang was still thinking about how to maneuver in the middle to save Shu Ningmiao's life.
Shu Ningmiao seemed not to hear and continued, "He prevents you from learning any of Phineas's languages or understanding its culture. You live in this country but are completely isolated. This is his so-called controllable method."
Xiao Jiang turned her head away, her teeth chattering slightly.
Zhao's supernatural power affected her, and she wasn't completely unaffected, but she had to stay in Pine. What else could she do? She had no choice but to be a blindfolded donkey pulling a millstone, sacrificing a part of herself in exchange for trust and a foothold.
She once faced the same choice as Shu Ningmiao.
She is strong, capable, and possesses extraordinary abilities that are one in a million.
But if she can't play dumb and isn't obedient enough, she can't become an enforcer and become more successful. She is determined to climb higher and stand out from the crowd, otherwise how can she live up to her life of leaving her hometown?
She admits that she is cowardly, complacent, afraid of change, and stagnant.
But Shu Ningmiao was the first friend she made in Penelope, her first true friend.
How far would she go for this friend?
Xiao Jiang bit her lip, placed her hand on the hilt of the knife, which was already partially drawn, and strode towards her.
Shu Ningmiao met her gaze and understood what she meant from her expression.
She stopped Xiao Jiang in her tracks with one sentence: "...What I said at the medical clinic that day is still true now."
She has always been like this, never changing.
Xiao Jiang stared at her with wide eyes, standing there blankly, the wind from the open-air platform blowing into her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Zhao will never understand that Shu Ningmiao said these words not to try to turn anyone against her, but simply to state the fact to her—why say it now? Because if she doesn't say it now, she won't have the chance later.
Shu Ningmiao doesn't need anyone to save her.
She has already given her answer.
The black-haired girl turned her gaze back and gave Zhao an extremely provocative smile: "If you're really that strong, then just use your ability to [Death] on me."
Zhao's lips twitched to one side unconsciously. "You think I wouldn't dare?"
She didn't think he wouldn't dare; she knew he couldn't do it.
In the previous playthrough, she died, and he exhausted all the Pandora in his body to freeze her life state. Based on this, she could probably guess the limit of his superpower.
As the weapons drew ever closer, Shu Ningmiao pondered ways to escape, but showed no sign of backing down.
Just as the cane was about to touch her, it clanged and was deflected by some kind of air current.
An invisible flame pierced through the ground, lingered above the ring, and the flames floating in the air merged together, revealing a human shape within the cluster of flames.
The murderer who had just killed the council representative swaggered back into their presence. You An's face was faintly visible in the flames as he stood in front of Shu Ningmiao.
"Enough! I killed Lucico!"
Yu An spoke each word clearly, as if straining to suppress his vocal cords: "I am Achini."
Everyone tensed up instantly, and all guns were pointed at the figure formed by flames, except for Zhao.
Zhao laughed out loud.
Shu Ningmiao couldn't help but look at You An's illusory figure. You An didn't turn around to look at her; the flames were so intense that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes.
At this point, even bearing Achini's name wouldn't scare anyone away.
Those who didn't know him were wary, but these people had already investigated his identity thoroughly, and he ultimately became a convenient tool in the hands of those with ulterior motives, a tool driven by hatred.
The silver-haired youth held his cane horizontally and calmly ordered those around him, "Ignore him, this isn't his true form."
“That’s right.” The phantom of the flame flickered and made a hoarse voice: “This is not my true form, so it doesn’t matter if it goes out. You can do whatever you want. I will definitely tell everyone who really killed Lucico. You can come and hunt me down, come and kill me. There’s no need to involve innocent people.”
Zhao raised an eyebrow: "I don't care who you are. This arrest warrant should be given to someone more meaningful."
He's so childish. He clearly had a way to escape, but he still came back to spout meaningless nonsense.
Yu An was not his objective. If it weren't for the secret favors given to him by Kovina and the Belial family, he wouldn't have been able to kill Lucico at all, so there was no need for him to be wary.
But since the person had already come right up to him, he didn't mind dealing with the trouble on the side.
Zhao tapped his cane lightly, casually aiming it at his illusory figure: "Since you like playing with fire so much, then don't put it out, how about that?"
His gaze swept gently over You An.
A curse-like voice descended upon the phantom as gently as the wind, as if reciting a tender poem.
"—Never Die"
An invisible stream of light pierced through the illusory image of the flames, shattering the boy's phantom within the flames into nothingness. However, the scattered flames showed no sign of disappearing, flying away like shooting stars into the distance. Shu Ningmiao's pupils constricted as she watched.
no!
If this flame, imbued with the property of being "never going out," returns to You An's own body, it will burn him alive!
She raised her left hand, and Pandora instantly shot out from her fingertips, attempting to intercept the flame.
Showa reacted simultaneously, raising her hand and swinging her cane. The two powerful Pandora energies collided and canceled each other out. The resulting air currents exploded with a deafening roar, riddling the air with holes. The surrounding walls began to collapse, and smoke and dust filled the air.
The people around them leaned back to avoid them, but the two of them remained still.
Her right arm, which was already broken, was hit by a backlash, and the pain made her sweat profusely. She knew that Zhao was good at making supernatural gadgets and that he must have a lot of Pandora's energy inside him, but she didn't expect that his Pandora's energy was comparable to hers.
She endured the pain and raised her head. When their eyes met, she couldn't see any trace of the gentle, spoiled young man she once knew. "Why?"
"Why?" Zhao hadn't expected her to ask him why. His voice was calm: "Why do you think I'd be willing to play this ridiculous hero? Just to become a war star and sign autographs for the fans lining the streets?"
"Kovina wants to create a god, and I want to become a god."
He lowered his eyes to look at her: "People live their lives for nothing more than fame and fortune, aren't you the same?"
She had nowhere to retreat; behind her was the outermost fence of the circle.
Everyone was waiting for her answer. If she really rejected Zhao, even if she managed to escape from here, it seemed like she would surely die.
She would lose everything she had in Pinne, be identified as the assassin of Lucicolet, be disgraced, and suffer a social death that is more terrifying than a physical one.
"no the same."
Shu Ningmiao leaned back against the railing, her eyes half-closed, and said softly, "What I want, I don't need to ask others for."
Before her words had even faded, and before anyone could react, she suddenly drew her sword with her left hand.
A flash of sword light.
At the same time, she swung her leg at him forcefully.
Zhao took a large step back, his first attention was on the sword light, and he barely avoided the horizontal slash.
In a mere instant, she completed the replacement of the superpower stolen by [Jealousy], changing the original 'Neural Connection' to Erice's 'Purification'.
Taking advantage of the brief contact, he unhesitatingly activated [Lust] and placed the state of [Submission] on Zhao.
[Lust] can transfer any of their supernatural abilities to a designated object by touching any part of their body.
During the "transfer" period, the object will remain in a state of "submission" where it is unable to generate hostility towards its master.
She hasn't used this ability on others for a long time, and transferring one of her special abilities to someone else is a very risky thing.
But wasn't he trying to put a safety lock on her brain?
—She gave him an even bigger one.
Now, she has given Erici's "purification" to him.
In exchange, she briefly took away his murderous intent towards her.
Zhao's voice, which had been trying to use its "attribute" on her, abruptly stopped. He froze on the spot, his superpower completely unusable against her.
She seized this fleeting opening, raised her sword again, and slashed diagonally at him with a flick of her wrist.
Xi Jin's sword blade sliced through the air with a loud bang, slicing off half of the silver-haired youth's arm as easily as cutting through mud, sending up a spray of blood.
From the moment she erupted in anger to the moment she severed Zhao's arm, only a few seconds passed, less than the time it took for others to recover from their shock.
Zhao herself seemed not to have reacted. The young man subconsciously touched the severed limb, his face pale. His lips trembled as he tried to use his supernatural power to subdue her, but trapped in the state of "submission," he could not utter a single word.
She guessed that he had an abundance of Pandora's box and invincible superpowers, and that his physical body would be his greatest weakness.
Shu Ningmiao took several steps back, supporting herself with her other arm to catch her weight, and nimbly jumped onto the rickety railing, giving him one last mocking look.
She stood atop the railing, her long, black hair whipping wildly in the wind, her blood-stained clothes fluttering like wings.
Under everyone's astonished gaze, she did not hesitate to lean back and fall straight down from the highest point of the entire disc.
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