Chapter Sixteen

Ye Chong emerged from the combat zone. His last opponent had been truly troublesome—there wasn’t a single weakling on Mu’s list, not a one you could squeeze like a soft fruit. They were all as tough as stone or iron, and even if shattered, they’d make sure to take a few of your teeth with them.

Still caught up in the aftertaste of that fierce battle, Ye Chong paid no attention to his surroundings.

Suddenly, Mu Shang’s voice rang clear in Ye Chong’s mind, “Yezi, be careful!”

Ye Chong tensed. “What is it, Mu?” Casually, his gaze swept across the room.

Mu Shang replied, “There are four Grey Domain Masters around you! There’s another in a corner, but I can’t tell if they’re together.” A full holographic image of the entire hall appeared before Ye Chong’s eyes, the four figures and the lurking Angel clearly marked out by Mu Shang.

“Grey Domain Masters? What are those?” Ye Chong asked curiously.

Mu Shang said, “It’s hard to explain right now. I’ll tell you when we’re back. I can’t determine their hostility yet.”

The four figures had subtly encircled Ye Chong.

Was this intentional? Or just a coincidence? Ye Chong couldn’t be sure.

He shifted his right foot diagonally, testing them, and the group adjusted with him, keeping him at the center. Irritated, Ye Chong gave a cold snort, ready to act, when Mu Shang prompted, “Yezi, you’re under attack! Should I counterattack?”

Though he couldn’t see Mu Shang, Ye Chong rolled his eyes and retorted, “Isn’t it obvious? Of course counterattack! Why wouldn’t we? Even a cornered rat bites back; are we just going to sit here and wait to die?”

Mu Shang replied calmly, “Understood.”

The Angel watched with wide eyes, not daring to miss a single detail. “Ripple” fluctuated in a unique rhythm, and the Angel was confident that nothing in the vicinity could escape his notice. Even the hall’s clock, ticking at precisely 9:15:32, was etched clearly in his mind.

He hardly saw Ye Chong move, as if utterly unaware, but the seasoned Angel knew the Grey Domain Masters had already released their guiding parasites onto Ye Chong. In a few seconds, these parasites would partially fuse with their target, making them impossible to remove. At that point, all of Ye Chong’s information would be compromised! The only way to deal with guiding parasites was to avoid contact. Once they latched on, it was trouble indeed.

Could it be that Ye Chong was just an ordinary person after all?

Thinking of the astronomical reward promised by the Luo family, the Angel was wracked with regret.

From afar, the observing Angel cursed himself for his excessive caution. If only he’d acted—his own “Bone Maggots” were far more formidable than their guiding parasites.

Just as the Angel was consumed by regret, the situation shifted dramatically.

Suddenly, a deafening hum exploded in the Angel’s mind, like a giant hammer striking his heart. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

An invisible pressure surged from all directions, pinning the Angel in place as if an enormous hand had seized him. He couldn’t move a muscle, only his mind remained conscious. Frozen in his previous stance, his eyes locked unblinkingly on Ye Chong.

Everything around him seemed to come to a standstill, as if the world had become a three-dimensional hologram, time frozen, an unspeakable eeriness filling the air.

Terrified beyond belief, the Angel desperately tried to force out even a whisper, but it was as if he were trapped in a soundless vacuum—an oppressive, terrifying silence.

Fear bloomed in his eyes like a nightshade vine fed with fertilizer, growing wild and suffocating.

Ye Chong made no move, only stared back, cold and indifferent.

The chill in the Angel’s heart was more piercing than the coldest ice in the polar wastes. He’s looking at me! Yes, he’s definitely looking at me! Dear gods, I’m finished! Ye Chong’s gaze was like a blade of ice, piercing the Angel’s weakening mental defenses, its frigid intent shattering his will to resist. In despair, the Angel tried to close his eyes.

But before he could, the scene changed again.

A black hole, centered on Ye Chong, began to spread outward, slow yet inexorable, its profound darkness devouring everything around it. In an instant, the blackness engulfed the Angel mercilessly.

His vision went black—he lost consciousness.

Who knew how much time passed before the Angel suddenly awoke.

Why “suddenly”? Because it felt like nothing more than a daze, as if he’d had a brief, unremarkable dream. Was that terrifying scene just a dream? The Angel couldn’t be certain.

He glanced at the hall clock: 9:15:35. Only three seconds had passed?

Looking back to where Ye Chong had stood, he found the spot empty. Just moments ago, he’d been there—no one could vanish so quickly. Three seconds, and he was gone. Something was very wrong.

Turning to leave, the Angel suddenly noticed the four Grey Domain Masters. The four of them stood frozen like statues, utterly motionless.

Suspicious, the Angel halted, letting his “Ripple” spread quietly toward them, but detected nothing unusual. Even after a long while, the four remained unmoving and silent, drawing curious glances from passersby who marveled at these “living statues.”

Sensing something amiss, the Angel composed himself, pretending to be just another passerby as he walked toward them.

The four faces were ghastly white, utterly devoid of life.

A jolt of terror shot through the Angel—his mind reeled chaotically.

He had seen this once before: after a battle between two super Grey Domain Masters, the loser had suffered complete neural collapse, leaving a face exactly like these four.

A shudder ran through him, cold sweat prickling down his spine. He swallowed with difficulty; his throat felt as dry as a desert, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

So… it hadn’t been a dream…

The spreading black hole, the unending cold, the bizarre silence—all replayed in the Angel’s mind, filling him with dread and awe.

Unable to endure it any longer, he let out a strangled cry and immediately disconnected.

“Mu, you just mentioned Grey Domain Masters—what are they exactly? How come I’ve never heard of them?” Ye Chong asked curiously.

Mu Shang explained, “Grey Domain Masters are individuals who have mastered certain abilities within the virtual network using the AI. They walk the line between good and evil, drifting between black and white, thus the name Grey Domain Masters. ‘Domain’ refers to the specific fields they’ve mastered.”

At the mention of AI, Ye Chong lost interest. “Ah, I see. AI doesn’t interest me much. So, what happened to them?”

Mu Shang replied evenly, “Complete neural collapse.”

Ye Chong frowned. “Complete neural collapse? What does that mean?”

Mu Shang’s voice remained calm. “There are two possibilities. One is death. The other is that they become vegetative.”

Ye Chong raised an eyebrow. “Oh, not bad—not bad at all. This way, they won’t have a chance to strike back.” Growing up on the junk planet, mercy toward an enemy would have left nothing of Ye Chong but bones. The countless times he’d faced life and death had dulled his sense of fear toward either.

Suddenly recalling the earlier scene, Ye Chong asked, “Weren’t there five people? What happened to the other one?”