THUD.
As the last member of the City Guard fell, a manic grin spread across Marco's face. "Humans really are fragile creatures, aren't they~"
Eternal life is the only truth!
He glanced at the blood staining his hands, flicked them away in disgust, and then casually wiped them clean on the corpse of a City Guard.
"Damn it, you're impersonating me?"
"Oh?"
Marco's expression was tinged with surprise. "You got here quickly."
The newcomer, who also sported a red ponytail, glared at him with grim eyes and ground out, "Thousand Faces… Clelia!"
"That's me." The 'Marco' holding the short sword tilted his head and chuckled playfully. "I have to say, though, this face of yours is quite useful."
As he spoke, his body began to melt like a candle.
A moment later, the Marco who had been holding the short sword had transformed into a woman in a tight black leather outfit.
A very beautiful and sexy woman, at that.
She was tall, with an alluringly curvaceous figure. Her long black hair cascaded down, and her skin was as white as snow.
Her eyes shone like stars, and her perfectly sculpted face held a hint of seductive charm.
She looked at the infuriated Marco, her lips curling into a tempting smile. "How about you give me your body? I can grant you eternal life…"
"Grant my ass!"
Marco brandished his Magic Staff. "Litong, Nasofi!" (Storm Blade!)
A tornado shot into the sky, whirling around him. As he pointed his Magic Staff, the vortex swept up everything in its path—bricks and small weapons—hurling them like sharp swords toward Clelia.
"If you don't want to, you don't want to. No need to get so angry~"
Clelia still didn't dodge. She let the gale wash over her as countless Wind Blades slashed her skin and abraded her flesh, until even her ghastly white bones were ground to dust beneath the onslaught.
"I'll leave this to you, pretty boy. See you next time~"
It was that same lazy, gentle voice, its seductive echo lingering in the air.
"Damn it." Marco lowered his Magic Staff. "She still got away!"
The raging storm abruptly dissipated, sending a fierce gale sweeping out in all directions.
It also seemed to blow away his frantic rage, and his expression slowly calmed.
Marco looked at the bodies of the City Guard on the ground, his eyes falling on Guiseppi, whose own eyes were still wide with shock and resentment. He sighed. "Looks like I'll have to buy you that drink some other time…"
...
...
"Captain, what are you planning to do now?"
Wei'en thought about the day's events. 'First the Despair Sect, then the Eternal Life Association, and on top of that, the Bone-Eating Mother Worm and Nightmare Realm Power are still hiding in the shadows…'
'The entire slum is about to be riddled with holes.'
"First, we'll report it up the chain and see what the higher-ups have to say."
Lisi dropped his cigarette butt and stamped it out. "Wei'en, you need to remember something. We're in the logistics department, not the field. We can't just stick our noses into everything we feel like."
"Like the slums?"
"You could say that."
Wei'en felt like he was starting to understand.
'It seems the higher-ups at the Secret Investigation Department, or maybe even the city's leadership, already know about the situation in the slums.'
'Maybe even if we report everything that happened today, no one will come to deal with it.'
Lisi glanced sideways at him. "What did you think, seeing that scene back there?"
"My thoughts? I was scared… and shocked."
Wei'en thought for a moment before answering. "I mean, I thought I was mentally prepared, but I still find it hard to accept that people could do something like that…"
"Scared and shocked?" Lisi's lips quirked into a smile. "Wei'en, you're adorably naive."
'Adorably naive?'
Wei'en gave a wry smile. "…Does thinking that way make me sound stupid?"
"Not at all. Thinking like that is what's normal."
Lisi shook his head and chuckled. "For people like me, Ariana, and the others… when we see something like that, all we feel is numbness, and rage at the criminals who did it."
"But then again, the existence of groups like the Despair Sect and the Eternal Life Association is what gives people like us a purpose, a meaning. Isn't it?"
"Yeah."
'A purpose and meaning… huh?'
A flicker of confusion crossed Wei'en's face.
'Ever since I came to this world, all I've seen are tragedies—scenes of people struggling to survive in a twisted world.'
'In an environment like this…'
'…all I can think about is gaining enough power to survive.'
'Maybe a goal like that isn't as grand as Lisi's, maybe it's even insignificant, but it's the only thing I can manage right now…'
SMACK.
Lisi slapped him on the shoulder with a brilliant smile. "Wei'en, don't let this stuff get to you, or you'll end up just like Roger."
"If you lose control and turn into one of those monstrosities, I won't go easy on you. I promise, I'll chop you to pieces."
"Hiss!"
Wei'en clutched his shoulder, wincing. "I… I get it, Captain."
The slap had not only broken him out of his reverie, but it also genuinely hurt.
'Now I finally understand why Ariana and Marco are so scared of Lisi.'
'With that kind of strength, he's clearly no ordinary person.'
"Lisi! Officer Lisi!"
Just then, Marco came sprinting over, drenched in sweat, his Lamp Staff bobbing wildly in his hand.
"Hm?" Lisi frowned at him. "What's wrong, Marco?"
Marco ran up to them, bent over with his hands on his knees, and gasped, "It's… It's Clelia! She… she…"
Wei'en was about to tell him to catch his breath when a notification suddenly flashed on the panel in his mind.
It was deep crimson and pulsed with red light, as if trying to get his attention.
[You have been targeted by Clelia Yuli Biondini's killing intent. Evaluation: Run while you still can, weakling. Reward: Survival Points +2.]