Infinity, The Arcade Age
Chapter 517: Soul Power

Chapter 517: Chapter 517: Soul Power

In the early hours of the next morning, within a bustling district, Qin Ming and his group had already arrived and were quietly observing their surroundings, searching for a hidden entrance.

According to the intel provided by Nash, Qin Ming now stood in front of a statue, carefully examining it.

He frowned as he looked up at the massive bronze figure before him.

Based on what Nash said, this should be one of Shadaloo’s secret entrances. However, Nash wasn’t sure exactly how to open it.

Previously, the door had always been operated by someone else, and Nash never got a clear look at the opening mechanism.

Qin Ming ran his hand along the statue, searching for a mechanism but finding nothing. Then, his eyes narrowed.

As he activated his power, a bit of blood flowed from his palm and seeped into the statue, trickling down through its seams.

Since he couldn’t figure out how to open it from the outside, Qin Ming decided to investigate in reverse.

He let his all-permeating blood seep into the inner mechanisms of the entrance and then worked backward, tracing the structure from the inside to locate the trigger.

This method was highly effective. In just a few moments, Qin Ming had mapped out the entire inner mechanism of the statue and quickly pinpointed the switch.

Looking up at the statue’s eyes, a smirk curled at the corner of his lips, and he turned to walk away.

So the switch was in the eyes and required a specially crafted key?

No problem. With his shape-shifting blood, it didn’t matter if the mechanism required one key—or a hundred. Qin Ming could create them all on the spot!

With his unique abilities, if he ever couldn’t survive in the pocket space anymore, he could just come to the real world and become a locksmith—and he’d be wildly successful.

As long as it wasn’t a password or fingerprint lock, anything with a keyhole? Qin Ming could open it in seconds!

Walking along the street to report the entrance intel to the others, Qin Ming suddenly paused mid-step.

He tilted his head slightly and glanced back with a frown, then resumed walking.

But after rounding a corner, he abruptly leapt into the air, springing over three meters high and gripping a wall with one hand to hang there securely.

Looking down from above, Qin Ming’s face was expressionless, his gaze cold, and his muscles taut and ready to strike.

He had sensed someone tailing him just now—but because the street was too crowded, he hadn’t been able to pinpoint exactly who it was.

Gazing silently downward, blood coiled rapidly around his palm.

But after waiting for a while and seeing no one appear around the corner, Qin Ming blinked in confusion.

Then, as if something clicked, he suddenly looked upward—and spotted a floating figure above.

Yes, floating! Hovering in mid-air without support!

Her long wavy purple hair cascaded freely down her back. She wore an elegant red evening gown, with a golden silk scarf draped over her shoulders fluttering in the wind like some kind of celestial robe. She even wore high heels.

Suspended in the air, the woman’s appearance was utterly dreamlike and clashed completely with the aesthetic of the Street Fighter world.

...But only in appearance. Her physique absolutely matched the universe’s standards. While she wasn’t as exaggerated as Chun-Li, she was still clearly toned and powerful—no doubt a trained fighter.

Even though the red evening gown was loose-fitting, it still couldn’t conceal the defined contours of her leg muscles!

Hovering in mid-air, the woman beamed brightly when she saw Qin Ming finally notice her.

"Whatcha looking for, big guy?"

As she spoke, the silk scarf wrapped around her body began to ripple without any wind, whipping through the air like a lash.

It was clearly just a soft, delicate scarf—but at this moment, it cracked through the air like an actual whip!

Seeing it coming, Qin Ming kept a straight face and raised his hand to grab it, seizing it in a tight grip.

But the next second, he suddenly felt tension in his arm—his burly body was actually yanked off his feet by the scarf and flung away!

Boom!

At the last second, Qin Ming managed to adjust his posture, stomping his legs down hard enough to crack the ground beneath him into a web of fractures.

Forced to release the scarf, he looked startled for the first time.

The woman descended slowly, her feet stepping onto the wall like stairs as she walked down vertically with her hands behind her back.

Once she landed steadily, she looked at Qin Ming with a mix of suspicion and caution.

"What terrifying killing intent... Just how many people have you slaughtered to cultivate that kind of bloodlust? Could you be the legendary Akuma? But isn’t that guy supposed to be pushing fifty?"

Qin Ming didn’t answer right away. He merely flexed his fingers slightly.

Just now, he had actually felt a formidable force traveling through the scarf—so strong that even he couldn’t resist it head-on.

A fighter this strong exists in the Street Fighter world?

Instinctively, he pulled out his sunglasses to inspect the woman’s stats.

But as the scan activated, a sharp pain stabbed through his brain, making him frown.

Meanwhile, the woman, who had been observing him carefully, furrowed her brows and snapped disapprovingly:

"Mister, peeking at someone’s private data without consent is very rude! Didn’t your teacher ever teach you manners?!"

The sunglasses failed! No data retrieved!

This wasn’t just some martial arts master... No, wait! There aren’t any known female martial arts grandmasters in the Street Fighter universe! Even top-tier female fighters are rare!

The reason the scan failed was because this woman had special anti-detection abilities!

And combined with her earlier ability to use her scarf like a whip—and even control it without touching it...

"Psychic Master... Rose?!"

At his words, the woman named Rose blinked in surprise. Then she raised a hand to her lips and smiled, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

"Oh? You actually know who I am? I’m flattered. And what may I call you, sir?"

Now that she had confirmed her identity, Qin Ming maintained his grim expression, stepped into a fighting stance, and coldly replied:

"Nut."

"Nut... That’s not funny at all! You rude little jerk!"

Boom!

Rose’s face twisted with anger. She flicked her arm, sending the scarf coiled around it hurtling forward at a terrifying speed.

Qin Ming dodged, and the scarf cracked into a nearby wall, gouging deep, whip-like fissures across the surface—clearly carrying thousands of pounds of force.

To freely control a scarf—or more accurately, any object—and unleash such devastating force, that was Rose’s power:

The power of Soul Force!

The terrifying ability of the Tarot Master Rose, the ultimate boss Vega’s own junior sister!

(End of Chapter)