Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 433: Puppet

“If I hadn’t arrived earlier next time, I might really die here,” Luo Wanya gasped, leaning against a utility pole.

“Next time, definitely,” Liu Dezhu said, then looked at Qing Yuan.

Fires.

Fierce flames.

The moment Liu Dezhu collided with the seven assassins, the high temperature he carried instantly turned several of them into fireballs.

The flames exploded outward, centered on Liu Dezhu and Luo Wanya, sending the assassins flying with the scorching heat wave.

Since becoming a C-Class, Liu Dezhu rarely had the opportunity to go all out. It wasn’t that he was lazy, but Qing Chen had arranged everything so well that he didn’t need to exert himself.

However, at this moment, the power of a C-Class Awakened One was evident in the night of Zheng City.

Violent.

The leaping flames were like notes jumping on a musical staff.

Because awakening releases the body’s potential, Liu Dezhu’s cultivation speed was slower than others, but he still persisted.

Not for anything else, but because the Boss told him that if his cultivation level reached B-Class, it would also bring his awakening level to the B-Class realm.

After hearing this, Liu Dezhu, just as the Boss had told him to stay angry, had indeed remained angry.

But now, looking at Luo Wanya, who usually smiled so sweetly, but whose Face^[-] was so pale, Liu Dezhu suddenly felt angry again.

The last time he was this angry was when his mother nearly died.

Qing Yuan used his remaining eye to carefully examine Liu Dezhu.

However, Liu Dezhu was completely enveloped in flames, making it impossible to see his Face^[-].

Liu Dezhu’s ability had never been exposed, so Qing Yuan couldn’t identify him.

“It seems that an organization is systematically targeting me,” Qing Yuan laughed confidently. “Let me guess, there are two possibilities: one, a Shadow Candidate is a Time Traveler like me, doing quite well in the Outer World. The other is that a Shadow Candidate has a Time Traveler assisting them, who also has reason to eliminate me. Which one are you? And who is your Boss?”

Liu Dezhu didn’t speak; he surveyed his surroundings. The seven assassins were not weak; each had an E-level or higher strength, some even D-Class.

According to the Boss’s guess, Qing Yuan must have a large number of Gene Soldiers around him, because one-seventh of the Qing Family’s annual Gene Medicine quota was in Qing Yuan’s father’s hands.

Based on the timeline, from the time travel incident to the present, an ordinary person could have already taken three doses of Gene Medicine.

Three doses of Gene Medicine, D-Class.

If Qing Yuan’s father, Qing Yu, was truly a Time Traveler, he would definitely create a Gene Soldier force for his son, one capable of fighting in two worlds.

Liu Dezhu was curious how Luo Wanya had managed to poke out one of Qing Yuan’s eyes amidst such a siege.

At this moment, Qing Yuan smiled, “Don’t want to talk? It doesn’t matter; let’s test the strength of your organization first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the seven assassins, having already recovered, simultaneously attacked Liu Dezhu.

Liu Dezhu smiled, “Qing Xing greets everyone.”

The flames around his body suddenly paused, then Liu Dezhu roared and punched towards the approaching assassin: “Down!”

All the training Liu Dezhu had undergone recently culminated in this moment.

His feet served as the foundation, his strength transmitted from the ground to his twisting waist and then to his swinging arm.

The punch, wrapped in flames, struck first, though the assassin had been the first to attack, Liu Dezhu was much faster.

Before the assassin could react, the explosive punch landed squarely on his Face^[-].

A crisp sound came from the assassin’s neck, and he was thrown to the ground, his body twisted.

In an instant, the unparalleled fist burst into brilliant flames.

The flames instantly enveloped the assassin.

Light flowed, flames tore through the earth!

Kusanagi Kyo!

Ryōhakuhachishiki: Orochinagi!

The next second, another assassin behind him swung his knife.

Liu Dezhu didn’t even turn his head.

He bent down and swept his left foot back.

He seamlessly used the tip of his foot to strike the other assassin’s chin, lifting him into the air.

“Up!” Liu Dezhu quickly twisted his waist, jumped, and landed a right hook on the falling assassin.

With a loud boom!

The hook punch again exploded with dazzling firelight, sending the assassin flying into the sky.

Kusanagi Kyo!

Ryōhakuhachishiki: Oniyaki!

Luo Wanya, leaning against the utility pole, was stunned. Was this still the fool from the Daybreak villa, who only knew how to giggle and gossip about the Boss?

While Qing Chen was in Europe, Liu Dezhu hadn’t been idle. He had been pondering how to use his heat energy Awakened One ability.

Nangeng Chen suggested he learn from Kusanagi Kyo in King of Fighters, whether it was useful or not, as long as it looked cool.

“Be careful!” Luo Wanya warned.

As Liu Dezhu fell from the air, two assassins swung their knives at him.

But before they could reach Liu Dezhu, a figure appeared from nowhere and struck the two assassins’ throats with two swift blows.

It was Nangeng Chen, wearing a mask!

Cultivation methods differed from Gene Medicine. After injecting Gene Medicine, the strength would stagnate at a certain level, making it difficult to approach the critical point of the next level.

Nangeng Chen’s cultivation of the Zhunti Method was different. He cultivated his meridians step by step, each cultivated meridian increasing his strength by a bit. He said he was close to C-Class, and his strength would also be infinitely close to C-Class.

This was an advantage that Gene Soldiers could not match.

The two assassins clutched their shattered throats and slowly retreated.

Their shattered throats pierced their windpipes, preventing them from breathing. In just ten seconds, they felt suffocated.

Everything in their vision gradually darkened.

Nangeng Chen silently watched, knowing that he would eventually have to experience this, that he couldn’t always be protected by Qing Chen.

Therefore, he stared intently, without avoiding it.

Trying to make himself accept this feeling as quickly as possible.

The remaining three assassins retreated hesitantly, unsure if other experts were hidden nearby.

Liu Dezhu stood on the ground and said to Qing Yuan, “Your body must be a puppet, although your real body is safe, but finding a good puppet shouldn’t be easy, don’t you feel even a little sorry for it?”

Qing Yuan’s expression remained calm, as if the blood constantly flowing from his abdomen didn’t affect his will.

He smiled, “Perhaps your combat ability isn’t sustainable, so you want to chat and stall for time? It’s not necessary; tonight is just a brief greeting, and I believe we’ll meet again in the future.”

With that, Qing Yuan picked up a dropped short knife and lightly slit his own neck, falling to the ground.

Liu Dezhu’s scalp tingled at this scene.

The intense battle he had imagined didn’t happen, but the scene of the other party nonchalantly slitting their own throat to commit suicide was truly shocking.

Not for any other reason, it was simply because the other party was so calm when committing suicide.

Even though Qing Chen had told them it was a puppet, seeing this would still be shocking.

The three assassins in the distance didn’t linger; they turned and melted into the crowd, leaving the battlefield with extreme efficiency.

Liu Dezhu looked at Nangeng Chen and fell silent for a few seconds, “Was it cool just now?”

Nangeng Chen praised, “I told you, if you want to look cool using fire, you have to learn from Kusanagi Kyo.”

“Uh, you two, help me up,” Luo Wanya said.

Only at this moment did Liu Dezhu finally have the time to examine Luo Wanya’s injuries: “How are you? I’ll take you to the hospital now.”

“No, no,” Luo Wanya, whose Face^[-] was contorted in pain, still refused.

The back of Luo Wanya’s suit was slashed to pieces, like a homeless person.

Liu Dezhu and Nangeng Chen were heartbroken.

They hadn’t expected Lao Luo to have sacrificed so much for Daybreak.

However, after Liu Dezhu touched Luo Wanya’s back, he asked in surprise, “Wait, why isn’t there any blood on your back?”

Luo Wanya said, “Before coming to Zheng City, I knew this trip was dangerous, so I got a bulletproof vest from a friend and wore it underneath. It’s winter, the clothes are thick, and no one could tell.”

Liu Dezhu:

No wonder Luo Wanya had chosen the most reckless fighting style; he’d been relying on his high defense!

Who would have thought?

Which serious Time Traveler would wear a bulletproof vest while fighting!

The seven assassins probably were dumbfounded when they slashed at Luo Wanya’s back – why wasn’t he bleeding?!

Liu Dezhu sighed, “You’re the most clever, Lao Luo. Why are you still pretending to be in pain?”

Luo Wanya said, “I took two cuts on my leg and need some simple stitches. No need to go to the hospital, I can handle it myself.”

Liu Dezhu and Nangeng Chen felt relieved. They surveyed the surroundings: “Let’s go, let’s talk somewhere else.”

“By the way, where’s the Boss?” Luo Wanya asked.

“I don’t know.”

The three assassins split up and silently hurried along the streets.

They passed through the crowd, throwing their knives into nearby trash cans.

In about ten minutes, the three regrouped at the intersection of Fuyuan Road and Shangding Road.

They stood casually by the roadside, as if the battle that had just taken place had nothing to do with them.

Soon, a black business car drove to the intersection, and the rear door automatically opened.

Just as the three were about to get in, a young passerby walked past them, only to see the passerby lightly reaching out.

The assassins felt something light as a feather brush past their necks.

They touched their necks and opened their palms, only to see blood on their hands.

The assassins looked in horror at the tall figure of the passerby, who walked away without turning his head.

The driver of the business car was still looking at the road ahead. Seeing that the three had not gotten into the car, he urged, “Get in the car.”

No one responded.

When the driver turned his head again, he saw the three assassins lying beside the car, in a pool of blood.

The driver looked into the distance; the passerby’s figure had already disappeared. He smiled, “Didn’t fall for it.”

He didn’t restart the business car but got out and left. After walking several dozen meters, he pressed the remote in his pocket.

With a loud boom, the business car exploded into a ball of fire.

This was Qing Yuan’s other puppet. He specifically told the three assassins that he would pick them up, knowing that someone would be following the assassins.

If the other party followed to the vehicle and tried to hijack the driver and assassins to interrogate them for clues about Qing Yuan,

then everyone would turn to ashes together.

Anyway, it was just a puppet; although making puppets was troublesome, Qing Yuan didn’t mind.