Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Chapter 319 - 315: Resolution

CREAK!

The next moment, the walls on either side slowly slid open.

A mechanical claw shot out from one side, precisely gripping the blood-red sticker. From the other side, an exquisitely crafted box made of Gold slowly emerged.

The claw steadily placed the blood-red sticker into the golden box. The box then sealed itself shut, perfectly seamless, and several layers of gold foil methodically wrapped around it.

The entire process was calm and uneventful, with no abnormalities.

Once everything was secure.

In a room outside this space.

The group of people, who had been grave and tense, finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

Although Yama’s Token wouldn’t typically reawaken and kill indiscriminately, it was, after all, an extremely terrifying Dream Eye and an inherently unpredictable danger.

Relying too much on so-called experience would likely only lead to one’s demise in a Nightmare incident.

At that moment.

A voice spoke up.

"Elder Gu, what’s going on?"

The speaker was a young man with a face as pale as paper, completely devoid of color. It was Li Chengguang.

His gaze fell upon the person beside him, a thin, withered old man in his sixties with a slightly stooped back.

The old man wore a white coat. On his face was a palm-sized black patch that starkly covered more than half of it.

The surrounding skin was slightly wrinkled, exuding a strange and unnatural distorted feeling.

Under the glow of the incandescent light overhead, the mark even seemed to be slowly squirming, giving off an eerie aura.

Hearing this, Elder Gu just shook his head gently, his tone laced with confusion.

"The killing pattern of Yama’s Token has been terminated."

He paused, then continued.

"Regarding the Dream Eye known as Yama’s Token, based on previous attempts and past records, there’s only one possibility for this situation: the target is already dead, just not at the hands of Yama’s Token."

The meaning was obvious, but such a coincidence was truly baffling.

In fact, several days ago, as soon as he was able to get out of bed, Li Chengguang had gone to Number Zero to submit an application and received permission to use Yama’s Token.

One must understand that the conditions for activating Yama’s Token were extremely harsh, requiring the sacrifice of ten thousand lives.

And as the official power of the Yu Country, they certainly couldn’t just go and capture ordinary people.

Instead, they used death row inmates transported from all over the country.

These were heinous criminals whose crimes were more than enough to warrant direct execution.

Being used as fuel for a Dream Eye could be considered one last use for them.

Situations like this were not uncommon.

The requirements for some Dream Eyes were incredibly demanding.

Because of this, the so-called death row inmates were becoming a resource in short supply.

After Yama’s Token was activated, it strangely remained dormant.

It only showed a slight reaction ten minutes ago, but who could have expected that its killing pattern would now be terminated?

’According to Elder Gu, could it be that the target was being hunted by someone else, got hit by the Yama’s Token attack at the same time, and ended up dying at another’s hands?’

As a formerly outstanding researcher, Li Chengguang had naturally read the information on Yama’s Token, and he knew that the Elder Gu before him would not deceive him.

But even so, his heart was still filled with unwillingness.

He had, after all, paid a hefty price to Number Zero for the chance to borrow Yama’s Token this time.

His goal was to uncover the secret Hu Qi possessed—a secret of utmost importance to him.

It could very well be the key to making a Dream Master immune to the Erosion of a Dream Eye.

It might even allow him to take another step forward.

"Can it not be used again?"

Li Chengguang asked again, refusing to give up.

At his side, the old man known as Elder Gu gave him a deep look and said slowly,

"Of course. After each use, Yama’s Token enters a cooldown period. It can’t be activated again for at least a month.

"Besides, Minister Li, you should understand that since Yama’s Token has already been stopped, there will be no result even if we could activate it again now."

Being stared at by Elder Gu, even someone like Li Chengguang couldn’t help but feel a numbness creep over his body.

Don’t be fooled by Elder Gu’s sixty-something appearance; he was one of the three ministers of the Security Bureau.

He was considered a high-level figure within the Yu Country.

Li Chengguang knew a thing or two about this old man.

Rumor had it that he had lived for a very long time and was a Dream Master who had been around since the founding of the Yu Country—eighty years ago.

It was common knowledge that Dream Masters had short lifespans. Even those who reached the level of a Controller couldn’t guarantee that the Dream Eye within them wouldn’t reawaken.

Yet this old man had managed to live from eighty years ago until now. That fact alone was enough to prove that his power was not to be underestimated.

"You are right, Elder Gu!"

Li Chengguang forced a smile.

Whatever he was thinking, for now, he could only accept this outcome.

...

Night gave way to day, and the sky began to brighten.

A figure slowly walked out of Fox Tail Mountain. It was a young man, and perched on his shoulder was a palm-sized fennec fox.

However, there was a small, charred patch on the fox’s back, making it look rather pitiful.

This person was none other than Hu Qi, and the fox was, of course, Hu San.

With the Shen Kan that had bound it broken by Hu Qi, it was now free to leave Fox Tail Mountain.

After a full night of "friendly" conversation, Hu Qi had gleaned a great deal of information from Hu San. As for whether this information was true or false, that would have to be verified later. Still, it at least proved the value of Hu San’s memories, which were quite useful to him.

Hu Qi had also tried to use Hypnosis on Hu San, but with the power of his current body, it was simply impossible.

This forced him to temporarily shelve his original plan to directly devour and plunder the other’s memories.

After all, as a Dream Eye, Hu San was vastly different from ordinary creatures. It couldn’t even be considered a living being, and it was uncertain if it even possessed a Light of the Soul.

If he devoured it but failed to obtain its memories, it would be a huge loss.

After a night of detailed interrogation, Hu Qi confirmed some of his suspicions.

The figure known as ’Tian’ was the same person from the Security Bureau’s records who had single-handedly turned the tide. His power was beyond imagination.

According to Hu San, that guy had single-handedly withstood the attacks of numerous allied forces and a great many Dream Eyes. He wasn’t unscathed during the process, either. He had even died, but each time, he would miraculously revive.

The Dream Eye called Yama’s Token was once a powerful Dream Eye possessed by one of the great powers. It had been used on the man who called himself ’Tian’. Although he eventually died during the sixth round of Yama’s Token’s pursuit, ’Tian’ seemed to possess an undying Ability. After sacrificing one life, he took advantage of Yama’s Token’s cooldown period to find the Dream Eye, steal it, and finally hand it over to the Yu Country.

’So, the one who acted against me before must have been someone in power within the Yu Country.’

After all, a Dream Eye as powerful and yet as demanding as Yama’s Token was something almost no one could wield. It was mostly used as a strategic weapon.

With just a moment of thought, Hu Qi understood the gist of the situation.

’It must have been Li Chengguang, the one I clashed with before, pulling strings behind the scenes. Since I came to this world, he’s the only person I’ve had a conflict with.’

According to the requirements for using Yama’s Token, one must know the target’s precise information—the more accurate, the better.

And since he had previously used Fang Xi’s original appearance, it wouldn’t have been difficult for Li Chengguang, with his authority and Ability, to find information on the original owner of the body.

But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to lock onto him.

However, because Hu Qi had removed the cover of his Twisted Light on Fox Tail Mountain, Yama’s Token was able to successfully mark him.

’Now that Yama’s Token has been used and is in its cooldown period, and I’ve covered myself with Twisted Light again, my opponent naturally has no way to make another move against me.’

Just as Hu Qi was walking down the mountain path, a figure suddenly appeared before him.

It was a woman with a ponytail and black-framed glasses.

At this moment, although the sky was brightening, the early morning mist had not yet dissipated, and everything around them was hazy.

Nevertheless, Hu Qi recognized her at a glance.

He was a little surprised. ’I didn’t expect her to still be here. Looks like she was waiting for me.’

"You actually walked out of there. As expected, you’re no ordinary person."

When Luo Xiaomeng saw Hu Qi, her gaze merely swept over Hu San on his shoulder before settling on Hu Qi himself. She reached up to adjust her glasses, seeming to have anticipated this.

However, though she appeared calm, Hu Qi keenly sensed the tension and unease hidden beneath her placid expression.

"I know what you want to ask. Those friends of yours are dead, and their passing was anything but peaceful!"

Hu Qi glanced at her and said nonchalantly.

He wasn’t lying. Because of his arrival, the once simple and kind villagers had only managed to slice open the three people’s bellies. Before they could start digging things out, Hu Qi had wiped them out.

When he found the trio later, they were lying at the bottom of a slope, having died in agony.

Hearing this, Luo Xiaomeng’s expression visibly relaxed.

She pointed to the red SUV nearby and said softly,

"This is the middle of nowhere, and there aren’t any other cars. It would be a real hassle to walk out of here.

If you don’t mind, how about I give you a ride?"

As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on Hu Qi, as if awaiting his reply.

"No need. I have no interest in your affairs. You should use this time to solve your own problems."

Hu Qi shook his head.

He was telling the truth.

’Her actions were nothing more than a response to some bullying or a grudge. Those three came here because she undoubtedly pulled some strings, aiming to use the local Nightmare incident to kill them.’

After saying this, he wasted no more words. His figure flickered, and with a single step, he instantly appeared more than ten meters away.

Soon, only a blurry silhouette of his back remained.

Witnessing this, Luo Xiaomeng stood frozen on the spot, a dazed look on her face.

Not until Hu Qi’s figure had vanished completely did she finally let out a long sigh.

She glanced back at Fox Tail Mountain, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Then, she took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and dialed the police. A sob crept into her voice.

"Hello... My friends... they’re missing..."