Who left their last words here?

Chapter 56 Moonlight Shines on Me, New Ability, Thousand Faces Moon Second Transformation! (3rd update, 4k)
Life's encounters are always wondrous.

I thought I'd never see someone again, but we met again.

When I first saw them last night, the scavengers looked like a group of savages, or rather, a fierce, spear-wielding cannibalistic tribe...

But this time when they met, they became like trembling quails, heads tucked in.

It's all the fault of the Special Administration Bureau; their crimes are heinous.

Look how scared they are...

Thinking this, Bai Zhou reached into his robes.

This action terrified the scavengers even more—

It's a gun, isn't it? No matter how you look at it, it's a gun!
This bloodthirsty killer is probably about to pull out his gun and mow them all down in the next second.

"Brother! Uncle! We were wrong!"

There was a timid scavenger, who was also the one who shouted "OiOi" the loudest when he first met Bai Zhou last night...

He knelt down with a "plop".

"We really know we were wrong!"

He shouted, tears streaming down his face.

"We shouldn't have chased you away last time! And we definitely shouldn't have pointed the steel bar at you..."

"Our place is just too smelly and dirty; it's not worthy of you!"

"..."

He set a good example for others.

The other scavengers followed suit, crying and wailing at Bai Zhou with great sincerity.

Bai Zhou: "..."

What I knew was that he was begging for mercy.

Those who didn't know better would think Bai Zhou was dead.

It's like weeping at a grave.

It feels like I've been burned to ashes and am about to get married...

—Although their other half is still completely unsettled.

then,

Under the horrified gazes of everyone—

Bai Zhou shook his head helplessly, but still took out the thing from his arms.

He took it out...

—A crumpled paper bowl, all wrinkled and crumpled.

Faint traces of grease can be seen on the inside.

Raindrops fell on it, wetting the outside of the paper bowl.

After a brief moment of panic, everyone's gaze turned to one of confusion.

Only Old Joe, standing hunched over in the crowd at a distance, remained frozen in place.

"Braised pork! Delicious!"

The boy, holding an umbrella in the rain, with his back to the mountain of corpses and the sea of ​​blood, faced the kneeling scavengers and spoke solemnly.

Then, he looked at Old Joe from afar.

His gaze was like the staff Moses used to part the sea; wherever it went, the crowds scattered.

Bai Zhou blinked twice at the stunned Old Qiao, then casually gave him a thumbs up:
"It tasted really good! I finished it all."

"I just... have a suggestion."

Bai Zhou said with a serious expression—

"Add more cooking wine next time."

"...?"

The pairs of bewildered eyes gradually relaxed.

The sound of rain gradually subsided.

As the water vapor rises, fog begins to rise in the desolate countryside.

Gradually, it covered the corpses lying all over the ground.

"Really... thank you so much."

Using a steel bar as a crutch, Old Joe slowly walked over.

He looked at Bai Zhou with a complicated expression, so shocked that his mustache stood on end.

"This is all completely beyond our imagination."

"Perhaps there are really too many mysteries in this world that we have never understood... and gods."

Old Joe looked at Bai Zhou with awe, seemingly lost in thought.

"If there's anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."

"For example, I can help you dispose of those people's bodies..."

"Hmm..." Bai Zhou blinked.

"I do have something I need your help with."

"What?" Old Joe's spirits lifted.

Bai Zhou smiled but remained silent. He simply turned to look at the scavengers, and seeing their uneasy faces, he suddenly called out:

"Everyone——"

"Please come closer."

He said earnestly:
"I have an announcement—"

The crowd slowly gathered, looking at Bai Zhou with a mixture of gratitude, curiosity, and unease.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Bai Zhou raised one index finger:
"look here."

"--eggplant!"

A miniature ritual etched on the fingertip
With a "pop," it burst into light, and pure white light shone in everyone's eyes.

Time seemed to stand still, and everyone froze in place.

They all looked bewildered, staring blankly at each other.

—Old Joe, who was just expressing his gratitude to Bai Zhou and asking if there was anything they could do for him,

He was now trembling with his beard, staring blankly at Bai Zhou, and asked in a daze:
"Who are you?"

"I?"

Bai Zhou smiled and answered casually:

"An ordinary person passing by."

Then, Bai Zhou's soft voice, unhurried and gentle, resonated in everyone's hearts...

"Feel your breath, gradually become calm..."

"Let your thoughts become light... ethereal..."

Turn around and get away.

"Leave this place—and never return!"

"..."

The hypnotic ritual was thus completed.

Psychological suggestion has been planted in the minds of scavengers.

Watching everyone stagger away, Bai Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Forget everything here, live a scattered life far away from here, and that is the best way to protect them.

Only by returning to being an ordinary person, knowing nothing about the mysterious world, can one avoid being pursued by ominous knowledge.

Now, all those who knew their faces are buried here.

As for whether they remember themselves...

it is not important.

Isn't that what adventurers, or heroes, are all about?
When someone is in danger, a horseman will suddenly appear from the sky and save them from danger.

Then, when the other party asked, "Hero, may I leave my name? This humble woman is willing to offer myself to you,"

He smiled without saying a word, left no name, mounted his swift horse, and rode away.

So incredibly cool.

When doing something, as long as the thing itself is meaningful, that's enough. You do it because you're willing to do it and want to do it.

As for whether he will be thanked or remembered, such things are not important to Bai Zhou.

Moreover, the "water and fire" they were trapped in was originally brought here by Bai Zhou...

The rain finally stopped.

All sounds are silent.

The night was deep, and the fog grew even thicker.

Once everyone had disappeared from Bai Zhou's sight, he prepared to leave.

This is not a safe place to stay; the Special Administration's pursuers could arrive at any time...

Bai Zhou was thinking this.

abruptly—

A sudden surge of inspiration welled up within him!
On a whim, an incredibly strong intuition warned him...

It seems like he's being watched from afar by something!

It was as if some extreme and severe danger was approaching...

The cicadas sense the arrival of autumn before the winds blow.

Developing a corresponding intuition when faced with malice and crisis directed at oneself is also a wonderful use of the "mind".

At this moment--

"Stab it... sting it..."

In the otherwise quiet environment, a call suddenly came from the walkie-talkie.

"it's me."

The major's voice came through the walkie-talkie on the captain of the "Sword Bearer".

"hold onto!"

"Someone has already gone there. Judging by the time, there are still twenty minutes left."

"You must hold Bai Zhou back and make sure he doesn't get away!"

"Reply immediately upon receipt!"

"...Why hasn't there been a reply?"

"..."

But the voice that answered him was Bai Zhou's—

“They can’t answer you.” Bai Zhou rummaged through the captain’s upper body and pulled out the talking “iron lump” from his pocket.
He replied to the lump of iron:
"It seems your men were a step too late."

"I am deeply grateful for your high regard, Major. It seems I should prepare a return gift for you as soon as possible."

"..."

From the moment I first heard Bai Zhou's voice coming through the walkie-talkie

The major fell silent.

after awhile,

"Bai Zhou, right? Do you know the story of the farmer and the snake?"

The major's voice rang out coldly.

"In winter, a farmer found a snake frozen stiff, so he put the snake in his bosom to warm it up."

"But the first thing the snake did after it came back to life was to bite the farmer."

The voice coming from the walkie-talkie pauses briefly here:

“I promoted you from among the fools of the city of the night, but you betrayed me.”

"—You are that venomous snake, Shirazuki."

"The Farmer and the Snake?"

Bai Zhou blinked. "This story... Wan Cheng seems to have another version."

"The story begins with a farmer finding a brown snake frozen stiff, so he puts it in his bosom to warm it up."

The beginnings of the stories are remarkably similar.

But the endings are quite different.

"But the very next day, the farmer angrily erected a sign right where he had found the 'snake'—"

"It says: No urinating or defecating in public!"

Major: "...?"

"I mean--"

Bai Zhou's voice, transmitted through the walkie-talkie, carried a strange calmness.
"Farmers only get angry when they find something they don't like."

"A farmer might pick up a poisonous snake, but that's probably not because he's kind."

"Snake venom can be used to make medicine, and snake bodies can be used as an accompaniment to alcohol... They're quite 'valuable,' aren't they?"

"Me too."

"—From the very beginning, you never intended for the 'snake' to survive the winter!"

then……

A long silence fell on the other end of the walkie-talkie, broken only by the hissing of the electricity.

Finally, the major's voice rang out again, even colder than before:
"Bai Zhou, I admit that I looked down on you in the past."

"I also admit that you are more dangerous, more cunning, and more likely to cause me trouble than I thought!"

"I never imagined that even the Swordholder wouldn't be able to handle you..."

"—But so what?"

"congratulations."

"Next, you'll be facing me directly!"

A cold laugh came from the walkie-talkie.

As if through a walkie-talkie, Bai Zhou could almost see his shiny slicked-back hair.

It's hard to imagine what that deadpan face, always wearing big sunglasses, would look like when it smiles.

—Take a passport photo and let's see.

The major's voice came through the walkie-talkie again:
"Shall we take a guess...?"

"Why did the Blood Worship Cult send four blood-robed elders during their invasion, and why did none of them return?"

"You have no idea what a truly mysterious world is!"

Blood Worship Cult invasion...

Bai Zhou felt a chill run down his spine.

indeed.

Behind the major, there must be forces that do not belong to the Special Administration itself.

Moreover, this hidden private power...

It is probably far larger than the Special Administration's Base 36 in the conventional sense!
"You'd better be prepared to face me head-on, and I hope your knife is as hard as your mouth!"

"—Run away however you want, Shirazumi."

The major concluded by saying:
"He's already here..."

"He'll find you, and very soon."

No one knows which "he" the major was referring to.

But the major was able to make such a prediction with absolute certainty, seemingly with great confidence:
You will die—today!

"..."

"Alright, let's wait and see."

As Bai Zhou replied, he turned his head and cautiously glanced at the thick fog behind him.

As dusk fell, the shadow of the unfinished building had long since disappeared from sight.

The conversation with the major did not prevent this increasingly skilled wanted criminal from quickly escaping the "crime scene."

Good night, Major.

You'd better live well.

Bai Zhou's blessing truly exemplifies the admirable quality of repaying evil with good.

He sincerely prayed:

"I hope you survive this winter."

After all,

With a "plop" sound——

Bai Zhou casually tossed the walkie-talkie into the river by the roadside.

Continue on your way.

"..."

Honestly speaking…

The conversation with the major left Bai Zhou with a heavy feeling in his heart.

The relief of just finishing a major battle vanished in the blink of an eye.

Although the goal of rescuing people was successfully achieved, however...

However, a new crisis followed in quick succession!

That major—

That major has finally decided to step out from behind the scenes and into the spotlight.

For Shiraishu, this was actually a victory.

but……

There are too many mysteries and unknowns surrounding the major.

The sense of oppression he can bring can only be truly felt by confronting him directly!
At the very least—

The only thing that allows a major to remain so confident must be at least a Level 4 Extraordinary!

One can tell by referring to the lieutenant who failed to transform into a bread truck driver...

Level 4 represents a terrifying qualitative leap for an extraordinary individual!

At least in Special Administration Division 36, all the officers were only Level 3, not a single one was a true Level 4...

However, in conclusion—

He decided to return to the stronghold first and meet up with Ya.

At least he still has enough "arrangements" to rely on at his stronghold.

Despite his impressive display of power just now, in reality...

Perhaps, this is when Bai Zhou is at his weakest.

For a short period of time, [Bound Colossus] cannot be used again and enters a cooldown period.

The pain, as if his muscles were being torn apart, made him limp when he walked.

This also requires self-cultivation.

Advancing to level 2 "Adventurer" also requires a quiet environment and a certain amount of time...

Time! Time!

"..."

As Bai Zhou traveled under the cover of night, he pondered and summarized in his mind, occasionally letting out a melancholy sigh.

Through the mist, he looked at the white moon that was finally gradually appearing after the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and muttered to himself.

Life is truly like walking on thin ice.

Being a wanted criminal was incredibly exciting; I could be a three-day angel in a single day.

One problem after another, I feel like I'll be chopped into eighteen pieces and thrown into the river to keep my walkie-talkie company tomorrow.

So many officers were killed tonight...

Who knows how that pretentious guy will put a bunch of nonsense about him on the wanted poster!
but--

Will an adventurer like him, who has just done a good deed, also be favored by fate?

Bai Zhou started daydreaming again.

He fantasized that the moonlight would shine more on him.

Just thinking—

Suddenly, I heard the rustling sound of pages turning in my ear.

In a daze, my brain swelled up, and a series of hallucinations appeared in my mind.

The moon with a thousand faces awaits you in my dreams...

A familiar whisper rang in Bai Zhou's ears.

The brilliant moonlight, like mist and gauze, gathered before me.

—It's as if a person is walking along the riverbank, with the moonlight shining alone!

The Dead Sea Scrolls, which flew out of Bai Zhou's arms automatically, absorbed the rich moonlight while imparting new knowledge to him.

This knowledge converged and spiraled into Bai Zhou's mind, writhing and accompanied by whispering auditory hallucinations.

"This is……?"

After understanding it, Bai Zhou felt a surge of energy.

When you feel sleepy, I'll give you a pillow.

—The second transformation of "The Moon with a Thousand Faces"
The gestation is complete!
(End of this chapter)