A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

"Damn it, how come everyone from Jinghai is so weird?!"

An investigator dodged the spine sword that the fake Ji Zuodao was sweeping across him while yelling curses.

"I thought Li Shuwen, that bespectacled guy, looked alright, but it turns out he's just like his mother, Ji Zuodao! Sneaky and wicked!"

"Don't panic! Follow the old method!"

Xiang Yun was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on the fake Ji Zuodao, his mind racing.

"This time we won't kill him, we'll just pin him down! Make him immobilized, incapacitated, then we'll go after that bastard Li Shuwen! Let's see how he refreshes his ranks then!"

That makes sense.

The remaining investigators also calmed down, exchanged glances, and their eyes lit up again.

Yeah, what's there to be afraid of!

Didn't we already figure out their tactics? No matter how fierce they are, they're still sitting ducks!

"superior!"

With the experience from the first time, their teamwork was even smoother this time.

Feints, pincer attacks, and suppression—a series of fluid and seamless combos.

Although the fake Ji Zuodao was a bit fiercer than before, he couldn't withstand the group's excellent teamwork. In no time, he was about to be pinned to the ground again.

"Now!"

Xiang Yun seized the moment when the counterfeit was being held down by seven or eight people, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the iron spear in his hand emitted a low hum.

The man followed the gun, transforming into a streak of black light that pierced straight towards the heart of the fake Ji Zuodao!

Exactly the same as last time!

"Lie down, you bastard!"

Xiang Yun roared, the cold light at the tip of his spear reaching its peak.

But right at this critical juncture—

"boom--!!!"

A sudden change has occurred!

The fake Ji Zuodao, who had been suppressed, suddenly trembled.

Immediately afterwards, a violent and eerie surge of air, like a firecracker exploding, burst out from every pore of his body without warning!

"Holy crap!"

"It can't be suppressed any longer!"

"This power... Holy crap!"

The seven or eight investigators pressing down on him felt an overwhelming force.

It was like being hit head-on by a battering ram; before he could even let out a scream, he was forcefully blasted away!

Blood appeared in his mouth while he was in mid-air.

The originally thick, dark red ink on the fake Ji Zuodao's body visibly dimmed.

"Explode...explode?!"

Xiang Yun's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What the hell is this?! We didn't see this last time!"

But once he was determined to win, he couldn't stop himself from firing that shot!

The tip of the spear was only three inches away from the heart of the fake Ji Zuodao!

As the fake Ji Zuodao sent the person off his body flying, almost simultaneously he suddenly raised his head, and his scarlet eyes instantly locked onto Xiang Yun and the spear that was thrusting straight at him.

Xiang Yun's heart skipped a beat.

wrong!

That look in her eyes... it's different from before!

No rage, no chaos, just cold, deathly silence, and damn it, a bit of calculation.

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Xiang Yun's mind.

That straight thrust will be blocked! We need to change tactics!

"Drink it—!"

Xiang Yun let out a low growl, and his wrist suddenly twitched and flipped with an incredible force!

The long iron spear, its momentum exhausted, seemed to come alive like a venomous dragon, drawing a bizarre arc in mid-air that defied all reason. The spear tip, from bottom to top, flicked upwards like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, aiming for the face of the fake Ji Zuodao!

The dragon raises its head!

One of the most tricky variations in the Xiang family spear technique, specifically designed to break through frontal blocks!

A cold smile had already crept onto Xiang Yun's lips.

This counterfeit is so aggressive and reckless; he absolutely can't react to such a tricky tactic!

Last time, this "Dragon Raises Its Head" move pierced him three or four times!

"Die, you bastard!"

Xiang Yun could almost see the scene of the fake Ji Zuodao being struck on the head and losing his ability to move.

however--

"clang--!!!"

A deafeningly loud, metallic clang, far surpassing any previous one, suddenly exploded!

Sparks flew all over Xiang Yun's face!

The cold smile on Xiang Yun's face froze instantly.

The pupils shrank to pinpoints!

It's blocked?!

How is that possible?!

It wasn't a hasty parry! That fake sword's other backsword was already waiting there! Its stance was as steady as if it were rooted to the ground!

It was as if... as if they had anticipated his change of tactics and had placed their sword there long ago, waiting for his spear tip to collide with it!

A chill ran up Xiang Yun's tailbone and shot straight to the top of his head!

What made his scalp tingle even more was that his "Dragon Raises Its Head" attack, which he was determined to win, not only failed to pierce through his opponent, but was instead hooked and locked by the joints of the spine sword!

A tremendous force struck, causing Xiang Yun's tiger's mouth to split open and blood to flow freely. He tried to pull out the gun, but the gun did not budge!

"Oh no!"

The moment those two words popped into Xiang Yun's mind, the spine sword that the fake Ji Zuodao hadn't moved in his other hand, carrying a gust of bloody wind, cleaved down towards his forehead!

Fast! Ruthless! Cunning!

This is a world apart from the previous wild and unrestrained swordsmanship!

"Let go!"

With his life hanging by a thread, Xiang Yun disregarded his family heirloom spear. With a roar, he released the spear, pushed off with his feet, and retreated backward with all his might!

"Sizzle—!"

The spine sword grazed his chest, leaving a trail of blood and torn strips of cloth.

Xiang Yun staggered back seven or eight steps before barely managing to stand. Looking down, he saw a half-foot-long gash on his chest, the flesh torn open, and blood gushing out.

His hands were empty.

The iron spear that had been with him for many years was now casually held in the hand of the fake Ji Zuodao, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.

Xiang Yun's face was pale as he stared intently at the fake Ji Zuodao, his mind buzzing.

The Dragon Raising Its Head... was it broken?

How could this counterfeit product have been so easily exposed with such a predictable and effortless manner?

Why didn't that killer move work every time last time?

This thing... it can evolve?!

"Holy crap! Brother Xiang!"

"Brother Xiang, are you alright?"

"What's going on with these counterfeit products? Have they changed their tactics?!"

"Damn, that last move was so weird, like it was calculated that Brother Xiang was going to change his move!"

The remaining investigators panicked as well, surrounding Xiang Yun and looking at the fake Ji Zuodao, who was wielding two swords and whose aura was becoming increasingly eerie, a chill ran down their spines.

How can we fight like this? The tactics will change? The moves can be learned?

Ji Zuodao, who had been watching the show with his hands folded in his pocket, raised an eyebrow and nudged Li Shuwen next to him with his elbow.

Ji Zuodao tilted his head, staring at the fake Ji Zuodao, clicking his tongue, "Hey, Old Li, can this thing of yours actually be used for learning?"

Li Shuwen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a smile flickering in his eyes behind the lenses. He spoke slowly, his tone so casual, as if discussing what to have for dinner:

"Yeah, it's similar to that AI thing, it can learn on its own."

"After each attack, the data is recorded, and the opponent's attack patterns, habits, and killer moves are analyzed to generate a countermeasure strategy. If the same moves are used against him next time, the effect will be reduced, or even completely countered."

"Whoa!" Ji Zuodao chuckled, slapping his thigh. "To strike back and use their own methods against them? Doesn't that make me invincible?"

"Theoretically, that makes sense. But the prerequisite is that he has to be able to understand his opponent's moves."

"Take you, boss, for example."

"The way you fight is too unpredictable, too random, and too unconventional."

"Right now, your combat data is still lying in his database, taking up a lot of space. The analysis progress bar is stuck at 2.5 percent and just won't move."

"This thing, so far, works alright against those of you with more legitimate connections. But against someone like you, boss..."

Li Shuwen paused, then found a more elegant way to put it:

"Those with unusual brain circuits are basically at a loss."

"oh--"

Ji Zuodao drawled out his words, then suddenly realized, grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and laughed in a truly despicable way, "So it's an artificial idiot!"

"you do not say!"

Li Shuwen nodded in deep agreement, then sighed, looking at the investigators who were being chased around like chickens and dogs by the fake Ji Zuodao, screaming in pain. His tone revealed dissatisfaction:

"It's barely enough to deal with these things."

The investigators, who were being chased and cried out for their parents by the fake Ji Zuodao, heard it all clearly.

They were so angry they almost vomited blood on the spot!

Listen to this! Is this even human language?!

Damn it! You've been beating up all of us, the most outstanding and picky people from each branch, and you're saying you're "just barely managing to handle it"?!

What else do you want?! Like that scoundrel boss next to you, you want to just go around killing everything in sight, right?!

So, we, the chosen ones, are just here to be your sparring partners, to give you, this "artificial idiot," experience and improve your skills?!