The most shameless alchemist in history

"Do you really believe that everyone here is your comrade?" Dure didn't answer Kotetsu's question, but instead turned to look at Hyobi.

"Of course, without a doubt, we are all brothers who have gone through thick and thin together!" Leopard Tail said with great pride and confidence.

"Even if someone impersonates the 'brother' you're talking about, you can tell at a glance, right?" Du Lei continued to ask rhetorically.

"This... how can we disguise it? We're all here, how can we disguise it?" Leopard Tail's voice was less confident than before.

"Are you sure everyone here hasn't left?" Dure's tone gradually turned cold and stiff.

"Wait, you mean... Ape Arm?" Bee Sting, who had been silent, suddenly frowned. She turned sharply to look at Ape Arm, the one who had returned injured to deliver a message to them but was still unconscious. He had been scouting ahead and had left the group.

"Ape Arm? You're saying Ape Arm is a ghost or a phantom? Is it in disguise?" Leopard Tail also realized what was going on. He examined Ape Arm closely and the more he looked, the more suspicious it seemed.

"Huh? Mr. Ape Arm was an imposter? This is really..." Winry was also shocked by this, her face full of disbelief.

"Miss Wenli, please step back! Ape Arm is in danger!" Bee Sting warned from behind Wenli and stepped in front of her.

All eyes were immediately on Ape Arm. The previously unconscious Ape Arm began to sway and regain consciousness. He touched his wounds and looked around. At this moment, both Tiger Che and Leopard Tail jumped to the outside to keep their distance from Ape Arm and watched him warily.

"Damn it! You're impersonating Ape Arm! Are you trying to kill us? Where's Ape Arm? What have you done to him? Hand him over now, or you'll regret it!" Leopard Tail shouted, as if facing a formidable enemy. A pair of iron claws appeared in his hands, gleaming coldly.

Having just regained consciousness, Ape Arm looked at Leopard Tail, Tiger Che, and the others in confusion, gesturing as if trying to explain something.

"It seems we can't get him to confess honestly. Take him down immediately!" Bee Sting was on the opposite side of Leopard Tail, with the two of them sandwiching Ape Arm in the middle. She was ready to attack.

"Was Mr. Ape Arm kidnapped and hidden away? No wonder something felt off from the beginning. It turns out Mr. Ape Arm is a fake." Wen Li timidly hid behind Bee Sting, still unable to believe that the Ape Arm in front of her was a fake.

"Bee Sting, let's attack at the same time and take him down! Move!" Leopard Tail shouted, ready to charge forward.

"Stop acting." Just as the fight was about to begin, Du Lei suddenly said this indifferently.

"What?" Leopard Tail, who was about to make a move, froze and stopped abruptly.

"This ape arm is real. I personally bandaged his wound, don't I know that?" Du Lei vouched for the ape arm.

"But that's not what you just said. If Ape Arm is real, then who is fake? Are you making a fool of us?" Leopard Tail was a little embarrassed and angry. He shouted at Du Lei, feeling like he had been fooled.

"Was it only Yuanbi who left just now?" Du Lei gathered his thoughts and reiterated this proposition.

"Of course, the one who just left... no, there was also that girl named Bailing, but she's not here." Leopard Tail thought carefully and came up with another person, but since Bailing wasn't present, there was no possibility of her being an imposter.

"No, besides Ape Arm and Lark, there are others who have disappeared from our sight." Kotetsu, who had been silent, finally spoke up. From the beginning, he felt that something was wrong, but he could not find the discordant note. Now, after careful consideration, he finally found the crux of the problem.

"Besides Ape Arm and Hundred Spirits, who else could it be? I don't remember anyone else leaving. I didn't leave, this kid didn't leave, and you, Tiger Che, didn't leave either. As for Bee Sting, you..." Leopard Tail shifted his gaze to Bee Sting.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Haven't I never left either?" Bee Sting felt uncomfortable being looked at with suspicion, so she snapped at her.

"You just gave so many examples, but why did you miss one person?" Du Lei asked Leopard Tail.

"What? You missed someone? Who else could you have missed?" Leopard Tail was completely bewildered. He counted on his fingers, and it was definitely these people.

“Miss Winry, she just disappeared from our sight,” Du Lei said with certainty.

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390. Revealing their true form.

If it were possible that the ape arm was an imposter, Leopard Tail and the others could accept that. But now that Dure has pointed the finger at Winry, the person the escort team is supposed to be protecting, this is something that Leopard Tail and the others cannot accept under any circumstances. Leopard Tail, in particular, immediately rushed over and grabbed him by the collar.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could Miss Winry be a ghost in disguise? Are you out of your mind?" Leopard Tail shouted, clearly pleased with Winry. After all, someone of her noble status was incredibly approachable and had a wonderful personality.

Whether for public or private reasons, he was determined to protect that person with his life. But now that Dure had pointed out that Winry was an imposter, Leopard Tail felt like he had been fooled, which was exactly what he hated most. He tightened his grip, making it hard for Dure to breathe.

“Mr. Dure… isn’t it a bit much to joke about me being some ghost or imposter? I’m Winry, the real Winry! We came from Maple Leaf Academy together, right? We’ve been through so much together, how could I be an imposter?”

Wenli seemed startled by Durei's words, and she spoke with aggrieved expression, hoping to prove her innocence.

“Miss Winry disappeared from our sight… there was indeed a moment, but that doesn’t prove anything. Miss Winry’s aura is definitely real.” Bee Sting thought carefully. Not long ago, Winry did leave once, when she hid in the bushes to relieve herself.

She followed, but she could only watch from the outside and didn't turn around to look. It was true that Wenli disappeared from sight, but Bee Sting was even more certain of her sense of smell. She could clearly sense that Wenli's scent was exactly the same as before.

“Our time is precious, and I hope you won’t mislead us and waste it, otherwise I’ll have a hard time not suspecting your intentions,” Kotetsu reminded Dure. He said this because he hadn’t found any flaws in Winry.

In fact, before Dure pointed out that Winry might have a problem, he never suspected this noble young lady at all, because it was too outrageous.

“I understand, you don’t need to be nervous. I was just making a little joke. How could Miss Winry be a ghost? It’s just that the atmosphere is too tense…” Dure waved his hand and said with a smile.

The leopard tail that had been grabbing his collar and lifting him off the ground finally let go, and Du Lei finally landed on the ground. He coughed twice, feeling very uncomfortable being lifted like that by the leopard tail, so he simply squatted down on the ground and gasped for breath.

"Are you kidding me? You're definitely out of your mind, joking about something like this. I'm warning you, if you joke about Miss Winry again, I'll kill you." Leopard Tail glared at him fiercely, giving a stern warning. Miss Winry wasn't someone you could mess with.

"Okay, okay, so let's continue now..." Du Lei nodded repeatedly in agreement. As soon as he said that, the few people who had been on edge all breathed a sigh of relief. In this moment of tension and relaxation, no one noticed the cunning glint in Du Lei's eyes.

They didn't even notice that the moment Du Lei stood up, patting the dirt off his backside, he suddenly swung the large crossbow he was carrying on his back to the front, and with lightning speed, nocked an arrow, pulled the trigger, and fired it forward. His entire action was accumulating momentum and was completed in one smooth motion.

Clearly, he had planned this all along. His movements were so fast that even the leopard tail, who had just relaxed, and even Kotetsu didn't notice. By the time they realized what had happened, the sharp arrows were already flying towards their target, aiming straight for Winry!

"Miss Winry! Damn it, what are you doing? How dare you hurt Miss Winry? I'll kill you!" Leopard Tail shouted as he realized what had happened. He immediately rushed towards Winry, who was caught off guard and took the arrow from Dure, falling backward.

Enraged, the leopard tail extended its iron claws and charged forward menacingly, determined to tear Du Lei to pieces!

“Miss Winry… Huh? What happened?” Bee Sting tried to step forward to support Winry. She was also terrified by the sudden turn of events. After all, Winry was the target they were protecting. If anything happened to Winry, their mission would fail.

But just as she was about to step forward, she suddenly sensed something was wrong. She was suddenly shot with an arrow. The weak and powerless Wenli should have fallen to the ground, and blood should have splattered from the chest where the arrow had struck her.

But at that moment, Bee Sting clearly saw a large amount of black smoke gushing out of Wenli's chest, like black gas being expelled from a deflated balloon.

"Miss Winry? No, that's not right, you're not Miss Winry, what are you?" Kotetsu originally intended to go after Dure, he couldn't tolerate someone killing the target he was escorting right under his nose, that would be an absolute humiliation for him.

But now he has also noticed Wenli's current situation and made a judgment immediately.

The person who was shot by Dure at this moment was not Winry at all. Her body quickly turned into black smoke, leaving only the outline of her face!

"So you've finally shown your true colors? You're quite the actor. If it weren't for this method, I wouldn't have been able to force you out." After firing one arrow, Du Lei placed another arrow in the mechanism, ready for the second shot. Among everyone present, he saw it more clearly than anyone else.

He had already noticed that Wenli was acting strangely. He had only said that to lower their guard, and he dared to pull the trigger when they were off guard. Otherwise, with his abilities, how could Kotetsu and the others have let him succeed?

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, it really hurts! I haven't felt this way in so long, this pain that cuts to the bone, this excruciating feeling... For a moment, I even felt like I was still alive, the feeling of being alive... Hehehehehe." The black smoke let out a strange, cackling laugh.

Although its surface still retained Winry's outline, its body rapidly turned into smoke, appearing particularly eerie in the darkness.

"Who are you? Where is Miss Winry? What have you done to her?!" Leopard Tail roared.

Winry is a very important person to him, and absolutely nothing can happen to her!

"Are you talking about that little girl with that face? Hehehehe, she's already dead," the black smoke replied mockingly.

His words were full of endless mockery.

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391 Where is the flaw?

The dramatic changes that occurred in those few minutes were unacceptable to everyone. The team, which was originally doing well, had internal problems due to the presence of the Ghostly Spirit. Kotetsu and Hyo-o had initially suspected Ape Arm, but Ape Arm was born mute and could not speak.

Just when Ape Arm was unable to defend himself, and Kotetsu and Hyo-o were indeed planning to take him down, Dure pointed out that the problem wasn't Ape Arm, but Winry. This bold guess really startled everyone, because Winry was the last person who should be suspected.

The concept that "Miss Winry should be protected and should not be doubted is deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. Anyone can have problems, but Miss Winry could never have problems." Dure's conjecture aroused public outrage, and Leopard Tail took the lead in attacking him.

Dure didn't seem to stick to his speculation, simply dismissing it as a "joke." Just when everyone thought it was really a joke and would be over, Dure suddenly attacked, pulling the trigger on Winry. This action was unacceptable to everyone.

He thought disaster was about to strike, and Leopard Tail was filled with a mix of anxiety, worry, and anger. But what happened next really shocked him. Winry, who was perfectly fine, turned into a puff of black smoke, with only her face still retaining her features.

“Miss Winry…was she impersonated at that time? Damn it, it’s all my fault. If I had been more careful, this wouldn’t have happened!” Bee Sting carefully recalled the details of when she followed Winry to relieve herself in the bushes, and she was filled with remorse.

“Don’t worry, the real Miss Winry should be safe now.” Dure was certain of this and didn’t believe the black smoke’s words.

"Hehehehe, safe? Why do you believe she's safe? I've already eaten her, her flesh is incredibly tender and delicious!" Black smoke swirled in the air as she approached Du Lei, speaking to him from a superior position.

"Because you need to rely on Miss Winry's aura to continue the performance. If Miss Winry were really dead, then Uncle Kotetsu and the others would definitely have noticed. The reason why they haven't noticed your true identity yet is because Miss Winry is still alive, and you are using her aura as a cover."

Du Lei faced the black smoke, with less than five meters between them, but Du Lei remained fearless.

"That's right, the reason we didn't notice Miss Winry was switched is because her aura was still there. Miss Winry is definitely still alive. Hand her over immediately!" Kotetsu roared, his anger reaching its peak. He didn't want to be tricked by this black smoke.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect you guys to be so much smarter than you look. But why should I give her back to you? What good would that do me?" Black smoke swirled in the air, constantly changing its shape, but Wen Li's face remained unchanged, though her smile was particularly eerie.

"So what benefits do you want?" Dure calmly negotiated with the black smoke, knowing that Winry's safety was the top priority.

"Tell me first, how did you see through me? My aura should be exactly the same as that woman's, there should be no flaws." The black smoke was very curious about this question. She circled around Du Lei, which gave people a creepy feeling.

“It’s a mark,” Dure answered truthfully.

"A mark? The mark you carved on the tree?" Black Smoke looked at the tree next to him, which had a cross-shaped mark left by Dure on it.

"Yes." Dure nodded in affirmation.

"You're lying. How could you possibly conclude that I'm an imposter just based on the mark? That's impossible." Black Smoke didn't believe Dure's words.

"The explanation is actually quite simple. When I made the mark, only Miss Winry... or rather, you were watching," Dure explained slowly and deliberately.

"So what...so what?" Black Smoke didn't believe that Du Lei could conclude that she was an imposter based solely on this.

"So that's how it is." Bee Sting, who was initially puzzled by how Du Lei could see through the black smoke, suddenly understood.

"What is this then?" Leopard Tail was a little confused, and he subconsciously turned around and asked Bee Sting.

“After we circled around here three times, Dure could still see the mark he carved on the tree, but there were subtle differences between the mark and when he carved it. This means that the person who created the illusion saw the mark Dure carved, but the sight was not accurate enough, which caused the error.”

Bee Sting quickly found the crux of the problem, and she patiently explained, with a very clear point of entry.

"So... only Miss Winry... no, only this monster saw the mark left by Durley, right?" Although Leopard Tail wasn't good at thinking, Bee Sting had already explained it to this extent, and he could also figure out some of the details.

“I understand. Did you conclude that the problem was with me because you noticed that when you left the mark, only I glanced at you?” Black Smoke carefully recalled the scene at the time, and Du Lei caught the details that even she herself had not noticed.

"That's about right, so I've answered your question. Can you tell me what you want now?" Dure nodded. He didn't deny it. Right now, he only cared about one thing: Winry.

"You ask me what I want? Actually, what I want is very simple. I want what you all have, it just depends on whether you are willing to give it to me." The black smoke continued to swirl in the air, its shape ever-changing, as she spoke from her superior position.

"Whatever you want, as long as Miss Winry is safe and sound, we can give it to you!" Leopard Tail said through gritted teeth. He was never one to negotiate with others, especially not under duress, but he had no other choice for Winry's sake.

"Fine, then give it to me! What I want is... your lives!" Black Smoke suddenly let out a strange laugh. With her shrill laughter, the surrounding scenery began to blur, and the once lush forest disappeared in a distorted light.

Instead, there were vast, barren, and withered mountains. The surrounding area was bare, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and death. The bones of the dead were scattered everywhere on the ground, and the cold wind blew into the marrow of every pore. Night had quietly fallen without anyone noticing.

All around was pitch black, with only faint, eerie green flames providing a glimpse of the path ahead.

Just as Du Lei and his group were still feeling disoriented by the sudden change in their environment, the black smoke had already floated into the air. Suddenly, it transformed into dozens of black arrows and shot towards Du Lei and the others, clearly aiming to take their lives!

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392 has been weakened.