Butterfly charged forward with unwavering determination!
He was betting on it-betting on speed and reflexes, betting that Ling Mo wouldn’t be able to conjure up more tentacles in such a short amount of time.
Utilizing psychic power also required time and preparation. No matter how concentrated one’s mind was, there would inevitably be a brief gap between forming the thought and successfully manifesting the tentacles. Butterfly’s goal was simple: seize that gap and close the distance as quickly as possible to defeat Ling Mo in one decisive strike!
“If I kill you, I can carry on with our plan! If I kill you, I can secure more supplies! There’s no right or wrong in this… It’s all just survival… Yes, just trying to stay alive…”
Butterfly’s expression grew increasingly twisted with intensity.
Closer… Just twenty more meters! He could feel the airflow brushing past him now!
But then…
“Why isn’t it moving?” Butterfly suddenly froze.
The airflow… it had gone completely still.
No vibrations, no killing intent, nothing at all…
Did Ling Mo give up? No, impossible. His expression… that face of his was still as infuriating as ever. There was none of the fear Butterfly wanted to see-no panic, no signs of distress, not even a single bead of cold sweat. To Butterfly, such unshakable composure felt like an insult.
Was it a trap?
“Underground!” Butterfly quickly focused on the ground beneath him.
Aside from the sharp, stabbing pain radiating from his body, the ground seemed completely calm.
“Above?”
But the space overhead was equally silent and still…
Deep in thought, Butterfly continued closing the gap between himself and Ling Mo-
Only ten meters left!
“What do I do?” Butterfly stared intently at Ling Mo.
Things were unfolding in a way he hadn’t anticipated. He hadn’t expected a twist like this at such a critical moment.
Time was running out. Should he keep charging ahead, or pause to reassess the situation?
“No time… If I back down now, he’ll gain the upper hand… So far, he’s only been using those invisible attacks anyway…”
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but in the blink of an eye, Butterfly had already entered the ten-meter radius!
“Here we go.”
In stark contrast to Butterfly, Ling Mo seemed utterly composed.
From the moment he closed his eyes, he had devoted his entire mind and body to controlling the tentacles.
This was the most straightforward confrontation yet-and he had to win!
Butterfly was fighting for his own survival, but Ling Mo was fighting for Ye Lian and the others to survive.
Not just to survive, but to keep evolving, with his guidance, step by step…
“And both Fang Ying and your existence can provide me with some valuable information… So…”
A sudden gust of wind surged forward. Even with his eyes closed, Ling Mo could sense the terrifying force that Butterfly had amassed, barreling straight toward him. It was like countless blades shooting toward him. Once touched, the outcome would be mutilation-a broken body with not a single bone left intact. 𝖗åŊօBƐŝ
“I didn’t expect his explosive power to be this overwhelming… And it’s probably thanks to the combination of black and red energy that he can turn his strength into this meat grinder-like force…” Ling Mo thought to himself, even in this precarious moment.
“Die!” As Butterfly unleashed his punch, a peculiar smile flickered across his face. It was part relief, part cruelty, and utterly vindictive. He seemed to be savoring the mental image of Ling Mo’s dreadful end, as though watching his opponent being obliterated piece by piece was the pinnacle of satisfaction.
“Heh… When did I start becoming like this? Is it because of the virus? Perhaps… At some point, I just began hating others… But if even someone like me could gain this power and survive to this day, doesn’t it mean I was meant to live? To live on, no matter what, and to clear away any obstacle that dares stand in my path!”
Butterfly’s hand lunged toward Ling Mo’s head, and in his mind, he already envisioned what would happen next-
The sudden, guttural scream, the sound of a cracking skull splitting apart little by little, the distorted, unrecognizable face…
“Come to think of it, I’m really growing fond of this feeling.”
“Pop!”
The faint sound came suddenly, snapping Butterfly out of his sinister musings, leaving his expression momentarily blank.
But immediately after that, an intense burst of noise erupted all around him like an explosive geyser!
“What’s that sound?” Butterfly blinked in disbelief as his eyes widened.
The airflow… Centering around both him and Ling Mo, a vortex of turbulent airflow had suddenly erupted.
Or rather, this wasn’t just airflow-it was a full-blown storm!
Butterfly could dance with the wind, but in a frenzied storm like this, even he risked being shredded to pieces.
“Impossible… There was no sign, no warning… How could I have missed it?!”
Struggling to comprehend, Butterfly’s body reflexively hunched forward within the storm, only for countless bursts of blood to erupt violently from his entire frame.
This unexpected turn of events not only left Butterfly in shock but also drew a startled cry from Tang Hao, who had been anxiously awaiting the outcome.
What just happened?!
One second, it seemed like Ling Mo was done for, completely overpowered. But in less than a moment, it was Butterfly who was gravely injured!
From his position, Tang Hao, lacking any advanced Sensing Ability, was utterly clueless as to what had transpired in that split second. And it wasn’t just him-Butterfly himself had no idea what had just happened, even though he was the one being attacked.
“Whagh!”
As Butterfly suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, Ling Mo’s cold voice drifted over from the side.
“At first, I didn’t quite understand, but just now I figured it out. You are indeed not fighting alone…”
But when Qi-Ge, the predominant part, meaning when Butterfly (male) was in use, the sister half was not completely idle.
Qi-Ge was attacking, while she was sensing.
“As for how you’re able to sense things,” Ling Mo continued, his tone as casual as if he were explaining a basic principle, “I suppose it’s related to the restructuring of your body. But honestly, that doesn’t really matter.”
It didn’t matter how Butterfly sensed him. What mattered to Ling Mo was deciphering how the two halves of Butterfly shifted roles in such fluid tandem.
“The moment your sensing ability is weakest,” Ling Mo said evenly, “is when both of you exist simultaneously. In other words… by simply listening to your voice, or even your breathing rhythm, I can figure it out.”
Suspended in mid air, Butterfly continued to spew blood as his trembling body struggled to find balance. His eyes burned with rage as he glared at Ling Mo, though one question continued to plague his mind.
How did he manage to become still?
“You still don’t get it?” Ling Mo said, as if reading Butterfly’s thoughts. “It’s quite simple. Stop all unnecessary thoughts, focus only on your breathing, then adjust your movements based on that single rhythm. That’s it.”
As Ling Mo spoke, his hand calmly reached for a pistol, his movements slow and deliberate.
“Wa–” Butterfly barely got out a word before Ling Mo cut him off.
“Sorry, I’ve got other matters to attend to. I don’t have time to waste psychic power on you anymore.”
What followed next could only be described as utterly devastating.
Despite being just a few meters apart, the blazing-fast battle came to a chilling end after a series of rhythmic “bang, bang, bang” gunshots echoed through the air-almost thirty shots in total. At one point, the distinct click, slide of a magazine being replaced could be heard amidst the chaos.
“Huuh…”
Exhaling lightly, Ling Mo lowered the smoking barrel of his gun. His calm and composed demeanor stood in stark contrast to the gruesome aftermath before him.
The ground in front of him was now drenched in fresh blood…
Butterfly lay sprawled on the ground, his body convulsing unnaturally. He wasn’t dead yet-but he was close.
From his position, Butterfly turned his red-hued half of his face toward Ling Mo. His eyes, filled with venomous hatred, locked fiercely onto him. A silent, burning resentment radiated from his gaze.
“I…”
Ling Mo walked up to Butterfly, crouched down in front of him, and spoke in a calm tone. “Not willing to accept it?”
Butterfly’s lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to spit at Ling Mo. But all that escaped was a weak trickle of blood.
His gaze shifted toward the pistol in Ling Mo’s hand. With great effort, he forced a faint, sardonic smile onto his face.
“You…”
Ling Mo casually held up the pistol, glancing at it as though it were nothing special. “Oh, this? It was just to interfere with your judgment of air currents.”
“So that’s it… The thing I hate the most… is actually… myself…”
Butterfly’s pupils began to dilate, his breathing faltering. Suddenly, his limbs convulsed violently twice before going completely limp. His body ceased all movement, but his eyes remained wide open, as if still filled with disbelief. Slowly, the butterfly-shaped markings on his skin began to dissolve into the air, vanishing without a trace.
“Does the mutation system Superpower rely on consuming the main body’s life force?” Ling Mo murmured as he stared down at Butterfly’s lifeless form. “Or could it also be tied to the depletion of psychic power?”
He deliberated for a moment before straightening up with some effort, his body still carrying the weight of battle.
The moment he turned around, Tang Hao, who was staring at them in shock, shivered suddenly.