82. The Gaze from the Abyss

“What an unexpected turn of events! In the end, the victory went to the most improbable team! Let’s hope those gamblers betting on our tournament aren’t too upset~” After the match, Flavii shook his flamboyant head in front of the camera, hurrying off to interview the winners in great strides.

Chen Shang staggered to his feet, shaking his head and coughing up another mouthful of blood. “Damn it, I should’ve run even farther.”

For some reason, he felt the world around him had suddenly become eerily silent. Leaves rustled in the wind, birds passed overhead, the broadsword-wielder strode toward him, the white fox woman was shouting something at his side, and the host with the garish mask and his cameraman were rushing over. Yet, he heard nothing.

“Damn, my eardrums are blown!” Chen Shang slapped his forehead in frustration. His chest and abdomen throbbed with pain—he’d probably cracked a few ribs. Even after boosting all his abilities to 2.5, he was still far too fragile. In the face of true power, even the aftershocks of an attack could leave him battered and broken.

A faint green glow emanated from the crumbling core in his chest, and his injuries began to mend rapidly. The sounds around his ears grew sharper and clearer.

“Hey! Are you okay, kid?” The white fox suddenly yelled in his ear, making him want to punch her in the face. “I called you so many times and you didn’t answer!”

“My ears were busted,” Chen Shang replied casually as he dug at his ear. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be interviewed.”

With the host less than a hundred meters away, Chen Shang led his two teammates out of the arena, leaving only their departing backs for the camera.

Flavii laughed off the moment without a hint of awkwardness, turning to the camera. “It seems our champions aren’t keen on interviews, but that’s all right!”

“The grand finals of the Arena Tournament will be held in a week, and we’ll see this team again. Let’s hope they deliver an even more spectacular performance!”

“Viewers, remember to follow the official ‘Arena Tournament’ channel for updates on the schedule and exclusive highlights. We’ll be selecting lucky fans for a group photo with this year’s champions... And lastly, special thanks to Radiation Bird Corporation for their generous sponsorship!”

As the host bowed out, the television switched to a montage of sponsor ads and the tournament’s best moments.

Chiyo Asougi let out a long sigh and collapsed weakly onto the couch.

“He’s all right, thank goodness...” she murmured, absently lifting her cup for a sip of coffee, only to find it empty.

But before she could truly relax, a more pressing question surfaced in her mind:

Who were Chen Shang’s teammates? Especially that short-haired, beast-eared woman in the leather jacket—not only did she possess extraordinary regenerative powers, she could even turn her severed arm into a bomb.

With so many distinctive traits, she was surely a rare figure in Night Axis City.

Erring on the side of caution, Chiyo made a call.

“Sis at headquarters, help me look into someone. I’ve sent the details in the attachment.”

Within half an hour, a detailed report, well over a thousand words, arrived.

“Demolitionist White Fox... Childhood unknown, registered as a professional assassin three years ago, repeatedly blacklisted.” Chiyo propped her chin on her hand and muttered under her breath.

“Her methods are notoriously flamboyant, often involving collateral damage beyond her target. She once blew up an entire apartment block to kill her mark, resulting in the deaths of all residents; she’s also murdered a client in cold blood after a dispute.”

Finishing the report, Chiyo slumped back onto the sofa, numb and dazed.

“He’s working with those dangerously unstable criminals again? ...Wait, why did I say ‘again’?”

Regardless, Chen Shang had survived the preliminaries, which was both a relief and a new source of dread for Chiyo.

The Arena Tournament finals were nothing like the preliminaries—Chen Shang would face the city’s most reckless desperadoes. Not to mention, Radiation Bird Corporation always added a few “extra surprises” to the arena, making things even more perilous.

She took out her phone, hesitating over whether to call Chen Shang. After a minute’s thought, she quietly put the phone away. Reaching out to him first simply wasn’t her style.

...

After leaving the arena, Chen Shang and his teammates didn’t part ways but instead headed together to the underground district.

Chen Shang had suggested a strategy meeting. The broadsword-wielder and White Fox didn’t object; in their eyes, the kid was oddly reliable—he’d managed to get them to the finals against all odds.

Of course, as someone who always spoke in half-truths and riddles, Chen Shang’s real reason for heading underground was far from the simple explanation he’d given.

Just half an hour earlier, Black Calis had messaged him: a mysterious group was tailing them.

Though Black Calis hadn’t given details, Chen Shang immediately guessed who they were.

In past tournaments, it was not uncommon for standout contestants to mysteriously vanish before the finals.

Even a fool could tell those contestants had been assassinated. Sometimes it was vengeful rivals, sometimes it was the corporations rigging the results... No one truly knew the reasons.

Chen Shang’s team hadn’t exactly stood out during the match—they’d kept a low but not invisible profile, leaving a middling impression. Aside from White Fox’s explosive arm and the broadsword-wielder’s true charged strike, there wasn’t much to draw attention.

After all, Chen Shang wasn’t in it for fame—he aimed to take down the Xu Consortium and, along the way, do favors for both White Fox and the Cinderflame Star Poaching Gang.

But if someone was still tailing his team under those circumstances, it could only be agents from the Xu Consortium.

The three slipped into a secret passage in the underground district, while a plainclothes squad trailing them several hundred meters back came to a tense halt.

“They’ve gone into the underground,” the trench-coated leader reported into his radio. “Do we follow? Understood!”

Led by their commander, the agents—plainly dressed but bristling with hidden firearms and weaponry—filed into the underground sector.

Five minutes later, having shadowed the contestants, they arrived at a sewer entrance.

“What are they doing here?” one agent muttered, confused.

Most people would be out drinking to celebrate a win, not running off to the sewers.

“This reeks. Give me a mint,” one agent at the rear said to a colleague.

But as he reached out, his hand met only his comrade’s bare neck.

He turned, only to find his teammate’s head had been severed, and the body collapsed the next instant.

“Shit...” The agent barely had time to cry out before pain stabbed his neck and all sound died in his throat.

A swordsman in black, face hidden behind a child’s mask, appeared like a wraith at the rear of the squad. While the agents were still reeling, he swept his blade through the air, harvesting their heads one by one.

When the last agent fell, Chen Shang sauntered over to the bodies, picked up a jet-black pistol, and whistled.

“Special issue from the Xu Consortium. Nice gear~”

Chu Jianlai emerged from the shadows, his voice low and heavy. “All dead. Satisfied?”

“Very. I always trust your work.” Chen Shang snapped his fingers, collecting the weapons into a storage crate that had appeared from who-knows-where.

“Let Xiaohei check for trackers later. If they’re clean, we can sell them on the black market.”

The broadsword-wielder and White Fox eyed the masked swordsman warily. “And you are?”

“Just a passing swordsman,” Chu Jianlai replied offhandedly. “Not your enemy.”

“Those on the ground are Xu Consortium hitmen sent to assassinate us,” Chen Shang explained, patting Chu Jianlai’s shoulder. “Thanks to my friend here, we’re out of danger.”

“So, are we still having that strategy meeting?” the broadsword-wielder asked.

“No need. I’ll send you the plan,” Chen Shang said with a grin. “If you have any suggestions, let me know anytime.”

“In that case, see you at the finals!” White Fox swung her arm enthusiastically.

Her shoulder joint gave a loud, grinding pop, triggering another chain explosion. “Ow, ow, ow! It’s going to blow again!”

Watching his teammates depart, Chen Shang shrugged and turned to leave with his swordsman friend.

At that moment, a scent drifted to his nose—nothing like the sewers, more akin to the ocean.

A cold chill raced down Chen Shang’s spine. His mind began to blur; strange shadows seemed to swirl before him, black smoke twisting like tentacles.

—What’s happening? I haven’t even chanted any spells!

He glanced nervously at the cursed book at his waist and slapped his head, trying to snap himself awake.

After five seconds, the hallucinations faded. Chu Jianlai turned to him. “You all right?”

“I’m fine.” Chen Shang shook his head and left the sewer with Chu Jianlai.

Suddenly, blood-red, sinister letters floated before his eyes:

[Your chanting has attracted the attention of an unknown being. A new character is about to be unlocked...]

[Character unlocked: “Goddess of the Abyss and the Other Side” ???]

[Favorability: ???/100]