"Phew... Mmm..."
He swallowed again. After a short, frantic battle where he had killed two more people, Su Zhou could feel his heart pounding fiercely—but now was not the time to waste. There was still much to do.
First, he had to change into one of the guards' uniforms and blend in.
Comparing their builds, Su Zhou gave up on the black guard and walked over to the white one. He lifted the corpse, whose head was twisted 180 degrees, and prepared to strip off its clothes.
And just then, in the unseeing eyes of the dead white guard, Su Zhou faintly saw his own reflection... and froze.
With his eyesight, the reflection in the pupils was surprisingly clear.
And it was utterly strange.
Su Zhou could see an unnatural flush on his face. His pupils were no longer clear as they once were; instead, they seemed to be encircled by a ring of purplish-blue light. A cold aura emanated from him, and within his beast-like, emotionless indifference, a deeply hidden trace of madness and excitement was revealed.
'...Is this what I am now?'
Standing between the two corpses, Su Zhou gripped the white guard's head—the one twisted 180 degrees around—and stared indifferently into the man's eyes. The heart of the young Madman pounded violently, pumping blood from his arteries throughout his body.
Then, he put force into his hands and crushed the man's cheekbone.
Along with this action, listening to the sound of bone shattering, Su Zhou's expression shifted from his initial indifference to a calm smile tinged with a hint of madness.
"Excellent. This expression... It's just like me."
There was nothing to hide.
At this moment, madness and excitement should be the norm for a member of this Mysterious Organization. His own clearly abnormal state was, paradoxically, the most normal state to be in.
Besides, he liked this feeling.
An extraordinary feeling... completely different from ordinary people. That feeling of being 'abnormal'.
Why did he like Anomalies and Kaidan?
Did he really like Ghosts and ghouls?
Yes, and no. More than so-called Ghosts or Exotic Beasts, what Su Zhou truly loved was the feeling of 'abnormality' and 'mystery'—something completely different from the world he knew, something utterly unknown!
Ghosts and ghouls, Anomalies and Kaidan, were all just a part of it, but they couldn't represent the entirety of what he craved. Even this dangerous Mysterious Organization was something that fascinated Su Zhou, something he wanted to explore!
Fearing death and danger is probably an instinct for all humans, but Su Zhou didn't have it.
He might be afraid of heights and dirt, hate cockroaches, and have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but when faced with extreme, life-threatening danger, he would instead become incredibly excited!
Because in that state, life could change at any moment. Not knowing if he would live or die, if things would get better or worse—this unknown and dangerous, captivating feeling of teetering on the edge between 'mystery' and the 'Extraordinary' was simply irresistible to him.
'This terrible nature I've always been hiding... it's finally exposed, huh...'
The young man murmured to himself, but it didn't matter.
The thought lasted only an instant. Soon, Su Zhou had changed into the white guard's clothes and picked up the submachine gun. Compared to the black guard's build of over 1.8 meters, the white guard was just a little over 1.7 meters tall, so the clothes fit perfectly.
Then, he walked straight into the cave.
Although it seemed like he was actively walking into the enemy's den and putting himself in danger, Su Zhou understood that if they truly had some 'Secret Serpent' that could track his scent, running away would only get him discovered. On the other hand, by following the path into the cave, which was heavily used for transporting offerings, his 'outsider' scent would be masked by the same smells.
Besides, he couldn't just abandon his friend. Rather than attempting an impossible escape, he might as well see if the Cultists' hideout had any communication devices to call for help, or create some major chaos so he could rescue Shao Qiming in the confusion.
This wasn't a mad act, but one based on real-world precedent. In both Zhengguo and the American Federation across the Sea of Realms, there had been cases where Mysterious Organizations of nearly a hundred people, and even 'Restored Dynasties,' were suppressed and dismantled by just a few, or even a single, Patrol officer.
And as a Superpower User who had also received relevant training from his father, while he might not be able to suppress a Mysterious Organization equipped with Magical Firearms, he could definitely stir up some major trouble.
'Qiming, oh Qiming, I'm being a good enough friend, right?'
Murmuring this in his heart, Su Zhou moved forward quietly but quickly under the dim light of the mining tunnel lamps. Before long, he was several hundred meters deep inside.
However, the mountain cave seemed to be a modified natural cavern, full of forking passages and solutional caves, making it incredibly labyrinthine and complex. Every slightly larger chamber was lit and showed signs of people and carts. The tunnels spread in all directions, ventilated from every angle, and heaven knows how many natural and man-made vents there were. For a moment, Su Zhou was completely lost, unable to find where the kidnapped tourists had been taken.
Fortunately, since it was a cave, by calming his mind slightly, Su Zhou could hear the sounds coming from deep within the various caverns.
'Hmm... someone's approaching?'
Su Zhou heard many voices: English, Rossian, English with a Zhu Country accent and the Zhu Language itself. He could even hear Chinese, the Fusang Language, and others. It seemed this Mysterious Organization truly spanned multiple nations and possessed considerable power. However, he could tell that the different languages were mostly confined to different areas, which suggested the relationships between the organization's various branches weren't very good.
'Bad relationships... does that mean they're not familiar with each other? It's just a simple guess, but this could be my chance.'
Just then, the footsteps of two people approached. Su Zhou frowned in thought, then walked towards another, silent cavern to hide.
As the footsteps grew closer, the two people's voices became clearer. They were two men speaking English. He couldn't see what they looked like, but their accents sounded like they were from the Federation, not the European Union. The two were pushing a cart, apparently transporting something, and chatting casually.
Su Zhou, of course, understood English. After all, he was a high school student with decent grades, and high school is when most people's knowledge is at its peak. Plus, many Anomalies and Kaidan originated outside of Zhengguo, so to research them, he had to read and learn widely. Over time, he had become quite familiar with the language.
As the two drew near, Su Zhou pricked up his ears to listen.
"The Void Orbit is about to begin... This trade with the 'Great Being' feels a bit too rushed."
"But we have to start, no matter how rushed it is. The 'New Era' is coming. If we don't use this last period of stability to build an advantage, our 'Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association' will definitely be..."
"In the last trade, the organization acquired a great deal of knowledge about Secret Spells. I wonder what the Leader wants to trade for this time. You know, the number of offerings this time is more than three times the last."
"Keep your voice down... In the 'Era of Spiritual Qi Revival,' what do you think is most important? It's obviously not the Extraordinary Knowledge that's bound to become commonplace. It's a constitution that surpasses mortals, and a chance to 'regret' and 'start over'... Think about it, doesn't that fit 'that' perfectly?"
"You mean...?!"
"Right, 'that'!"
The two spoke in hushed, jumpy tones, but just those few short lines of dialogue had already piqued Su Zhou's curiosity.
Void Orbit, Great Being, the New Era of Spiritual Qi Revival, the Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association, the knowledge of Secret Spells obtained through trade, and that mysterious 'that'... these special terms exuded a strange allure.
Honestly, if he didn't have something more important to do, and if it weren't for the fact that there were two of them—making a surprise attack difficult in the cave—Su Zhou would have gone over right then and knocked them out, dragged them to a hidden spot, and properly interrogated them about what all those words meant.
Moreover, the fact that this organization, calling itself the 'Holy Snake Spirit Prayer Association,' had chosen this place for their ritual definitely meant they had a deep connection to the local 'Seven-headed Snake God' of the Shan Country!
'Looks like I'll have to find someone who's alone and force some answers out of them. Otherwise, I won't even know where the hostages are.'
'Besides, right now I've only got two pistols, a submachine gun, and not much ammunition. It'll be hard to create a diversion and rescue people. I have to find out where their armory is. At the very least, I need to find more bullets.'
As the two men walked further away, Su Zhou narrowed his eyes.
The male tour guide, the driver, and the guards outside all had guns. This meant they had a way to get firearms and ammunition. In that case, the armory might have other things as well.
Su Zhou didn't waste any more time. He emerged from his hiding spot in the cave and immediately crept in the direction where the voices were fainter, preparing to grab a straggler and ask about the armory's location.
But just as he was about to head deeper, the voices of the two men who had just left suddenly came from behind him.
"Hold on, Asian."
Hearing this, Su Zhou immediately tightened his grip on the two stones he was clutching, his brow furrowing slightly. He turned around slowly, like an ordinary person who was a bit slow to react.
If they've realized something is wrong with me, I'll strike immediately. Go for the nose or the mouth, the throat is also an option... With my strength, it's enough to knock them unconscious or shatter their teeth. I can't give them a chance to cry out and raise the alarm.
A hundred thoughts raced through his mind, but just as Su Zhou turned completely and was about to strike, he heard one of them speak in a rather arrogant tone, "You. Take this cart of equipment to the disposal point. We're in a hurry to go 'save our seats' in the ritual hall. We don't have time to waste."
He looked up. It was two white men from America. They were pushing a cart loaded with mining lamps and sturdy clothing that looked like protective suits, heading towards a side cavern. They had just rounded a corner when they saw Su Zhou, alone and clearly Asian, and got an idea. One of them taunted him with malicious humor, "Get over here. If you finish pushing this quickly, you might even make it to the ritual in time, hahaha!"
"Alright."
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Su Zhou's previously serious face suddenly broke into a smile—a very happy one. He turned and walked, unhurried, towards the two Americans in the cavern.
"Hey, you look..."
It was only when Su Zhou got close that the two Continuous Prayer Meeting members realized something was wrong... It was true they couldn't distinguish between most Asian faces, and the relationships between the different regional branches really were bad, which was why they had dared to bully Su Zhou, who was alone.
But after getting a clear look at Su Zhou's face, they were startled. This person was so young and his features so striking—even if he was Asian, there was no way they wouldn't have recognized him.
"You want my help moving this?"
But by now, Su Zhou was within three feet of them. A dangerous aura, tinged with a hint of bloodlust, madness, and excitement, washed over them. The young man's gaze was like that of a python eyeing its prey before a hunt, sending a chill straight up their spines.
Su Zhou's cheerful voice reached their ears at that very moment.
"Alright."