A strong wind blew.

A roller shutter door shook.

The dead leaves of autumn were swept up and scraped against the metal roller shutter like sharp knives, making ear-piercing screeching sounds, showing the intensity of the wind.

But even so… the fog was still thick.

Even this strong wind couldn’t affect the thick fog, as though it were confined in an invisible air vault.

Inside the factory, everything was white.

A thick fog enveloped the core area where the sealed object was. In the thick white fog, there was a dazzling red  light. The floor of the old factory was cracked like a volcano, flowing with scarlet patterns crisscrossing like molten lava.

Shi Li was crouching at the intersection of the red patterns.

He took out a sealed iron canister from his pocket and twisted the lid open. A scarlet liquid akin to blood slowly poured out.

This blood-like substance was all transcendental essence!

Moreover, the aura was very strange, as though it had been extracted through some ancient mystical technique.

Shi Li’s movements were slow and steady.

He patiently titled the iron canister to the smallest extent to ensure that he could pour out the essence smoothly. Thus, in the snow-white fog, the scarlet blood-like substance flowed continuously, forming a faint but distinct long line. Finally, this dripping scarlet essence poured into a square-shaped box in the center of the scarlet patterns on the factory’s floor.

The box was only the size of a palm, but it resembled a gaping, insatiable mouth.

The entire content of the iron canister slowly poured out, disappearing into this bottomless pit.

Then came the second bottle.

The third bottle.

…

By the time Shi Li had poured out all five bottles of the scarlet liquid, nearly half an hour had passed.

He stood up and looked at the small box on the floor that was finally full and slowly digesting with a satisfied smile.

Suddenly, a clang came from outside the roller shutter.

Though the sound wasn’t loud, it immediately attracted Shi Li’s attention.

Someone’s here! Shi Li’s expression darkened.

He lowered the brim of his hat and stood silently in the thick fog of the factory, restraining his presence.

The entire world fell silent.

It seemed that the noise just now was merely an auditory illusion. The person who had accidentally touched the fragile roller shutter must not have expected it to be so delicate.

The person outside remained silent and didn’t make any further noises, probably hoping that the people inside the factory would think it was a hallucination.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Shi Li didn’t think it was a hallucination.

Although he had chosen the most remote Old Town in Dadu to ‘conduct the experiment’, it had been an entire day since the sealed object awakened, so being discovered now wasn’t surprising.

The fluctuations of the sealed object were greatly suppressed.

Ninety percent of its power was concentrated within this factory.

The overflowing fog seeped out into the deserted Iris Pellet Street and likely spread to other streets. Perhaps it was some unlucky fellow who had accidentally entered Iris Pellet Street.

If it’s an ordinary person, then there’s no need to worry. It won’t be long before this person withers naturally. Shi Li frowned. But if it’s a transcendent, I don’t have to worry about them entering the factory. Without a specific protection item, trying to break in is courting death.

Recently, every time he came to Old Town, he felt like he was being watched. Wait… Perhaps… I’ve long been targeted. This time, that person followed me to Iris Pellet Street.

Shi Li’s expression remained calm, with only indifference in his eyes.

Gu Shen’s guess was right.

This thick fog blocked everyone’s vision, and even the members of the Eternal Foundation, who had released it, were not exempt.

It was very difficult to track anyone here.

Similarly, it was very difficult to detect being tracked.

Is it because I’ve been coming to Old Town too often?

After sorting out his thoughts, Shi Li chuckled self-deprecatingly. Regardless… this game of cat and mouse had now completely reversed.

In this thick fog, he was the cat.

The other side was the mouse.

Shi Li silently walked out of the factory and looked at where the sound came from… Although he couldn’t see anything, he was certain.

There was a person standing there in the direction he looked, on the other end of the broken wall.

About ten meters away, a tall figure stood in the thick fog, holding a motorcycle helmet in one hand and pressing against the dented roller shutter of the factory with the other.

Hu Danian controlled his breathing, trying to keep himself relaxed and not too tense.

The fog was thick and enveloping.

In the end, he chose to trust Gu Shen and came to the factory to expose himself as bait.

In this fog, sound was the primary source of information. Making that noise was to tell Shi Li that… someone was here.

He had exposed himself.

He stood still and waited silently.

Hu Danian closed his eyes.

In this situation, sight was no longer important because he couldn’t see anything. So he had to trust in his intuition, his split-section reactions in life-and-death moments, and… the yet-to-be-exposed Gu Shen.

…

Shi Li advanced slowly.

He knew all too well… the limit of the fog’s visibility.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Stop!

A few more steps forward would be where that person stood.

A dagger silently slid down from his sleeve. The dagger had a black dragon bone engraved on it. At this moment, the dragon bones seemed to come alive and had a life of its own as it slowly stretched its body on the blade of the dagger.

The moment the dragon bones moved, Shi Li moved as well.

He instantly stepped into the range of the fog’s visibility. Sure enough, what greeted his eyes was a towering figure leaning against the wall, but the man stood silently like a stone statue, as though he were waiting for Shi Li to approach.

Is it an ambush? Shi Li only had a moment to think.

He stabbed forward with a cold expression. Yes, but so what?

The dagger reflected a cold  light, and its speed soared. The fog, which even intense wind couldn’t blow away, was driven away by the rapid speed and vaguely showed signs of spreading out.

With the sound of a booming sonic blast, the dagger pierced into something hard and round.

At the last moment, Hu Danian opened his eyes, and like a furious vajra, he swung the helmet in his hand fiercely. The alloy helmet was pierced by the dragon bone dagger, but the red silver lining inside immediately poured out, causing the dragon bone pattern on the dagger to emit an angry, mournful wail. When transcendental power encountered high-logic material, it was akin to lava meeting liquid nitrogen.

Hu Danian had traveled all over for half a lifetime, and this helmet was a treasure he had treasured for many years. Once the lining was punctured, the red silver inside would flow out. No matter where he went, with this helmet, there would be an additional container for sealed objects.

The dagger pierced into the helmet, triggering a violent reaction between two completely opposing forces.

Boom!

The helmet suddenly exploded, and red silver splattered in all directions. The dragon bones on the dagger let out an enraged cry, and its cold  light reflected in Shi Li’s cold eyes. From within this small dagger, a bone actually detached and rose up. This wasn’t an engraving… but a real sharp bone that grew out from both sides of the dagger. This short weapon instantly transformed into a three-pronged arrowhead and was swiftly thrown from his sleeve!

Hu Danian’s pupils constricted as the dragon bone pierced his cheek, and distinct beads of blood splattered in the air.

In a flash, he seemed to see… a bone chain connected to the end of the arrow dagger.

Swoosh!

Shi Li raised his hand and pulled back. The extended bone spike in the shape of a barb, like an eagle’s claw, retracted from behind Hu Danian’s head.

The sound of the trembling wind entered Hu Danian’s ears, and he quickly dodged to the side, but it was already too late. Another spray of blood erupted as the bone spike scraped away the flesh from half of his neck!

Hu Danian covered his neck tightly, his face extremely pale.

He felt dizzy.

Blood kept gushing out from his neck. He squeezed hard, but it had no effect.

Everyone happened too quickly.

From Shi Li’s attack to the dagger’s transformation, this man’s ability was related to his bones. The bone spike extending from the dagger and the bone chain connected to its end should be an extension of his skeleton structure.

“Sincere Society, North Hall, team two, Hu Danian.”

Shi Li looked at the weak man in front of him and recognized Hu Danian’s voice. He smiled faintly. “You’re investigating me. Who’s behind you? Lu Nanzhi, Cui Zhongcheng?”

Hu Danian smiled weakly. “That’s an interesting question.”

Shi Li subconsciously didn’t mention Zhao Qi.

Although Young Master Zhao had an undeserved reputation, he still represented the dignity of the Zhao family after all, and he enjoyed the resources and privileges befitting the successor.

“…” Shi Li also realized his mistake.

However, he didn’t care and said calmly, “You’re about to die. You should think more about yourself.”

Even if he didn’t make a move, Hu Danian was still doomed. With such severe injuries, he wouldn’t be able to survive long in the fog of Iris Pellet Street.

“Before I die, can I ask you a question?” Hu Danian smiled faintly.

He pointed at the fog. “What’s in this building?”

Hu Danian didn’t know when Gu Shen would take action.

But he knew this kid was a mental-type transcendent, and Shi Li had the mental trigger planted by the Eternal Foundation in his mind. Even if he succeeded, the secret of this fog would remain unknown.

“What a dutiful dog.” Shi Li looked at Hu Danian, who was covered in blood, and shook his head with a smile. “I’ll tell you after you die.”

He leaned forward.

Suddenly, Shi Li’s pupils constricted as he ‘slowly’ looked down.

The shattered helmet fragments and the red silver liquid had moved and gathered under his feet at some point, as though some mysterious force had collected, constructed, and solidified them into a fortress welded to the ground.

This red silver fortress locked his feet firmly in place.

The moment he raised his feet to lean forward, his body tipped forward uncontrollably.

“… What?” Shi Li looked bewildered.

Did Hu Danian… deliberately cause the helmet to explode?

Was it to wait for me to let my guard down and then trap me? But what’s the use of trapping me?

Immediately after, a sharp gust of wind blew past his ears.

A silver cold  light burst in front of Shi Li.