Chapter 250: A Final Request

That void-like shadow just floated there silently.

Beneath it lay a still corpse dressed in a red cloak. An ability inhibitor was clamped around its neck and a glass helmet covered its head. It was lifeless, large scorch marks visible on the neck from a powerful electric shock.

This shadow seemed to have grown out of the corpse, like a white flower blooming from red soil.

It seemed devoid of consciousness, suspended in mid-air as if it would remain that way forever.

Only when Lu Xin greeted it did some strange sense seem to stir within. Its form trembled slightly, a flicker of life entering its vacant eyes as it slowly lowered its gaze towards Lu Xin, remaining still and silent.

Instantly, waves of emptiness and despair washed over Lu Xin.

Large patches appeared on Lu Xin’s skin, markings identical to those on the white shadow.

But these marks vanished almost immediately, cleansed by the shadows swirling around Lu Xin.

Some of his shadows even grew berserk, surging forward, threatening to engulf the white apparition.

Lu Xin raised a hand slightly, halting the black shadows.

It was like declaring to his own shadows, “This prey is mine.”

The black shadows swirled nearby, seeming to let out cold chuckles, but ultimately kept their distance.

Only then did Lu Xin turn to the white shadow, speaking softly, “Look around. See what a mess this place is?”

“The hotel glass is shattered, the road is cracked, the railings are twisted… How much do you think it’ll cost to fix all this?”

He sighed deeply. “I actually quite liked this city…”

“So many people worked so hard for so long to draw these neat lines, and you just messed it all up in an instant.”

…

The white shadow, perhaps unable to understand Lu Xin’s words, seemed to glance sideways at Lu Xin’s own shadows.

It didn’t seem to comprehend.

How could someone surrounded by *those* kinds of shadows speak of ‘rules’ and ‘order’?

Lu Xin didn’t bother explaining or arguing.

He already knew from the earlier intel that this S-rank Ability User was dead.

He was communicating with the dead.

Therefore, he couldn’t expect the dead to understand his meaning; he just needed it to understand what *he* was about to do.

“It seems you truly have been longing for death.”

Lu Xin looked at it, saying, “I can feel it – that sense of feeling nothing, just being tired of living.”

“Continuing to live, to perceive this world, must be agony for you. I’ve felt that way before too.”

“But I’m a bit better off. I had things tethering me, and soon enough, I had my family’s company…”

…

The white apparition just floated silently, as if detached from this world.

“I can sense your emotions, so I don’t plan on questioning why you caused all this.”

Lu Xin spoke earnestly, “But you did do these wrong things, so I don’t plan on pitying you either.”

Then, he looked seriously into the shadow’s eyes. “You were used as a weapon to attack Qinggang. So, by eliminating you, I’m sending a warning to those who still intend to weaponize the suffering of others…”

“That seems perfectly fair and reasonable, doesn’t it?”

…

The white shadow gave no reaction. Whether it couldn’t understand or simply didn’t care to respond was unclear.

Perhaps if it had even the slightest desire to respond to others, it wouldn’t have wished for death.

“In a moment, I’m going to kill you in a very high-profile way… make you die again…”

“As an end to this whole affair.”

Lu Xin spoke sincerely to the white apparition, “But before I do that, I need you to help me with something.”

“Since nothing matters to you anyway, you should be happy to help, right?”

…

The white apparition didn’t respond.

So Lu Xin showed a grateful expression. “Thank you!”

As he said this, he slowly reached out, grabbing for the white apparition’s throat.

The white apparition was merely an illusory shadow.

When a person’s hand neared or passed through it, they would only feel a slight tingling sensation.

At the same time, they’d sense its endless void, like a great hole antithetical to emotion.

The feeling of being near it was like having all normal human emotions completely inverted.

Lu Xin endured this sensation, using it to perceive other things.

Invisible threads of perception extended out from the illusory shadow.

Through it, Lu Xin sensed the countless mental monsters nearby, even perceiving their emotions. Some felt fear and despair towards the mad, chaotic shadow, desperately trying to escape.

Others trembled in fear before the gentle, delicate woman.

Still others were chased by a terrifying yet oddly cute girl, wanting only to flee at all costs…

…None of that mattered.

…

Lu Xin used the illusory shadow to search for the specific target he sought.

According to his deductions, this target should exist.

Sure enough, after instantly sensing hundreds of mental monsters, Lu Xin’s eyes snapped open.

He had spotted it: a monster with short, frail limbs but a bloated, obese body. A slit ran down the middle of its torso, revealing a single, somewhat bewildered eye. It ran slower than all the others.

Caught in the chaos, it seemed rather lost.

It hadn’t been eliminated yet simply because it was lucky, like being at the back of a queue.

Lu Xin looked at it and suddenly felt a strong sense of familiarity.

The surrounding shadows instantly grew even more violent, their speed in devouring or destroying other mental monsters intensifying severalfold.

This mental monster also sensed the terror.

So, even though it wasn’t fast, it still struggled to move its little legs, inching forward with difficulty.

Amidst the scattered mental monsters within the vast black shadow covering a hundred-meter radius, it skillfully, coincidentally, remained in the gaps between the shadows. Lucky yet bewildered, it swung its little legs, trembling as it ran forward…

As it ran, it sensed something was wrong. Lifting its head, it saw Lu Xin nearby.

Lu Xin currently had one hand gripping the white apparition’s neck while looking at the monster with a gentle smile.

Seeing that smile filled the monster with intense fear. Almost instinctively, it unleashed its ability on Lu Xin. Its frail, short limbs abruptly extended, transforming into thin tentacles that reached for him.

Lu Xin didn’t dodge, allowing it to grab him.

Then, an unusual drowsiness washed over him, and the world around began to destabilize.

Before the real world vanished completely, Lu Xin glanced at his own shadows.

He glanced at Mom too.

That glance meant: *Don’t interfere with this…*