Chapter 171 - Neo-Human

The broken, bronze pillar was severely corroded and covered in rust.

Cassius took a long look at it, then reached out to pick it up. Traces of its engraved intricate patterns were still present, but over time, its beauty had been worn down from exposure. The break looked uneven. Cassius's grip tightened slightly as he snapped the forearm-length pillar into two pieces.

"The power of Black Rain Manor that once resided in this bronze pillar is gone." Cassius casually tossed the pieces to the ground.

Unfortunately, he was in the real world. He was no longer Twilight and couldn't summon a black carriage with a flick of a bell. Otherwise, a simple ring would reveal whether Black Rain Manor was dormant or in a state of revival.

Cassius continued roaming the wilderness near Baihua Town, where he found more broken bronze pillars. Some were buried deep in the ground, others smashed into pieces, and some were missing. Perhaps the villagers had scavenged some to use as tools.

Without the protection of the Black Rain Manor's power, the bronze pillars were just pieces of metal. Unlike in Twilight's era, they did not possess the ability to automatically hide themselves from ordinary people's detection.

After wandering for a while, Cassius returned to the area near Baihua Town. Glancing at the smooth, orderly mountain road, he pulled out a pair of oversized sunglasses from his pocket. Half a minute later, a tourist in a white T-shirt and blue casual pants took his place.

Cassius began moving toward the interior of the Anta Mountains. There was hardly anyone along the perfectly straight path so he ran swiftly with barely a pause in his steps.

Fifty years ago, only a few hunters here and there passed through the mostly untouched wilderness of the Anta Mountains. However, times had changed, and signs of human activity were obvious in the lumber workers chopping wood which was in high demand.

Over the decades, the Anta Mountains had changed quite a bit. In recent years, tourism companies had even built leisure resorts near the Mokarensa Waterfall in the Anta Mountains, offering tourist services, summer getaways, and sightseeing attractions. Now the number of wildlife had decreased while signs of human activity increased.

The road from Baihua Town led straight to Blue Star Manor, and passing by the vehicle toll booth and through the pedestrian pass, Cassius soon arrived at the entrance of the manor.

Glancing behind him, Cassius noticed that many wide and narrow paths converged toward one of the gates of Blue Star Manor. The path he had walked was a smaller one, likely meant for tourists who preferred to hike. The other, wider cement roads were designed for vehicles to drive straight in.

Nearby, a sleek black car slowly approached. The window rolled down, revealing an elegant woman. Her wavy, wine-red hair obscured her refined features, and her purple eyeshadow complemented her glossy red lips. On her delicate, pale earlobes, a golden crescent-shaped earring dangled, shimmering faintly in the light.

"Hello, ma'am. Are you planning to stay at the manor for a while or will it just be for a short visit? I suggest using the parking spaces outside the manor if it's the latter. There's shade, and it'll be easier to drive out later," said an attendant, dressed in a vermillion uniform with a matching hat, as he came toward the car.

"I plan to stay at Blue Star Manor for a day," the woman replied with a gentle smile, removing her sunglasses. Her voice was melodic and captivating.

The attendant, a middle-aged man, blushed slightly, his eyes betraying how captivated he was. As the two continued their conversation, Cassius shifted his gaze and walked straight through the entrance.

Half a minute later, the black car slowly approached the entrance, choosing to park near the gate. Behind the security booth window, a young clerk was asking the woman for her details.

"Name."

"Haisha Hilal."

"May I see your driver's license?"

"Of course."

A few seconds later, the black car drove into the manor.

Blue Star Manor was of moderate size, with pristine inner white walls. Inside, there were villas, relaxation areas, a pool, and a supermarket, along with a coffee shop, souvenir shops, and more.

It was evident that Anta City was currently in its peak tourist season as about two-thirds of the parking spaces were occupied by many large family groups.

Around noon, Cassius sampled the local specialty dishes at the manor's restaurant. They were... Well, quite terrible and undeserving to be called specialties. Having spent time in Anta City fifty years ago, he had never encountered such a bizarre dish—stuffed fish heads on pizza. Seven or eight pale fish heads were baked into the soft pizza, their eerie eyes gazing upward toward the sky. The abomination was probably imported from abroad.

At a window seat in the restaurant, Cassius took a sip of his juice, glancing a few tables over at the beautiful woman with wine-red hair. His gaze was calm and casual, much like the other men around, who were all sneaking glances at her. Cassius's look was just one among many.

At a pale yellow square table, the woman named Haisha dined gracefully, cutting a piece of pizza with a shiny silver knife and fork. Occasionally, she sipped from a glass of orange juice, her red lips barely touching the rim.

Perhaps because she had been beautiful all her life, she was immune to the lewd gazes of men. She acted as though they weren't there, calmly maintaining her table manners.

A few meters away, Cassius frowned. He couldn't see anything like a mark on the back of her hand, yet the faint, cold aura she emitted felt strangely familiar.

After lunch, Cassius exited the restaurant. He had barely taken a few steps along the path when he noticed a group of people gathered under a parasol near the supermarket. In the center of the crowd stood a man wearing, despite the heat, a fitted suit with tight pants and a black top hat.

It seemed to be a magician. He was holding a black-and-white striped wooden cane, performing tricks for his audience. He pulled out a deck of cards, selected one, and flicked it lightly. The card spun rapidly and hovered in midair, rotating around an invisible axis.

The onlookers gasped in amazement. Some couldn't resist stepping forward to wave their hands above and below the card, suspecting there was an invisible string holding it up. The magician smiled as he watched, even stepping back a bit to avoid obstructing the view of the audience.

Once the tourists had satisfied their curiosity, he waved his hand and swiftly retrieved the card. Next, he tossed the entire deck into the air. With a simple stretch of his right hand, all the cards flew back toward him as if drawn by a magnet, neatly fanning out in perfect order by suit and number. The smooth performance earned him another round of applause.

Cassius gave the magician a long look, then continued walking toward his lodging. On the way, a group of teenagers dressed in student uniforms brushed past, laughing and chatting as they went.

Cassius paused, glancing back. A cold, stern-looking young man with his hands in his pockets trailed at the back of the group. His eyes were an unusual shade of emerald green.

"Interesting. Very interesting." Cassius chuckled softly before resuming his pace.

Time flew, and evening soon arrived. Inside the manor, about a hundred meters from the villa, in a yellow-and-white apartment, a dark figure stood on the third-floor balcony. Motionless as a statue, he silently observed the scene below.

Just a few dozen meters away, the soft yellow glow from a streetlamp cast long shadows across the road. Beneath the trees lining the roadside stood three figures, appearing deep in conversation.

They were two boys and one girl. The girl wore a white floral dress that showcased her slim figure. The two boys were equally tall—one had emerald green eyes, while the other sported fiery red hair.

"Ro, if Uncle Soro finds out we came to the Anta Mountains to play, we're dead. Are you sure he's away on a three-day trip?" the red-haired boy asked.

"Of course, and it's not just a business trip. Uncle Soro has other matters to attend to, so he definitely won't be back anytime soon," the green-eyed boy replied coolly.

"That's good." The red-haired boy nodded in relief.

The pale-skinned girl chimed in, "I could sense many people in this manor who were just like us during the day. No...they were more like neo-humans."

Two minutes later, the three finished their conversation and began walking down the road together. From the shadows of a nearby building, a tall man slowly stepped out, his face expressionless.

"Neo-humans?"

***

Only the faintest moonlight filtered through the dark clouds veiling the sky. The mountain wind swept over the vast sea of trees, leaving them rustling in waves.

Near Blue Star Manor, on an uphill path not far from the waterfall, a black figure was making its way deeper into the forest. Dressed in an all-black suit with a top hat, it was none other than the young magician.

About a hundred meters away, the three teens hid behind a large rock by the roadside. Periodically, they peeked out to check if the magician had noticed them, and once they were sure he hadn't, they continued to follow cautiously from a distance.

"Over here."

"Be careful, don't let him spot us."

"Damn it, I should've known better than to wear a skirt."

The three figures, still in student uniforms, trailed behind, following him deeper into the forest for about five or six kilometers. There, the moisture in the air became more intense, and the vegetation grew denser. Every now and then, they could hear the distant roar of a waterfall.

Suddenly, the magician stopped in his tracks, turned around, and shouted, "Stop hiding and come out! You've been following me all the way from the manor!"

They'd been discovered! All three of them froze, their hearts skipping a beat. Just as they hesitated, a dark figure leaped out from the nearby forest. It was a woman, dressed in a body-hugging outfit.

The moonlight illuminated the woman's curvaceous figure and her wine-red hair that was tied in a ponytail hanging down her back. It was none other than the elegant Haisha, except now she radiated a refined aura.

Gone was the aristocratic air she had earlier. "You shouldn't have called me out, darling. I just wanted to see where you were heading in the middle of the night." The woman's voice was husky and lazy, like a Persian cat stretching languidly. In fact, her eyes resembled those of a feline, her pupils were shaped like slits, like a cat's. There was a seductive but dangerous glint in them.

"

Heh

, do you really think I'd believe that? All neo-humans who come to the Anta Mountains are after the Pure Black Demonic Water. Looking for a fight? Unfortunately, you've picked the wrong opponent." The magician narrowed his eyes, a dark energy radiating from him.

His right hand became a blur as he swiftly drew a deck of cards from nowhere. With a flick, a card—the Ace of Spades—whizzed through the air, spinning quickly. It wasn't too fast when it left his hand, but as it flew through the air, it gained speed, turning into a blurred streak.

"Meow!"

In the moonlit night, a lazy, seductive cat's meow echoed. Haisha sidestepped with incredible agility, dodging the card as it whistled past her and embedded itself deep in the ground with a thud. The card wasn't made of paper but metal! Its edges were razor-sharp and perfect for slicing! If that powerful strike had hit an ordinary person's neck, their head would've been cleanly severed.

"You reek of psychokinesis—you must be from the Psychokinesis Association~" Haisha purred, her body coiling with anticipation.

Haisha was now leaning against the tree in an incredibly flexible position, her perfect figure more pronounced than ever. She no longer looked fully human but a hybrid between a human and a cat. Her sharp claws dug into the tree, stabilizing her position, with pointed ears and fine white teeth pressed against her fiery red lips.

"Beast transformation?" The magician raised an eyebrow, but his hands never stopped moving. With a swift motion, his palm opened, and the specially made metal cards shot out like a deadly rain of petals.

The metal cards spun rapidly, slicing through the air in dangerous arcs, reflecting the white moonlight as they whistled through the night.

Haisha, now half-human and half-cat, had extraordinary senses and unparalleled dexterity. Dodging the barrage of attacks, she weaved through the forest at lightning speed, closing in on the magician.

The metal cards that missed their mark lodged themselves into the ground, tree trunks, and rocks.

Clink! Clink!

Sparks erupted as stone shards were sliced off.

"Holy crap!" The red-haired boy hiding behind a rock quickly ducked his head as a small lock of hair was chopped off by one of the metal cards, falling to the ground. "They're insane! This is like being shot at with a gun!"

Next to him, the girl in the dress wore an expression of pure shock. That level of power had to be from neo-humans in the second or even third stage. They were witnessing true experts in combat.

The green-eyed boy touched a faint scratch on his arm, and his already cold expression darkened even further.

Whoosh!

A sharp silver card spun rapidly, slicing a falling leaf in half. Suddenly, from the shadows of the forest, two blurred fingers reached out.

Clink!

The card was caught in midair.

Cassius calmly retracted his hand, casually squeezing the card. The metal crumpled with a crackling sound, as if it were made of soft clay, and fell to the ground in a small silver ball.

"This power... how pathetic. I thought I'd encountered some newly risen, powerful neo-humans, but it turns out you're just a group of Hellsings, and a watered-down version at that. I can understand lions, tigers, brown bears, and even cheetahs, but why would anyone use the blood of an animal like a cat."