Chapter 301 - The Book of the Devil

Black Peacock had a strong will to survive, and always placed his safety above everything else. It was clear from his mastery of the Intangibility Covert Martial Arts Secret Technique how much he feared death.

He was a core member of the Gate Organization, which didn’t have any hierarchical relationships with other core members. Even the mysterious leader, who was rarely seen, was considered his equal. Core members of the Gate Organization faced few binding restrictions upon joining, so Black Peacock felt no pressure as he surrendered instantly.

Although no core member of the Gate Organization had ever been captured alive, Black Peacock didn't mind being the first. After all, survival was more important.

Black Peacock knelt on the mostly intact, gray-white floor of the plaza, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. Since he felt no inner turmoil or hidden agenda, his gaze was unusually clear and straightforward, making it clear to everyone that he truly intended to surrender.

There would be no tricks nor any desperate attempts at mutual destruction.

His eyes slowly swept across the six figures standing like towering giants around him. Some stood several meters away, while others were just behind him, forming an inescapable circle.

A mix of powerful auras filled the air, pressing down heavily.

Black Peacock glanced at the group and took a deep breath.

"I understand..."

Suddenly, he raised his hand and struck his own chest. Since he didn’t defend himself, the force immediately injured his vital organs. He loudly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. His lips stained crimson, and in that moment, Black Peacock's aura weakened drastically.

He coughed three more times before looking again at Cassius and the others.

"Is this enough? Can I stand up now?"

When they saw the oddly sincere look on Black Peacock's face, the six exchanged glances. Slowly, their intense auras began to subside.

***

Hours later, around seven in the evening, the battlefield had quieted. The once warm, slightly stifling air of the day had settled to a cool evening. The deep blue sky had darkened into a deep black. Heavy clouds hung in the sky, accompanied by twinkling stars and a soft, glowing white moon.

The light from the stars and the moon mixed together, creating a cool, silvery hue. It was like a fine veil brushing softly against the faces of passersby along with the evening breeze. The moonlight was serene, bringing a sense of calm.

The night life in Kura City had begun in full swing. The main roads of the city center were busy, filled with vibrant streets and lively crowds. The neon lights of the night were bright and colorful, like streams of silk.

However, the street where the Tulip Antique Exhibition was located remained dark and lifeless, with not a single light in sight. It was filled with an eerie stillness.

The area had been sealed off by the Black Ops Agency. All the local residents and hotel guests had been evacuated, while yellow police tape surrounded every street and alley, blocking off all the exits. Numerous heavily armed officers from the city's police department patrolled the area, preventing anyone from entering.

Officers in blue and black uniforms were busy working in a four-story building across from the Tulip Antique Exhibition. Some were holding notebooks and steel pens, apparently recording the damages to the building and the street as instructed.

Several police cars with their lights flashing were parked nearby.

"The impact point is on the third floor, facing the street. The wall has been punched through, likely by a large, fast-moving object with immense momentum. One, two, three... eight walls in total were breached. The object passed through eight walls, coming out the other side of the building in a straight line," reported a shocked officer on the third floor.

In the street behind the building, others were describing the scene as well.

"The crash site is this massive crater, about four meters in diameter and two meters deep. The force of the impact must have been immense. The ground within a fifteen-meter radius has caved in, and the stone pavement on most of the street has been shattered. The object... looks like a steamroller?

"The steamroller's frame is twisted, and the metal structure and axles bear the marks of being hit by fists. From the number, location, and shape of the dents, it appears the damage was caused by a fight between two people."

"..."

A police car with blue and black stripes wobbled down the uneven street, its wheels bumping and skidding over the rough surface. After what seemed like an eternity, the car finally arrived near the building and came to a stop.

A slightly overweight, middle-aged officer opened the door and stepped out, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he approached.

The officers on either side greeted him with respect. "Deputy Chief Edwin, sir... Good evening, sir."

Edwin nodded and made his way to the back of the building. He approached several officers who were busy documenting the scene and glanced at the Special Operations Team leader, who was speaking with his subordinates. Edwin took a couple of quick, short strides toward him.

"Charlie," he called.

"Good evening, chief," Charlie replied.

The two exchanged a glance before walking to a secluded corner.

Edwin spoke in a low voice, "Regarding today's incident inside the sealed-off area, no one in the Special Operations Team is to disclose any information to anyone. Not to family members, not to colleagues at the station. Understand?"

The usually calm deputy chief's tone was unusually stern.

"I understand. All members of the Special Operations Team have signed confidentiality agreements. We will not reveal any details about the operation," Charlie said seriously. The Special Operations Team handled cases involving terrorism and serial killings, and occasionally helped the Black Ops Agency clean up after incidents involving the supernatural. Naturally, its members were highly discreet.

"I know you've signed confidentiality agreements, but this time it's different. In the past, if anyone leaked information, they'd get a warning or be fired. This time, if anyone leaks anything, they'll be handed over to the Black Ops Agency. Do you understand what that means?"

Edwin's tone grew even more severe as he continued. "This time, the Special Operations Team's records and analysis will be classified as Class A secret files, with the highest level of confidentiality."

"Class A!"

Charlie's pupils constricted. He had been the leader of the Special Operations Team for ten years and had encountered mostly Class E supernatural events. He had only ever dealt with three Class D incidents in total. There had only been two dangerous Class C incidents since the establishment of Kura City's supernatural event archives, and never a Class B one.

Yet now, he found himself dealing with a Class A event. Charlie couldn't help but feel his throat tighten as he felt the pressure.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded heavily. "Chief, I'll remind the team repeatedly. The mission report will be written and submitted on-site..."

"Good. Once you're done here, head over to the severely damaged circular plaza and continue the documentation. The Tulip Antique Exhibition and the dozen surrounding buildings were all affected..."

"It won't take long; I've already checked it out. Yes... everything has been leveled. Be careful not to trip over the rubble."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Edwin patted Charlie's shoulder.

"No..." Charlie had just started to speak when a sudden scream echoed from the surrounding darkness, followed by a muffled thud.

A tall man with black hair, dressed in tight-fitting combat attire, emerged from the thick shadows. He was dragging a figure behind him like a lifeless dog. The long hair and graceful figure suggested it was a woman. Her toes dragged silently across the ground.

She seemed like a lifeless corpse, devoid of any signs of life.

"Who goes there?!" Charlie blurted out in alarm, his right hand instinctively reaching toward his waist. But Edwin suddenly grabbed his arm midway through the motion.

"Mr. Feng Liusi, is someone from another powerhouse spying on us? If you need assistance, please let us know," Edwin said in an unusually respectful tone, his demeanor humble. Despite the polite words, Edwin's grip on Charlie's wrist tightened so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Nothing serious, just some overly curious ants. You focus on your own job. I'm leaving," Feng Liusi said coldly.

He dragged the woman with him, disappearing quietly into the darkness. Half a minute after Feng Liusi left, Edwin finally exhaled, his forehead covered in sweat. He released Charlie's wrist and glanced at his somewhat bewildered colleague.

"This Mr. Feng Liusi is a distinguished guest of the Agency. Earlier this afternoon, we saw that high-ranking figure from the Black Ops Agency, Mr. Amos, treating him with great respect," Edwin said as he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. "I arrived here a bit earlier than you did today. About two hours ago, I personally witnessed Feng Liusi catch a spy. The spy resisted fiercely, crashing through two or three walls in the process."

"Feng Liusi seemed a bit irritated. I saw him use just one finger, like this, and gently touch the person's forehead..." Edwin mimicked the action, his eyes filled with fear.

"And then what happened..." Charlie, whose forehead had just been tapped, swallowed nervously.

"That person cracked open into pieces. First, the skin, like a spiderweb. The flesh followed, falling apart as if it had been stewed, bit by bit. Without the muscle to hold it in, the internal organs and blood vessels fell out, all at once. What was left was just a gleaming white skeleton. Just thinking about it..." Edwin made a retching motion.

Charlie hurriedly touched his own cheek, as if afraid his skin might suddenly start falling off.

His eyes now held a deep sense of dread.

When he saw Charlie's panicked expression, Edwin felt an inexplicable sense of relief, and even a kind of satisfaction. Disgusting things needed to be shared, after all. Keeping them bottled up only made one feel worse.

Whether that disgust would now transfer to Charlie was of no concern to Edwin. He felt much better. Stuffing the sweat-soaked handkerchief into his pocket, Edwin turned to leave but then paused, as if something had just occurred to him.

"Oh, by the way. Don't go into the back hall of the Tulip Antique Exhibition just yet. Mr. Amos and his people are resting there."

"Oh, understood." Charlie nodded absentmindedly.

Meanwhile, the back hall of the antique exhibition was brightly lit.

Two bodies lay in the middle of the room, one shattered into pieces and the other reduced to a mushy heap. They were covered in thin plastic sheets, resembling shrouds.

Across the room, a figure with blonde hair sat on a light brown leather sofa. He took a sip of hot tea before setting the cup back on the table.

Over the course of the afternoon, Cassius had mainly done three things: first, he had examined the two bodies; second, he discussed the ancient ruins antiques and related information from the Tulip Antique Exhibition with Cloud Dog Fist; and third, he conducted a brief interrogation of the unusually cooperative Black Peacock.

The first matter concerned the bodies of Garoro and Lotus. Lotus, of course, needed no further explanation; the Amalgamation had been drained dry. However, Garoro, as a core member of the Gate Organization, possessed one of the Gate Fragments. Cassius had tried to use his senses to manipulate it, but was unable to make any meaningful impact.

The second matter was straightforward. Cassius and the others quickly obtained information regarding the origins of the antiques. Most of them had come from an elderly collector in Bright Mountain City. After the collector passed away, his grandson had consigned part of the collection to the exhibition for auction.

The third was the information provided by Black Peacock. For certain reasons, Black Peacock was tight-lipped about some details, refusing to speak even under threat of death. He wouldn't explain why, either.

But on other matters, he was surprisingly forthcoming. This included the Gate Organization's objective: the legendary Book of the Devil, a cursed tome said to bring misfortune to those who possess it. The book was rumored to contain forbidden techniques and maps of ancient ruins.

It also had the ability to refine and transform blood, extracting the personality, memory fragments, desires, skills, secret techniques, and even combat experience of the original owner. This refined blood could then be injected into another person.

The downside, however, was that one would also inherit the curse and the accompanying misfortune. It was important to note that this tempting ability only applied to low- and mid-level supernatural beings. For combat artists at Cassius's level, complex secret techniques were more of a fatal weakness. They pursued a pure and unified spirit as they focused on mastering a single path. Absorbing refined blood would only pollute their Qi.

In essence, the gains didn't outweigh the risks. Only creatures like Dead Blood would remain unconcerned. The Book of the Devil's ability was more suited to rapidly cultivating a group of battle-ready subordinates, rather than enhancing the abilities of elites.

When he heard the description, it was clear to Cassius that the so-called Book of the Devil was actually the Kupan Demon Box that the Blood Spirit Society had sought. The indestructible box contained the true artifact—the Book of the Devil.

Cassius then asked Black Peacock how to open the Kupan Demon Box. But Black Peacock had no idea. He wasn't lying either; the method was known only to the Gate Organization's leader. Black Peacock and his comrades had only been tasked with acquiring the box, not opening it.

This left Cassius a bit disappointed. After learning about the Book of the Devil, Cassius's interest in its contents far exceeded his curiosity about its ability to refine blood. The book undoubtedly contained important information about the dark era he had been encountering through various fragments of information in his time travels.

Sitting on the sofa, Cassius pondered while idly playing with the palm-sized Kupan Demon Box. Suddenly, he noticed something uneven under his fingertips, and his movements froze.

He carefully flipped the box over. In the sunlight, the surface still appeared smooth.

But when Cassius changed the angle slightly, he noticed a faint purple pattern slowly emerging from the center of the box's bottom. It could only be seen when viewed from a specific angle in the light.

As Cassius examined the details, his brow furrowed.

"Hmm? Why does this look somewhat like the Rune of Wisdom?"