Chapter 348 - Shadow Double

Jilan began to meticulously study the latest population density map of Beiliu County. Although they already had a general location, only the most precise and thorough analysis could yield the greatest benefits.

As for Cassius, he did nothing, simply waiting to reap the rewards. After all, if Jilan did the research, it was as good as if he had done it himself.

The two remained in the room the entire night. Cassius meditated with his eyes closed, secretly activating his life magnetic field to refine the Shadow Demon. Meanwhile, Jilan kept sketching out calculations. The latest intelligence reports were quickly filled with numerous markings and annotations.

The light of dawn pierced through the clouds the next morning, casting golden rays over the entire city. The morning sun filtered through the gaps in the curtains, brightening the somewhat dim interior. Cassius stood up from the sofa and glanced outside. A few scattered citizens were walking along the streets, and some breakfast shops had already opened their doors.

"

Whew

... it's finally done..." Jilan slowly put down his pen and paper. He stood up and double-checked everything before finally confirming the location. "There's a slight deviation from our earlier guess, but the optimal spot is still the night market in the southern district. The central point should be at the end of Benny Avenue. That's where the crowd is most dense at night."

Cassius walked over slowly and glanced at the maps. He nodded silently. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Jilan, I have some matters to attend to first. You go to Beiliu City ahead of me. I'll probably arrive a day earlier, on the 29th, to provide protection for you." Cassius's tone was steady, without a trace of emotion.

Jilan smiled slightly and said, "Alright, if you reach Beiliu County, you can find me at Maple Leaf Inn on Camphor Street. As for providing protection, I'll thank you in advance,

hahaha

..."

Cassius had already vanished from the room by the time his laughter subsided. Only the open window remained, with cool air blowing through the curtains and causing a slight chill in the room.

Jilan's expression suddenly changed. The warm and cheerful smile he wore fell away to reveal a gloomy demeanor. He was never a jovial person to begin with; he had been putting on an act in front of Cassius, to increase the other's sense of closeness and goodwill.

But Jilan wanted to win Cassius over, and at least temporarily become surface-level friends. Of course, even a superficial friend could be considered one of the normally solitary man’s closest relationships.

"The latest population density map of Beiliu County..." He traced a finger over the papers on the table, his eyes somewhat obscure. "He did me quite a favor. An interesting person, a rare kind-hearted soul among the Gate Organization's members..."

He pondered for a while and then thought of the Blood Spirit Society. "Those damn bastards who are neither human nor ghost. Once I complete the opening ceremony and solve my physical lifespan problem, I'll give you a good lesson with the Black Demon's Hand. Just you wait..."

He let out a cold laugh and turned to close the window.

On July 27, the weather was clear at ten o'clock in the morning. A few wispy clouds hung in the blue sky, drifting back and forth like ships on the waves by high-altitude winds. Sunlight reflected off the pointed roof tiles.

A tall figure leaned against a plaid-patterned sofa in a spacious living room. The sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows fell on his shoulder, making half of his blond hair shine brilliantly like the Lion King.

Beside the exquisite transparent coffee table in front of Cassius, Jill was holding a metal tea canister. She scooped a few spoonfuls of tea leaves into a small pot using a ping-pong ball-sized iron spoon. After a few moments, she added pure milk and placed it on the stove to brew. Before long, the aroma of tea and milk filled the air.

Cassius narrowed his eyes slightly, turning to glance at the head of the antique department waiting nearby, Professor. Professor was originally quite old, with white hair and a hunched figure. However, he now seemed full of vitality, and his hair was mostly dark with barely any gray visible. He was slightly bent over but no longer stooped. Instead, he had an upright vigor. He simply seemed much younger.

"How have you been feeling lately? Is your training going smoothly?" Cassius casually asked.

"Very good, I'm feeling better and better. It's all thanks to your grace, master. My colleagues and I are deeply grateful..." Professor replied reverently.

"Good, focus on building a solid foundation for now. Once that's firm, I'll teach you extraordinary killing techniques..." Cassius said slowly as he looked through the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Thank you, master!" Professor's tone became even more respectful.

"No need to thank me. You've gained strength and power, so you need to work for me. It's an exchange..." Cassius looked away from the birds in the trees and continued. "By the way, I asked you a couple of days ago to send all the antiques from Ace of Spades to Baichuan City. How's that coming along?"

"Some of the closer ones have already arrived. There's still about half left in warehouses located farther away. It'll take about three or four days to transport them over," Professor replied, "Oh, right, master. Duststorm’s forces in Beiliu County have been completely defeated. We are gradually taking over Duststorm's channels, bases, and influence. Some of their warehouses also store antiques, and I've ordered those to be sent over as well..."

"Hmm, well done," Cassius nodded in satisfaction.

"From today onward, set the organization's warehouse in Baichuan City to be the main one. Find a large warehouse in the suburbs to act as an important base. All future antique transportation and sales by the organization must go through that warehouse, and notify me regularly for inspection. Understood?" Cassius turned to look at Professor.

"Understood! I'll instruct my subordinates immediately..." Professor was interrupted as Cassius raised a finger to point at him.

"No, you will handle this personally. Go to Baichuan City now, select a few optimal locations, and inform me by phone. I'll make the decision myself. Be careful when receiving the antiques gathered in Baichuan City. Make sure nothing goes wrong during transportation. The assassination department's White Bird will act as your backup..." Cassius crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes!" The Professor showed no sign of dissatisfaction.

"Good, you may go," Cassius waved his hand.

Professor immediately left, gently closing the door behind him. Enveloped by the rich aroma of milk tea, Cassius slowly closed his eyes in the living room. He was contemplating his plans.

First, on the neo-human side, Bass had already gone to Baichuan City with Psychokinesis Master Ray. Catwoman and Shockwave were still guarding Cassius's residence. These four would serve as the vanguard for Cassius's infiltration into neo-human groups.

Then there was the Ace of Spades organization, which had acquired Duststorm's assets and begun to fully engage in the underground antique market. They would filter for valuable antiques according to Cassius's wishes.

Additionally, the Ace of Spades's intelligence network was to be strengthened, and monitor the movements of the Black Ops Agency, Gate Organization, and dark creatures. The second might be a bit difficult, but they would be able to find a few traces of the Black Ops Agency and dark creatures if they paid attention. They would have to focus on government personnel, police departments, and so on for traces of the Black Ops Agency. As for dark creatures, they could look into homicide cases and missing person cases; unusual and suspicious ones were most likely related to dark creatures.

Cassius's ambitions were beginning to take shape. He even planned to take control of a small Covert Martial Arts sect and re-enter the Eastern Covert Martial Arts community. He also intended to contact treasure hunters and form a team for a trip to the mysterious Eternal Archipelago in the eastern part of the Federation.

These were all Cassius's long-term plans. Of course, he had to take one step at a time. His main objective now was to collect legendary antiques and antiques with lingering attachment. Then, he would secretly conduct time-travels while developing his strength.

At this moment, Cassius had refined more than fifty percent of the Shadow Demon, and effectively eliminated the parasitic crisis. Since he had no time constraints and no threats to his life, he could act more freely and use his time-travel abilities more casually. Perhaps if he gathered enough legendary antiques and antiques with lingering attachment, he might, on a whim, perform two or three continuous time-travels without interruption. Neither combat artists nor the Holy Fist could stop Cassius's steps.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle...

The tea was ready. Jill poured a cup and gently pushed it in front of Cassius, who peacefully enjoyed his morning tea. With his physique, he could digest any amount of food. Extra intake wouldn't affect his appetite for lunch.

Time flew by. After handling most of Ace of Spades's affairs, Cassius decided to go into seclusion in the afternoon. He instructed Jill not to let anyone disturb him. He would come out on the evening of the 28th.

At one o'clock in the afternoon at Shuiyun Hall, a man sat quietly in a closed private room. The only window on the left wall cast light inside.

It made the man's shadow gradually elongate into the darkness of the corner. If one observed carefully, they'd notice that the man's shadow was much darker than normal.

It was as if ink had been spilled in the shadows. It was inky black and inexplicably eerie, as if something was hiding within the shadow.

"Stop struggling... The assimilation rate has exceeded fifty-five percent. From the moment it surpassed fifty percent yesterday, your body is no longer yours but mine..." A cold smile appeared on the man's face. He suddenly raised a hand, spread his five fingers, and pressed hard onto his own shadow.

Gurgle gurgle gurgle...

The inky shadow churned like viscous rubber as it boiled. It had the bizarre appearance of being both illusory and tangible. The surrounding black shadow actually recoiled in fear from Cassius’s palm.

"You're being naughty..." Cassius's eyes gradually darkened in color.

"Let me help you become more obedient." He slowly closed his eyes, and his heart rate, breathing rate, and blood circulation rate unified. A powerful illusory force emanated from his body, rippling through the air like waves.

It enveloped half of the private room in an instant and the shadow was left with nowhere to hide. Since it had been released with his Qi, the life magnetic field was now visible to the naked eye. Twisting air currents whistled and swirled around, dancing around Cassius like ghostly flames flickering beside a demon king.

He looked sinister and shadowy as layers of darkness fluttered over each other. Cassius's handsome face became inexplicably terrifying, as if something horrifying was hiding beneath that facade, making even dark creatures feel fear.

As his pores opened and closed all over his body, strands of black Qi floated out, evaporating like steam. They gradually slid over the folds of his clothes, the fabric on his shoulders, and the ends of his hair.

An illusory tall figure slowly took shape behind him. It grew to three, nearly four meters in height. The black Qi quickly filled in the bones and flesh, outlining scales and armor. Within a few seconds, a pure killing machine stood there.

It walked step by step until it passed through him. The Golem arrived in front of the shadow and raised a large hand. It pressed down like iron pincers, and a scream instantly erupted.

A mournful, piercing scream rang out like it was being sliced by a thousand blades. However, the Golem showed no mercy. It was cold and ruthless. It grabbed something inside the shadow and yanked out a black object.

It pulled it out from Cassius's shadow like pulling a radish!

Cassius opened his eyes and looked up. To his surprise, he saw a completely black shadowy humanoid being lifted into the air, struggling like a hanged man. It hadn't completely detached from Cassius's shadow; its two legs were stretched long and was still deeply embedded in his shadow.

"Sure enough, you're like a sticky plaster. Let's settle you once and for all!" Cassius's body had swelled to a terrifying height of two and a half meters now that he had fully activated his Golem Covert Martial Arts. Though he was muttering to himself, his voice rumbled through the entire private room.

"Eat it!!!" His eyes flashed with evil light.

The Golem Qi instantly obeyed. Its other hand reached out to grasp the Shadow Demon's shoulders.

Despite the opponent's fearful struggles, the Golem slowly opened its mouth wide, revealing a pitch-black gaping maw. Its cheekbones deformed like a snake's as it forcibly swallowed the Shadow Demon.

The Golem actually swallowed the Shadow Demon in one gulp!

The Shadow Demon's entire body was tightly enveloped by the highly concentrated and condensed Golem Qi. The combined power of Qi and the magnetic field became a refining furnace, and flames surged up.

"Ahhhhhhh..."

A strange soul-piercing scream echoed in the private room and lasted for an entire day and night.

On July 28, 6 p.m. in the private room, everything returned to calm as if nothing had happened.

Cassius, who had been standing motionless like a wooden statue, stood up. He rolled his shoulders and walked slowly toward the door.

Three seconds later, a black figure slowly emerged from the darkness. It mimicked Cassius's every move like a delayed copy. It followed him step by step like a mysterious shadow double.