Chapter 155
Aopode's fists slowly clenched, the metallic armor of his right hand producing a grating sound as he rose to his feet, turning to look at the doorway where Xia'er stood.
But what he saw was Xia'er engrossed in something she was reading. Upon closer inspection, it was his own spiritual notes.
"Looking for death!!!"
Aopode's right hand tightened, black steel claws erupting from his fingertips. He concentrated, forming a black throwing knife in his palm, which he hurled violently in Xia'er's direction.
Yet, in his line of sight, the girl, merely a second-tier extraordinary, didn’t even use her supernatural abilities. She simply took a half-step back, tilting her head slightly, as the knife whizzed past her and embedded itself into the doorframe.
Her nonchalant evasion ignited a fire of rage within him. The iron armor on his right hand seemed to melt away, reshaping into a towering shield, nearly as tall as he was, adorned with molten fire and black spikes.
He positioned the shield in front of him, as if he had cast aside all caution. Even if it meant his own demise, he was determined to crush the girl before him with that shield.
"Have you encountered the 'Rule of Misfortune' as well?"
Xia'er's cold voice fell upon him like a bucket of ice water, snapping him out of his furious haze.
Aopode gasped for breath, the shield in his hand dissolving back into his right arm.
How did she know?
Was she… like him?
"Lucihilufa, Aopodesadiye..."
Xia'er closed the spiritual notes and tossed them toward him, continuing, "Your rules are not the same, nor are they connected in any way... but both have led to random, inexplicable, and severe calamities..."
"Just now, Luci almost died. You’d better be careful from here on out."
Having read the spiritual notes, Xia'er was now convinced that Aopode was not the one causing these disasters.
Though he appeared easily angered, Aopode meticulously documented every misfortune, big or small, and had established over thirty rules for himself, preferring to err on the side of caution rather than make mistakes.
Reflecting on her own misfortunes, some of which were completely unpredictable… and recalling that shortly after leaving Boren City, Luci had encountered a sudden disaster.
Their misfortunes were likely interconnected… if one person erred, everyone would suffer.
Next, she only needed to observe whether Aopode would fall victim to misfortune to confirm her hypothesis.
"Hey! Who the hell are you?! You can’t possibly be from the Tribunal!"
"What do you mean by 'be careful'?!"
Aopode watched helplessly as the girl’s figure dissolved into shadows. When he rushed outside to look for her, the street was completely devoid of her presence.
**Chapter 105: Twice Reversed! Misfortune Multiplied!**
Lucihilufa… Aopodesadiye…
If there was any commonality, it was that both were third-tier extraordinary beings…
Was there any shared aspect to their misfortunes?
Xia'er didn’t know Luci very well; after all, they had only just met formally, and she hadn’t pried into Luci’s spiritual notes.
As for Aopode, he had been described in detail in the little essay that Aivina left for her.
Arrogant and overbearing, he hadn’t committed any major evils yet, but his minor transgressions were numerous, and he persistently pursued Aivina, even after she had clearly expressed her lack of interest, continuing to harass her with letters.
Xia'er hadn’t read Aopode’s spiritual notes in detail; aside from the rules, she had only skimmed through them and had a rough idea of his character, which aligned with Aivina’s description.
Such a privileged scion, yet his rule of misfortune forced him to live like a "commoner"... this was completely contrary to his experiences and personality.
If others’ rules of misfortune were also like Aopode’s, leading them to lives that were entirely opposite to their usual selves, or lives they could never accept…
Then why was her rule of misfortune about avoiding the extraordinary?
Her only desire had always been to lead a peaceful life. If her misfortune were to contradict her imagined life, it should have been about avoiding the extraordinary…
No, wait.
Xia'er suddenly recalled something.
She had indeed thought about the extraordinary, and under the influence of her subconscious, she had almost forgotten her changed perspective.
Her recent thoughts, starting from the preparation to deal with the third-tier cultist Brage, had been about "quickly gathering all first-tier pathways, activating the Old Simulation, and acquiring self-preservation abilities"…
This had even been noted in her notebook before the simulation, and her actions in the simulation strictly followed the notebook’s instructions.
The notebook even mentioned that if things went awry, she should leave Boren City.
If all went as expected, her simulated self would also have made plans to leave Boren City from the start, ensuring a quick escape if things went south.
So, would she also encounter misfortune when leaving Boren City…?
If that were the case, it would make sense.
She just didn’t know how the information in her notebook had been discovered, or why she had been targeted.
And most importantly—her notebook was written in Chinese, not in Ansu or any language of this world.
This feeling of being watched from all angles made Xia'er feel a surge of heat. She clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to tear something apart.
Without the aid of [Calm Reflection], she would have likely been driven to find a way to turn the entire city upside down to uncover what was causing the chaos.
According to the patterns of her and Aopode’s rules of misfortune, Luci’s rule of misfortune was likely the complete opposite of what she wanted to do.
Perhaps she didn’t want to stay at Dedun Manor at all; her true aim was something else in Boren City. Even lending the sealed object to Xia'er might not have been her genuine intention.
Like Aopode, she had sensed something and was forced to make the "correct" choice…
Caw—
A crow’s caw interrupted Xia'er’s thoughts. She looked up to see a black raven on the rooftop, cocking its head curiously at her, its wide eyes filled with intrigue.
Suddenly, a vision of illusory blood obscured her sight, and she saw translucent droplets of blood swirling toward her, as a phantom version of herself slowly toppled forward.
Misfortune… had begun.
Bang! Bang! Bang—!
Clang—!
A gunshot rang out from behind Xia'er, the bullet piercing through the glass and heading straight for the back of her head.
But Xia'er was already prepared; a shadow had raised a black tower shield behind her, clearly mimicking Aopode’s extraordinary ability.
The bullet struck the shield, sinking into it like it was a non-Newtonian fluid, becoming lodged at its center.
Xia'er quickly turned to look. Through the shadowy figure, she saw the darkened interior of the house behind her, where flashes of gunfire and the sounds of curses erupted.
"Damn it, I’m not playing your deadly games! Without Boss Solari, you think you can still sell this batch of arms to the North Ansu Brotherhood?!"
Bang—
The wooden door burst open, and a man wearing a newsboy cap stumbled out, clutching his arm. He froze for a moment upon seeing Xia'er in the street.
He clearly made a move to raise his gun, but then seemed to think better of it. Gritting his teeth, he turned and ran down the opposite side of the street.
In the early morning, the clock tower district had no public lighting, relying only on the faint moonlight. Beyond ten meters, faces were indistinguishable. He clearly chose to flee to avoid trouble.
Arms… Blackwater Gang?
If it was the Blackwater Gang, the arms they mentioned were likely…
Siege explosives!
In the next moment, a shadow darted from beneath Xia'er’s feet, shooting off into the distance as her figure began to twist.
Just as her vision was about to fade, she caught a glimpse of a sudden flash of illusory fire.
Boom—!
As Xia'er’s figure was replaced by the shadow, the house in front of the shadow erupted in a massive explosion.
The violent blast tore the roof off the building, turning it and several surrounding structures into a chaotic scene of fire and smoke in an instant, shaking the ground beneath.
The once-quiet street erupted into chaos, cries and screams echoing. Xia'er, not having moved too far, felt a wave of heat wash over her, followed by a tide of wailing and murmurs.
Table of Contents
