Chapter 87: Silence!

There was no response.

Death Crow just stood there, eyes closed, offering a devout prayer.

“Death Crow, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and do it!”

Rubik’s Cube, hiding behind the corner, was the first to lose his composure.

The wound on his arm was deep, and blood was flowing freely.

Normally, someone as used to a pampered life as him would have called a doctor at the first sign of trouble, but now, in the midst of a life-or-death battle, he had no choice but to “fight while injured.”

He looked furious, baring his teeth, but in reality, the pain was killing him and he just wanted it all to end quickly.

However, neither the bandaged man nor the man in gray responded to his voice, and even the three girls didn’t spare him a glance.

Bai Xiaoya had watched a lot of movies and played a lot of games in the past, so she knew that the more ritualistic and dramatic someone’s actions were, the bigger their move was likely to be.

She thought for a moment, then carefully tugged on Bai Xia and Su Qingyu’s sleeves.

“Don’t you think his style has a… certain vibe to it?”

“You mean…”

The girls didn’t have time to discuss.

Death Crow opened his eyes and began to move.

First, he pulled open his loose outer shirt, revealing layers of Bandages underneath.

He wasn’t just wrapped around the face—his whole body was wrapped up, the only difference from a mummy being the exposed eyes.

At this moment, his eerie green eyes were filled with madness, and he shouted with a hoarse, smoke-burned voice that sounded both fanatical and wild:

“My life, my everything, is for this single bloom!”

As he spoke, the Bandages on his body crackled, as if they were about to explode outward.

At the same time, the Ordinary Members who had been dumped here without knowing the truth also started acting strange.

They wanted to run, but their limbs felt powerless, and they stood up in twisted poses, swelling from the inside out.

Seeing this, Su Qingyu finally remembered something.

“Those Bandages—a new Mysterious Item said to have appeared at the start of the century. It uses the user’s life as a cost for a single…”

She didn’t need to finish.

Everyone could see what was happening.

The people were swelling like balloons—eventually, balloons burst.

They’re going to explode!

Bai Xia reached out to grab Bai Xiaoya’s hand, but caught nothing.

When she turned, she saw the white-haired, big-breasted girl step forward, trying hard to look authoritative.

“Silence!”

Although her attempt at authority wasn’t entirely convincing, the weight of the word was overwhelming.

In an instant, the acrid, burnt smell vanished from the air.

The people brought in as human bombs looked down to find their swollen bellies had shrunk back, completely silent.

Death Crow stood there, stunned.

The madness in his green eyes faded, replaced by clear confusion.

What happened? What was going on? Why did this happen?

Bai Xia didn’t give him time to think.

She casually picked up a stool and smashed it into his forehead.

Dong!

***

After Death Crow finished the ritual, Rubik’s Cube had been ready to run.

During the strategy meeting, the Leader had told him that hiding in the deepest part would keep him safe.

But then he realized, even the Leader himself hadn’t moved, and Death Crow was a self-detonating maniac.

Would those two “selfish” lunatics really care about his safety?

The answer was no.

So, the moment Death Crow undid his clothes, Rubik’s Cube clutched his arm and sprinted deeper inside, hiding in the farthest corner.

He crouched there for a long time, but didn’t hear any explosion.

Instead, there was a loud crashing sound.

After a while, the area grew noisy.

It sounded like swearing.

Rubik’s Cube hesitated for a long time.

He knew he couldn’t hide there forever, so he gathered his courage and peeked out.

And was instantly dumbfounded.

“Beat him to death!”

“Damn it, using us as human bombs, huh?”

“This kind of antisocial scum deserves to be beaten… for the good… for the good of society!”

The Ordinary Members were all small-time thugs—not skilled at tough fights, but experts at kicking someone while they’re down.

Watching the three girls turn the tables, and seeing the long-haired black-clad girl knock down the bandaged man with a stool, some quick-witted people immediately rushed up and kicked the man on the ground.

They called it showing loyalty.

Others quickly joined in, punching and kicking the bandaged man.

Partly to show loyalty, but also for good reason—after all, the Association had tricked them, telling them dozens would be fighting just three, that they’d have the advantage, and that everyone would get a gun and mysterious powers.

But not only did they lose, their own bodies were almost used as bombs, and they nearly got blown up for real.

Rubik’s Cube saw the scene and nearly lost his soul.

Why is this happening?

Why are the three girls still standing there unharmed?

Why hasn’t anyone died?

And…

Where’s the Leader?

In the middle of the beating, a sharp-eyed thug spotted the dazed Rubik’s Cube and pointed excitedly.

“There’s another one, brothers!”

Immediately, five or six people swarmed over.

“What are you doing? I’m warning you… ah!”

He took a punch to the head, lost all strength, dropped his Rubik’s Cube, and got pinned down and beaten.

The three girls watched silently.

“This is nice too,” Su Qingyu whispered.

“Saves us the trouble of doing it ourselves.”

Without Black Swan’s Kiss in hand, cleanup would have been a hassle, so she let the dogs bite each other.

Then she tugged Bai Xiaoya’s hand.

“Aya, your move was amazing! If it wasn’t for you, things would’ve gotten bad.”

“Mmm,”

Bai Xiaoya replied absentmindedly.

“Yeah.”

Being praised was nice, but the same words had been said countless times in the past few minutes.

It just showed that Su Qingyu hadn’t experienced many easy wins—she was running out of ways to give compliments.

Better to focus on the scene instead.

Although the overall situation was settled, there were still doubts that couldn’t be ignored.

For example…

“That Leader vanished suddenly,” Bai Xia said.

Su Qingyu nodded.

“I noticed too. It happened when Aya spoke.”

Their voices were soft, but they were close enough for Bai Xiaoya to hear as well.

“But that’s impossible. When my ability is activated, all Mysterious Items lose their effect,” the busty girl said.

How could someone vanish in the middle of Total Domain Silence?

Bai Xia: “So, he didn’t escape using the power of a Mysterious Item. On the contrary, it’s possible he disappeared precisely because of the nullification.”

“What do you mean?”

Bai Xiaoya was confused.

“Aya, some Mysterious Items can create people like that,” Su Qingyu explained.

“Like projections or clones. There’s also a thing called Organizational Structure.”

Organizational Structure spreads the user’s will across the world, so such people can appear out of nowhere, establishing branches for the organization everywhere in an orderly fashion.

She suspected the Association had this, which was how they set up branches in cities all over within just a few years.

Bai Xiaoya shook her head, then nodded, understanding only half.

Whatever.

They’d all get taken out by her EMP anyway.

“What do we do next?”

She asked.

“Wait a bit.”

Su Qingyu walked over and picked up the fallen Rubik’s Cube.

Bai Xia moved toward the bandaged man, tapping a thug on the shoulder.

The thug was punching away, turned to see who dared interrupt, then instantly lowered his fist when he saw her.

“Any orders?”

“Take off his Bandages for me,”

Bai Xia said, then added, “Wrap them in his clothes.”

Although Bandages, as a Mysterious Item, wouldn’t be dirty, it was better to package them.