Chapter 116: The Empty City

"To have broken through An Ruohuan's illusions and killed that Manjusaka flower—it seems this group is not to be underestimated."

The scarred youth gestured, and the octopus doll maneuvered four of its giant tentacles toward him. The room where Mu You was held was one of them, while the other three contained Nuonuo, Fu Nian, and Dian Shao.

The youth’s gaze skipped over the first three, locking onto the room where Mu You was held. Yet, he did not linger on Mu You or Dian Shao; instead, he looked at Jing Fei, who was eyes-closed, as if caught in a nightmare. A look of disbelief, mixed with a refusal to accept the truth, crossed his face.

"Brother, you finally came. After I deceived you so thoroughly back then, did you come for revenge? Or perhaps, to see how miserable I’ve become? We truly are brothers who grew up together, aren't we?"

As the scarred youth spoke, he leaned against the glass to scrutinize the unconscious Jing Fei. As he moved, large patches of blood scabs peeled away, and blood began to seep from his wounds, staining the nutrient fluid red. The youth, however, acted as if nothing were wrong, even forcibly tearing off scabs that hadn't yet detached. Once his entire body was pressed against the glass, he looked at his haggard brother, then at his own distorted form, and let out a cackling laugh.

"I owe this appearance of mine to your 'care,' otherwise I would have been dead long ago. Since you're so eager to see me make a fool of myself, I'll let you watch to your heart's content. See how I’ve lived every single day since entering this Death Row Paradise!"

The youth covered his eyes with his hands, then parted his fingers slightly to peer at Jing Fei, a look of extreme complexity flashing in his eyes.

"I won't be beaten so easily. The only way to enter the 'Death Breeding' is through death itself. Although it is a feigned death, once you lose the power to resist, I can control your brain death. With my current mental strength, even if my body were consumed by flames, I could suppress the sensation to nothingness through sheer willpower. None of you have endured the excruciating agony of skin being stripped away day and night like I have, so none of you can contend with my will. In this virtual electronic world, I am God; I am the embodiment of the rules. Brother, I am no longer the sniveling coward who hid behind you. If you aren't careful... you really might die."

The scarred youth covered his eyes, murmured to himself, and tilted his head back into the water, releasing an even larger cloud of blood. He stared blankly into the endless darkness outside the glass, lost in thought.

***

When Mu You regained consciousness, he found himself plummeting rapidly from the sky.

Looking down, he saw a giant island constructed entirely of steel and concrete. Most astonishingly, it was far more magnificent than Crescent Island, and it hung suspended in mid-air without any visible support.

Mu You had no time to marvel at this breathtaking feat of modern technology. As he neared the island, blood-ink-colored phoenix wings sprouted from his back. Having recovered his abilities, Mu You felt his heart settle. Seeing An Ruxiang and the others in freefall nearby, he rushed toward them.

"Hold onto me!"

Mu You wrapped his arms around the slender waists of An Ruxiang and An Ruohuan. An Ruxiang remained composed, but An Ruohuan let out a soft cry of surprise, struggling in embarrassment before clutching Mu You even tighter out of fear of the height.

Mu You grinned in satisfaction, accelerated, and clamped his legs around Jing Fei. They were now only a hundred meters from the ground. As Mu You moved to catch Dian Shao, the latter waved him off. Dian Shao unleashed a "Heavenly Wolf Break" straight at the ground, using the recoil to flip in mid-air and land safely.

Watching Dian Shao’s "attack first, ask questions later" style, Mu You felt a lingering fear. Who knew what monsters lurked here? If he attracted something equally unreasonable, he might be able to win, but if he couldn't, it would be a frustrating death!

Wait...

After setting everyone down, Mu You suddenly realized a problem: how did they get here? Why couldn't he remember anything from before?

"Do you know why we suddenly appeared in the air? Does anyone remember what happened before?"

Hearing Mu You's question, the others realized the same thing. They looked at each other, all wearing expressions of utter confusion.

Mu You sighed and cautiously scanned his surroundings. It was deathly silent; there wasn't a soul in sight. Even after the violent explosion earlier, there was no sign of chaos.

It was too strange. Such a bustling metropolis, yet completely empty—it was a ghost city. The streets were pristine, some restaurants still had fires burning, and residential areas were lit up, yet there was not a single person!

What on earth was going on?

Suddenly, another explosion echoed from nearby. The five were overjoyed and rushed toward the sound, but upon arrival, they found nothing but a smoking crater—not a shadow of a person to be seen.

Moreover, Mu You noticed that the others were looking at him with increasingly strange expressions.

"What is it?"

Mu You glanced at his reflection in a nearby glass pane, but saw nothing wrong.

Without a word, the others simultaneously raised their hands and pointed at Mu You's feet. Mu You looked down in confusion. The ground was empty, but then, his puzzled expression froze.

His shadow was fading away, bit by bit. It wasn't just him; the other four were experiencing the same thing. As their shadows vanished, their bodies began to grow transparent, fading from each other's sight.

What the hell is this?!

In the blink of an eye, Mu You could no longer see the others. He could no longer even perceive his own body. He had no sense of touch; he couldn't hear, speak, smell, or touch anything. His entire existence felt as if it had been etherealized. He could no longer exert any influence on this world, reduced to a mere spectator, watching every event and object in this world as an outsider.

No wonder there wasn't a single person here at the start. Could it be that everyone else had become just like him? This was disastrous. A life devoid of presence—no one could endure such a thing. It was worse than death!