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“Fish soup’s ready.”
Huo Ling brought a steaming bowl of fish soup to the dining table.
What was astonishing was the size of the bowl, which took up the entire table.
At the moment, Ye Buxie, Bai Ge, and Ye Shuangluo were seated at the table.
As for the others, Lu Feiyang was isolating himself in his room, Xiao Chenyu claimed she was dieting and skipped dinner, and Lingyun and Jiayue were still out on patrol.
So, this 500-pound black carp was left for the four of them to enjoy.
Huo Ling placed a ladle into the large bowl of fish soup and called out, “Dig in.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Shuangluo immediately served himself a bowl of fish soup, scooping up a few pieces of fish as well.
Slurp, slurp.
Ye Shuangluo first took a sip of the soup, then picked up a piece of fish and tossed it into his mouth.
To be fair, the fish and the soup were both delicious.
But compared to the meat of those mystical creatures from the previous world, it was lacking. Perhaps it was due to the nature of this world, or maybe the fish just hadn’t lived long enough.
[Your skill “Self-Devour” upgrade progress +1]
[Current progress: 1/10]
“Ah Luo, Bai Ge, you wouldn’t believe how troublesome this fish was. It almost dragged me into the river. Luckily, Buxie helped out.”
Huo Ling animatedly recounted his fishing adventure, even giving a nod to Ye Buxie sitting beside him.
“Oh, it was nothing. I just lent a small hand. It was mainly due to senior’s skills.”
Ye Buxie humbly replied, sneaking glances at Ye Shuangluo sitting across from him.
Bai Ge looked at Ye Buxie, then at Ye Shuangluo beside him, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
Ye Shuangluo kept his head down, eating silently. He could naturally sense the newcomer’s gaze from across the table.
There was curiosity in that gaze, a hint of challenge, and a touch of apprehension.
“I’m full.”
Ever since Ye Buxie appeared, the [Pluto] on his neck had been urging him, leaving him in no mood to continue eating.
After he left, Bai Ge also quickly got up and left the table.
When only Ye Buxie and Comrade Huo were left at the table, Ye Buxie suddenly spoke up:
“Senior Shuangluo… doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“Really? I don’t think so. Isn’t he like that with everyone?”
Huo Ling had an expression of disbelief, as if wondering how such a situation could arise among good friends.
Seeing his reaction, Ye Buxie realized he was wasting his efforts.
“Senior, can you tell me about Senior Shuangluo’s achievements? I’m very curious about him.”
Ye Buxie wore a sunny smile, causing others to lower their guard unconsciously.
“Ah Luo… Let me think, where should I start? How about our first mission together…”
…
“How did this Ye Buxie join us?”
Ye Shuangluo casually asked while fiddling with various torture instruments in Bai Ge’s room.
“Him? I think he was transferred from headquarters. They say his ability is quite special, specifically brought in to take over Old Lu’s position.”
Ye Shuangluo was slightly taken aback by this answer. Taking over Lu Feiyang’s position?
Was Lu Feiyang about to die, or retire? Why would he need a successor?
Bai Ge seemed to understand Ye Shuangluo’s confusion and continued speaking on his own:
“You know, Old Lu is an ‘Omniform’ ability user, which is said to be the strongest ability in the world. But no ability user with this power has ever lived past 40.
You should know why they have such short lifespans, right?”
Ye Shuangluo nodded. He knew this well.
All ability users in this world faced a challenge: the “Nightmare Index.”
The stronger an ability user’s power, the closer they were to death.
Lu Feiyang was an ‘Omniform’ ability user, universally recognized as the strongest ability.
The reason was simple: ‘Omniform’ allowed its user to devour others and steal their abilities.
It’s said that the previous ‘Omniform’ user had 2785 abilities before dying.
Of course, while ‘Omniform’ was powerful, it had a major flaw.
Each time its user devoured someone, their “Nightmare Index” increased.
The stronger the ability devoured, the more the “Nightmare Index” increased.
“So, is Lu Feiyang’s ‘cup’ almost full?”
“Yes, Old Lu just had a check-up. The doctor at the research institute said that if he doesn’t fight anyone, he might live another four or five years.
But if he does fight, he’ll need to be frozen and put into hibernation after each battle to forcibly lower his ‘Nightmare Index.’”
Bai Ge shook his head helplessly, as if lamenting.
“To be chosen as Lu Feiyang’s successor, Ye Buxie’s ability must be quite strong?”
Ye Shuangluo wanted to gather some information about the other party. After all, knowing your enemy is the key to victory.
“Uh, not sure. His file says he’s a composite ability user. His Divine Weapon ability is the Blood Fiend Sword, but his special ability is unknown.”
Composite ability user…
Ye Shuangluo instantly understood why the other party could become Lu Feiyang’s successor.
Generally, all ability users had only one ability.
(Lu Feiyang’s ‘Omniform’ being the exception.)
But there were always some lucky individuals in this world who possessed multiple abilities. These lucky ones were composite ability users.
Since ability users first appeared in this world, only four composite ability users had survived the awakening process.
Ye Buxie was the fifth.
“A month ago, composite ability users might have been considered national treasures, but now they’re everywhere. Our ‘Dawn’ and ‘Eternal Night’ have a bunch of them.
Isn’t that right, composite ability user Ye Shuangluo?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Players’ abilities were indeed diverse, so it was understandable they were mistaken for composite ability users.
Moreover, the appearance of players was a dimensional blow to these native ability users.
After all, players didn’t have a Nightmare Index. No matter how much they used their abilities, they wouldn’t face the risk of mutation.
At this moment, Bai Ge remembered something, and his tone gradually turned angry:
“Tsk, if it weren’t for Xiao Min being a mole, forcing Old Lu to devour her.
And just after that, that bastard Bai Yu made Old Lu work again.
Otherwise, Old Lu’s body wouldn’t have deteriorated so quickly.
Damn it, that old bastard Bai Yu deserves to die.”
Hearing Bai Ge’s words, Ye Shuangluo suddenly thought of someone: Mo Luo.
The spatial ability user Xiao Min seemed to have been planted by him. Before she died, she even shouted, “Lord Mo Luo, my mission is complete.”
What was her mission? Poisoning?
Impossible. She hadn’t poisoned anyone to death. How could she be so happy, shouting that her mission was complete?
Xiao Min, mission, Lu Feiyang, continuous devouring, body collapse.
Connecting the dots, Ye Shuangluo suddenly had a guess. Could it be that Mo Luo wanted to force Lu Feiyang to use ‘Omniform’ continuously?
Ultimately dragging him to death?
This guess wasn’t without merit, but there was one problem: what benefit would it bring him?
What practical benefit would Lu Feiyang’s death bring to Mo Luo?
Ye Shuangluo couldn’t figure it out, so he decided to stop thinking about it. After all, whether Lu Feiyang lived or died had nothing to do with him.
As for Mo Luo?
Ye Shuangluo was curious to see how many strikes Mo Luo could withstand and how many substitutes he had to block those strikes.
Come to think of it, Mo Luo’s ability was quite similar to Bai Yu’s, both involving controlling others’ bodies.
Could there be some connection between the two of them?
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