Chapter 1005: Eat

Chapter 1005: Consumption

The air in the room was taut, stretched to the breaking point by the pistol pressed against Li Huowang’s temple, and even more so by the words falling from Qing Wanglai’s lips.

“Eight days?” The number flashed through Li Huowang’s mind as he remained held at gunpoint. “Eight days until the moment the Blessed Heaven and White Jade Capital overlap?”

In eight days, they would be forced to confront the Blessed Heaven? Li Huowang’s heart hammered against his ribs.

Eight days was nothing; against such a monstrous entity, it was merely a countdown to their own extinction.

“No, it is far more terrifying than you can perceive. Do not forget that the Blessed Heaven you speak of is but the first projection of that existence. Do you have any inkling of what its projection might manifest as in this world?”

As Qing Wanglai spoke, Li Huowang’s agitation rapidly ebbed away, replaced by a numbing detachment born from having endured far too much.

Besides, he had not forgotten that this information came from Qing Wanglai himself. “Heh… I don’t believe you! Perhaps it is as frightening as you say, but that all hinges on whether you are telling the truth.”

“What? You don’t believe me? You still think I’m a lunatic? A madman?” Qing Wanglai tilted his head back, the glare catching his rimless glasses and obscuring his eyes behind a wall of light.

“Hah, I believe you? Why should I? Ever since you stole the Dao of Lies, I wouldn’t trust a single syllable that crawls out of your mouth!”

Though his tone grew sharper, Li Huowang’s eyes remained unnervingly calm.

Once he discarded the option of communicating with Qing Wanglai, there was no longer any need for hesitation; the path forward became simple.

There was only one thing left to do: kill him and seize his Dao. As for whether the Blessed Heaven would arrive in eight days, he would see it with his own eyes at the White Jade Capital!

Feeling the cold steel against his temple, Li Huowang knew Qing Wanglai was capable of pulling the trigger. His own body was in such a wretched state that he had to find a way to break free from this passive trap.

Qing Wanglai was unhinged; he could plunge the situation into an irreversible abyss at any moment.

Just then, Zhao Shuangdian’s voice cut through the tension. “Qing Wanglai, don’t be so hasty. The situation may not have reached the point you claim.”

“First, tell me: how did you calculate this eight-day window? What method of observation did you use?”

Qing Wanglai did not answer immediately, instead fixing a playful gaze on Zhao Shuangdian and the laptop in her hands.

“Do you truly believe you can calculate such things? Do you think that by setting up a computer and tapping away at the keys, you prove your worth?”

“Stop lying to yourself. All your calculations are nothing more than child’s play. You went mad long ago, yet you persist in the delusion that you can explain all of this!”

“Tell me, just tell me—after all these years of calculating, have you produced anything other than a pose?”

“Have you ever been to an asylum? Have you seen the madmen who try to prove the Theory of Everything, convinced they have surpassed Einstein? You are no different from them in essence.”

While Qing Wanglai was distracted by his taunts, Li Huowang searched for an opening, but the situation was dire; the muzzle was pressed too close.

In that moment, Li Huowang caught Yang Na’s eye.

Seeing the growing desperation in her gaze, he realized what she intended to do and stopped her with a sharp, silent warning.

He gestured for her to retreat, to distance herself from the blast radius of the explosives strapped to Dice.

Meanwhile, the exchange between Zhao Shuangdian and Qing Wanglai continued. Zhao Shuangdian, brow furrowed, lifted her hands from the keyboard and crossed her arms.

“Qing Wanglai, are you so certain? Are you so sure you know everything about me? Is there not a possibility that I have actually calculated something using my own methods?”

“You know things I do not—that is expected—but perhaps I, too, have kept things from you.”

“Do not go to extremes. For both our sakes, why don’t we exchange information?”

Qing Wanglai smiled and slowly shook his head. While the gesture might have seemed dashing before, the blood trickling from his right ear made his expression look grotesque.

“Stop bluffing. You won’t get anything out of me. You only know that I took preemptive action against those helpless madmen because I allowed you to know.”

Amidst their bickering, Li Huowang’s focus locked onto Dice and the explosives strapped to his body.

Sensing the gaze, Dice, who had been preoccupied with a mobile game, turned his head and met Li Huowang’s eyes.

Li Huowang looked at the man who had entangled himself with him for so long, the one who refused to die and had somehow ascended to become a new Si Ming.

After a moment of careful thought, Li Huowang raised his eyebrows slightly.

Dice clearly noticed the movement. His reflective sunglasses slid down, revealing a pair of shrewd, triangular eyes.

Two seconds later, a smirk played on his lips, and he, too, raised his eyebrows at Li Huowang.

In that instant, Li Huowang roared at Dice, “Dice! Now! Do it!”

Dice blinked, clearly caught off guard by the command.

He did not move, but Qing Wanglai instinctively shifted his aim toward Dice.

Seeing this, Li Huowang knew his gamble had paid off. He couldn’t trust Dice, and by the same logic, Qing Wanglai—who had secured Dice’s allegiance—couldn’t trust him either!

The moment the muzzle drifted away from his temple, Li Huowang lunged forward, slamming the back of his head into Qing Wanglai’s nose.

As blood sprayed from the broken nose, Li Huowang swung his combat knife, burying it deep into Qing Wanglai’s throat.

As hot blood drenched him, Ba Nanxu rushed forward and kicked the pistol from Qing Wanglai’s hand. The tide had turned in a heartbeat.

The young man in the reflective sunglasses stood frozen, staring at the chaos. He asked Li Huowang, “Weren’t you afraid I’d take us all down with me?”

Li Huowang, gripping his bloodied blade, looked at him. “If Jiang Xiangshou had said that, I would have believed him. But you are Dice. I don’t.”

“Qing Wanglai made a mistake bringing you along. I know the Sit-and-Forget Dao too well; such crude, direct violence isn’t our style.”

Li Huowang turned away, ignoring Dice to look down at Qing Wanglai, who was clutching his throat. He tore open the man’s clothes and stripped off his bulletproof vest.

“What are you doing? He’s already dying.” Wu Qi, looking at their former companion, could not bear to watch.

Drenched in gore, Li Huowang stared at Qing Wanglai’s body, a flicker of bloodlust in his eyes. He drove his knife into the man’s chest and ripped it downward.

“This isn’t enough! Don’t forget, he still carries several Daos! We are going to consume him!”