Chapter 95: 95, Everywhere is a dead end

Ren Xiaosu's use of shadows was the result of careful deliberation; he was not afraid of exposing his own extraordinary nature, for what did it matter if one was about to die whether they were extraordinary or not?

He only feared revealing the truth that he could replicate others' abilities. Ren Xiaosu had impersonated Xu Xianchu precisely because he had glimpsed from afar that Xu Xianchu had not yet been captured, and the Qingshi Consortium had undoubtedly learned of Xu Xianchu's powers through Liu Bu.

Ren Xiaosu had already encountered several extraordinary individuals—Yang Xiaomu could manifest an unmatched sniper rifle out of thin air, Xu Xianchu could summon his shadow, Luo Xinyu could traverse shadows, and Qing Zhen's bodyguard could manifest a white fan.

In that moment, Ren Xiaosu felt a strange illusion, as if all extraordinary beings were as common as cabbages.

Yet his own extraordinary ability was different—a power to replicate all others' abilities. What rank would that be? Ren Xiaosu did not know.

Perhaps the Qingshi Consortium would become even more interested in him upon discovering his ability to copy others.

Just moments ago, as Ren Xiaosu fled, he had wondered: how many extraordinary individuals existed in this world? Were there many?

But upon reflection, it seemed not so—both Jingwu Mountain and Qing Zhen had drawn them all here.

At this moment, Xu Man, hearing Ren Xiaosu's roar, finally unraveled his doubts and broadcast via the communication channel: "Previous intelligence was wrong. The target is not Ren Xiaosu, but Xu Xianchu!"

In truth, their assumption that Ren Xiaosu was Ren Xiaosu stemmed merely from their belief that the refugee Ren Xiaosu should be more interested in gold, yet they had no direct evidence to confirm his identity.

First, they had never seen Ren Xiaosu's appearance; second, even if they had seen both Ren Xiaosu and Xu Xianchu, Ren Xiaosu's face was so grimy that it was barely recognizable...

Moreover, Ren Xiaosu wore Sun Junzheng's combat uniform, and he and Xu Xianchu were even dressed alike...

According to the Qingshi Consortium's prior intelligence, Xu Xianchu could manifest his shadow to fight, with formidable combat prowess, unafraid of bullets.

Though Ren Xiaosu's shadow was black, unlike Liu Bu's description, Xu Man unconsciously felt it might be a lighting issue—perhaps the shadow turned gray in daylight...

The Qingshi Consortium's operatives, upon hearing Ren Xiaosu's boastful declaration—"Xu Xianchu is here, who dares to fight me?"—had assumed the target intended to battle them to the death, only to see the target turn and flee!

Several bullets had narrowly missed Ren Xiaosu's body, yet he remained unscathed.

He knew it was not due to his own evasion skills or the Qingshi Consortium's poor marksmanship, but rather the effect of Yan Liuyuan's wish beginning to manifest...

Ren Xiaosu furrowed his brow in worry, unsure of Liuyuan's current state. He had to quickly shake off the Qingshi Consortium; he could not continue taking such risks.

Only after fleeing over a hundred meters did he finally retract his shadow!

The shadow rampaged through the crowd, and Ren Xiaosu no longer controlled it to strike precise vital points. Instead, he resorted to crude, body-crushing impacts.

After all, Ren Xiaosu's own strength was equivalent to nearly three grown men, and his shadow was twice as powerful!

There was no need to target vital points—anyone struck by the shadow would be reduced to pulp and bone fragments.

Within the Qingshi Consortium's encirclement, the shadow fought alone like a solitary leaf, seemingly on the verge of extinguishing at any moment, yet surprisingly, it appeared capable of fighting indefinitely, no matter how many wounds it bore.

As the shadow and Ren Xiaosu were blocked by numerous operatives, when Ren Xiaosu recalled the shadow, it tore through the crowd like a train, carving a bloody path!

To summon the shadow, it had to merge with Ren Xiaosu's form; likewise, when Ren Xiaosu wished to release it, it would only separate from his back.

When the shadow returned to Ren Xiaosu's side, its body bore many wounds. Those injuries hurt as if they were his own, and as the shadow fled, it had been shot several times, nearly causing Ren Xiaosu to vomit blood from the pain!

Large beads of cold sweat dripped from his face and back. Ren Xiaosu endured the agony, clenching his teeth as he continued to flee.

No wonder Xu Xianchu's shadow had once withstood bullets, and Xu Xianchu's face had paled—because the shadow also had "side effects."

What Ren Xiaosu did not know was that if Xu Xianchu were here, he would be greatly surprised.

Xu Xianchu had once tested this himself: once the shadow underwent high-intensity activity, it would cause the user's "mental power" to wither and dissipate. At that time, the user would feel nauseous, vomit, and suffer chest tightness, worse than death!

But Ren Xiaosu's shadow was entirely different.

At that time, Ren Xiaosu had asked the Palace if he could assess his mental power value, and the Palace's reply was... "No authority to disclose."

...

Ren Xiaosu fled desperately through the woods, the pain from the shadow lingering without abating. It was then that he realized the shadow could not be used recklessly—if he intended to use it as a substitute to die, he had to brace himself for the pain that seeped into his marrow.

Each time the shadow died, he died once.

Ren Xiaosu gasped violently; he had been wounded before, but this pain felt more real than actual injuries.

Yet what comforted him was that the shadow had not dissipated from its wounds—he still had one more fight left.

The Qingshi Consortium operatives behind him were like snarling black hounds, pursuing relentlessly. Had it not been for Ren Xiaosu's greater speed, he would have been in grave trouble.

Ren Xiaosu did not run in a straight line but instead tried to gradually shake off his pursuers. Soon, the Qingshi Consortium could no longer determine his exact position.

Only then did Ren Xiaosu exhale in relief, for the pressure of being hunted by hundreds was too great. He planned to hide in the woods and catch his breath.

But at that moment, he suddenly heard the clanking of chains ahead...

Ren Xiaosu stood frozen, clutching his chest, and let out a grim smile. This damn...

He sighed: "Life is full of dead ends."

Ren Xiaosu had glimpsed from afar the experimental subjects locked in cages by Qing Zhen, but he could not hear Qing Zhen's words, so he did not know there was more than one.

Ren Xiaosu had thought that the greatest obstacle on his northern escape route might be the volcano, but he had not expected these experimental subjects.

Judging by the sound, Ren Xiaosu instantly realized the opponents came from three directions—meaning he faced at least three experimental subjects!

The clanking of chains grew louder, and Ren Xiaosu heard again the sound of saliva dripping onto rotten leaves.

Standing side by side with his shadow, Ren Xiaosu roughly estimated in his mind: perhaps the shadow could handle two experimental subjects, but whether he could manage one alone was a major problem.

Four experimental subjects ahead, hundreds behind—at this moment, all sought to doom Ren Xiaosu.