Chapter 308: He's Just a Madman!

"Hongyang Park entrance."

That was the message Ms. Jiang Jiu had sent a short while ago.

It was also where Yan Jing was currently waiting.

"It's a bit cold."

Yan Jing had already taken off his white suit, changing into a long-sleeved, light blue windbreaker.

The night had already deepened.

Though the early autumn wind wasn't as biting as winter's, the drifting yellow leaves gave it a distinct sense of desolation.

Hongyang Park was the same place where he had gotten out of Boss Rat's car. A single streetlamp stood at the entrance, shedding a bleak white light that illuminated a small patch of ground. Yan Jing lowered his head, looking at his elongated shadow.

Perhaps it was this body's influence, but as he watched the shadow of his tail swaying back and forth, he suddenly felt the urge to pounce on it.

"It's beautiful weather for a date, isn't it, Xiao Xin?"

Yan Jing looked at Xiao Xin, whom only he could see.

"Iya, iya—"

Xiao Xin had arrived from the auction house not long ago.

The more Yan Jing explored how to use Xiao Xin, the better he understood why its abilities were considered divine.

Transmitting messages across domains, delivering items, tracking—these were already overwhelmingly powerful. But here in the Peace Heavenly Kingdom, where machinery could be subjected to random inspections, Xiao Xin's undetectable nature truly proved its worth.

"Do you like the gift I bought for you, Xiao Xin?"

"Iya, iya—"

Xiao Xin pulled the camera Yan Jing had bought out of the bag on its back.

"Maybe I should become a paparazzo,"

Yan Jing muttered.

He raised his right wrist to check his Information Component; it was almost the agreed-upon time.

Right then, a voice called out from afar.

"Mr. Cat!"

Jiang Jiu hurried over.

She wore a thin brown sweater that matched her coffee-colored hair surprisingly well.

She stopped in front of Yan Jing, leaning on her knees as she panted heavily.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late."

"It's alright, Miss Jiang."

Yan Jing smiled.

"You know, being a little late is a pretty girl's privilege."

A faint blush rose on Jiang Jiu's cheeks.

"This isn't some old-school soap opera. Mr. Cat, you really know how to joke."

"Regardless, thank you so much, Mr. Cat, for sharing Li Ya's secret with me."

"Thank you!"

Jiang Jiu bowed deeply to him.

"It was no big deal."

Yan Jing waved his hand and smiled.

"Let's go. Aren't we sneaking into the hospital tonight?"

"I remember the security guard telling me last time that the curfew starts at ten. There should be a shift change then."

"Yes, I was just about to say that." Jiang Jiu nodded. "I didn't expect you to investigate this hospital so thoroughly, Mr. Cat."

"It was nothing much."

Yan Jing smiled.

"I remember when we met a few months ago, you mentioned you were looking into something. Was that about the hospital too?"

Jiang Jiu suddenly brought up their past conversation.

"Didn't I tell you back then?" Yan Jing smiled. "It's a secret."

Unable to pry an answer from him, Jiang Jiu didn't push the issue. She simply took a deep breath and said, "Alright then. Let's go."

The two of them concealed themselves and arrived at the mouth of an alley opposite the hospital.

Unexpectedly, it was almost ten o'clock, yet the security guards at the entrance showed no sign of leaving their posts.

Even when ten o'clock rolled around, no one left the security booth.

"Looks like it won't work tonight,"

Yan Jing sighed regretfully.

But beside him, Jiang Jiu lowered her head and spoke up.

"Mr. Cat, when I was volunteering, I found out there's a secret passage into the hospital."

"Will you come with me?"

"I'm worried that the longer we delay, the more likely something will go wrong."

Yan Jing didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his head and looked into Jiang Jiu's eyes.

A moment later, he said softly, "Alright."

"Thank you!"

Jiang Jiu was overjoyed.

Soon, Jiang Jiu led Yan Jing to an alley behind the hospital.

There were no lights inside; it was pitch-black.

"It's just inside."

Jiang Jiu said, "Mr. Cat, please follow me."

She then walked briskly into the darkness.

Yan Jing followed her.

A cat's night vision was far superior to a human's, so he easily tracked Jiang Jiu's figure through the gloom. But after walking for a few hundred meters, they still hadn't reached the secret entrance. The surrounding darkness was only growing deeper.

Right then, Jiang Jiu let out a scream. A hand shot out from a blind spot behind a pile of scrap metal, swiftly yanking her aside.

Then, she vanished completely.

"Miss Jiang Jiu!"

Yan Jing shouted, rushing forward.

But Jiang Jiu had disappeared without a trace.

It was as if she had been swallowed whole.

Only the solitary pile of scrap remained, rustling in the dark.

Yan Jing's expression instantly changed, and then...

He briskly turned and walked back out.

As he walked, he opened his Information Component, preparing to call the police.

This reaction dumbfounded the pair of eyes watching from the darkness, as well as Jiang Jiu, who was hiding in a secret alcove.

Call the police?

Wasn't he in the mafia?!

"Hello? Is this the Law Enforcement Agency? I want to report a missing person—"

Seeing that Yan Jing was actually going to call the cops, Jiang Jiu immediately shot a look at the owner of the eyes beside her.

The owner of those eyes stealthily crept up behind Yan Jing.

Just like last time in the abandoned building, he extended the sharp claws on his hands.

He knew his opponent possessed some sort of perception ability, so he had needed the young miss to lower the target's guard beforehand.

At the same time, an eerie sonic wave was poised to erupt from his mouth.

This was his killing move. Once unleashed, even someone at the Fourth Tier would suffer severe mental interference.

And it usually took him only an instant to finish off an opponent.

But right at that moment, Yan Jing suddenly laughed. He turned around and looked straight at him.

"I found you this time."

!!!

The figure's heart violently lurched!

The invisible sonic wave instantly erupted from his mouth.

To his shock, Yan Jing seemed entirely unaffected.

Blood dripped from Yan Jing's palm. He opened his hand, revealing a spiked seed resting inside.

To defeat mental control, one could only use an even deeper fear.

This was what his Third Brother, whom he had never met, had taught him.

"Here's a gift for you."

Yan Jing threw the seed. Immediately after, black mist surged from his body, swallowing the entire alley in an instant.

The figure looked at the seed landing by his feet, unable to react in time. In the next moment, sharp Thorns bloomed like a flower, instantly piercing right through his thigh.

Terrifying agony exploded in his mind, as if he had plunged into the Asura Hell. Phantom shadows materialized, devouring his flesh and blood.

Sweat rained down his entire body. By the time he regained his senses, he saw a towering tree rising from the ground opposite him. The figure of the black cat was suspended from the tree, pulled taught by gray and white threads.

In the next instant, frenzied tentacles surfaced around the black cat. Each one seemed to possess a mind of its own, covered in pitch-black feathers as they danced wildly in the air.

In that split second, Yan Jing had recklessly unleashed what was practically his strongest form.

He even directly invoked his brand-new Fear Stance, which he rarely ever used.

"Try this."

Suspended from the tree, Yan Jing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The character for "king" emerged between his brows.

This was Mao Si's ability, the Fourth Tier's King State.

In an instant, his muscles bulged. It was as if he had transformed from a black cat into a fierce tiger capable of treading on the moon and trampling the heavens, extending its claws from amidst the threads of the towering tree!

At the same time, the feathers on the countless tentacles all seemed to twist, morphing into massive, pitch-black talons that lunged toward the figure in the dark.

What the hell was this?!

The figure's hair immediately stood on end. He kicked off hard with his clawed legs, desperate to put some distance between them.

But the tentacles blotted out the sky, intertwining with the endless threads and completely severing his path of retreat.

One claw descended!

Multiple claws descended simultaneously!!

The Potion of Heracles pumped frantically through his racing blood!!!

"Ghk!"

The figure trembled violently, instantly vomiting a massive mouthful of fresh blood. It felt as if every bone in his body were fracturing as agonizing pain racked his entire frame.

This was absolutely not the strength of the Fourth Tier!

He looked up at Yan Jing in disbelief, his gaze filled with terror.

But before he had any chance to react, the countless tentacles crashed down in the next fraction of a second.

Up in the sky, Yan Jing's thick limbs had already been mangled by the giant tree's threads. Blood rained down like a waterfall, but it wasn't over yet.

The next moment, endless lengths of white silk burst from his chest, joining the fray.

Power of the White Stone!!!

Black and White Dual-Colored Long Spears rained down from the sky! Wrapped in the tentacles, they violently impaled the figure on the ground! At the same time, the massive pitch-black claws also transformed into black and white!

"Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!"

Endless streams of blood spurted wildly from all over the figure's body.

A shrill, bloodcurdling scream rang out from the center of the tentacle storm, only to be instantly obliterated. Not a single sound escaped.

This was all because a figure in a long gown stood leaning against the alley entrance, using Soundless to quietly unleash the Domain power of Tranquil Valley.

"It's not over yet."

Yan Jing flashed a savage grin.

He could sense that the figure at the center of the tentacles hadn't died yet. It was even bursting with power in an attempt to fight back. In that case...

He just had to push even harder.

In the next instant, a Paintbrush materialized in his claw. Its tip quivered frantically as an identical phantom of the towering tree materialized beside him. The same massive black tiger, the same entangling threads—all of it came crashing down onto the figure on the ground.

A split second later, every remaining tentacle around Yan Jing seemed to turn into a quill pen, and then...

One giant tree, two giant trees... a total of five giant trees materialized into existence!

Yan Jing could feel the weird energy inside his body draining madly, as if completely out of control. After he consumed a Fear Fruit, it instantly began draining wildly all over again.

Giant palms formed by countless tentacles and long spears descended, frantically impaling the figure.

Hiding in the dark, Jiang Jiu watched the scene unfold, her body trembling like a leaf. Her back was drenched in sweat, her pupils quivering.

Meanwhile, inside Yan Jing's body, the Fear Bird—finally finding a brief moment of respite thanks to the deployment of the Power of the White Stone—could speak at last.

Disregarding everything, it shrieked at the top of its lungs at Xiao Yu, who was sitting on a stool nearby cracking melon seeds:

"You saw that, didn't you!!! You saw that, right?!!"

"He's an absolute madman!!!"