Vol. 5 Chapter 5: Destruction
Chapter 5: Destruction
"Stop what you're doing. Let's exchange hostages first, then swap the masks. Children are always innocent, right?" Xiao Zhang released Luo Yan, but his hand, burning with black flames, remained poised behind her, ready to strike at any moment.
Fu Bin placed his hand on the baby carriage, and the black mist stopped spreading. Luo Yan slowly walked toward Fu Bin, while the black mist condensed into a tentacle, pushing the baby carriage forward. Once Xiao Zhang took over the carriage and cleared the black floating organisms with his flames, Luo Yan joined Fu Bin, whispering a soft apology.
"Now, let's exchange the masks," Xiao Zhang said, raising the mask in his hand. Fu Bin nodded, and moments later, they swapped masks again.
Xiao Zhang used his black flames to cleanse the mask of any hidden organisms. He sighed in relief and asked Fu Bin, "Why didn't you act?"
"We're running out of time. You should find the mask's owner quickly and help them grow," Fu Bin replied, not giving a direct answer, but Xiao Zhang understood.
The mask competition aimed to make the last person a god. Only one out of the seven mask holders could achieve this, with the others serving as fuel. Fu Bin could kill Xiao Zhang and Zheng Long, but finding suitable new hosts for their masks would take too long, risking interference from external forces.
Both parties, though interested in becoming gods, avoided large-scale conflict. After the exchange, Fu Bin took Luo Yan and left through the back door.
Meng Xi, the bald fat man, was now devoid of kindness, crying over his wife and son's bodies. He had just wanted a peaceful life. His once rebellious son had matured and helped around the house, and his diligent wife had never quarreled with him, even giving birth to their second son a year ago.
Now, they were cold corpses. Meng Xi looked at Xiao Zhang and Zheng Long, both wearing demonic masks and using supernatural powers. He roughly understood what had happened.
Seeing his crying baby in the carriage, Meng Xi picked him up and turned to Xiao Zhang, trying to remain calm. "I need an explanation."
Meanwhile, Fu Bin and Luo Yan returned to the counseling office. "The key to victory is the seventh mask. Send out your cats immediately; we need to find it," Fu Bin ordered.
Li Yuanfeng, lying in his new rental room, relaxed in the small space. He wanted success, wealth, and admiration, tired of struggling for basic needs. Suddenly, he thought of the eerie demonic mask. Sitting up, he took it from his bag. The mask's strange smile made him swallow nervously before putting it on.
Instantly, his mind accelerated, and past confusions became clear. He realized his interview mistake and why he had failed. Cold energy flowed through him, sharpening his vision until he could see a distant shop's TV clearly.
"The Le Ping City serial murders remain unsolved. The killer leaves a certain mark and a mask symbol..."
"Mask symbol." Li Yuanfeng touched the mask on his face and felt a dangerous aura. "Someone is searching for this mask. There must be others too. What should I do?"
"Discard the mask?" The thought crossed his mind but was immediately rejected. "No, with this mask, I can achieve my dreams. Abandoning it would be foolish."
"I want wealth, power, everything I desire." Confronting possible danger, his greed surged. He had too many desires, and his greed merged with the shadowy power within him, swelling his body until his clothes tore, almost hitting the ceiling.
Enhanced by the mask, Li Yuanfeng quickly understood his power's key: greed. Through experimentation, he mastered his giant transformation ability.
"Enjoying yourself?" a deep, terrifying voice spoke behind him. He turned into a three-meter giant, startled by a taller, shadowy demon with broken horns.
"Who are you?" Li Yuanfeng backed toward the window, ready to jump if needed.
"No need to be nervous, greedy host. Call me Shadow Demon. I'm here to help us both." The horned demon crushed a captured assassin into black smoke.
The Shadow Demon briefly explained the mask competition and the current situation.
"So, when the seven deadly sin mask holders grow, the one who collects all the masks becomes a god?" Li Yuanfeng confirmed. "And you, with your mask, what do you represent?"
"I'm an extra mask, representing destruction. We Shadow Demons know little about our existence," the demon said, crushing another shadowy figure. "This one was monitoring you."
"So, we?" Li Yuanfeng caught the hint.
"Yes, there are three outside the seven sins: destruction, hatred, and fear," the Shadow Demon explained, following a prepared script.