Chapter 8 : Dangerous Abyss

Adrian, who pursued things intently, stood quietly in place, completely ignoring the fierce glares of the assassins in the darkness.

Fear? Scared?

Hahaha, just a while ago, with Bruce's senile father-in-law staring at him with those terrifying eyes of forgiveness, Adrian didn't feel afraid.

He didn't care then, so how could he care about a group of petty "kill you" gazes from some small fries?

Talia's gaze, however, held a complex and inscrutable meaning, revealing nothing of what she was thinking.

Speaking of which, not everyone in the Assassins League is obsessed with destroying humanity, such as Ra's's two daughters, who lack interest in annihilating mankind.

Soon, the grandiose Dark Lord Ra's returned holding two mineral water bottles filled with Lazarus Pit water, handing them to Adrian.

As for the authenticity of this water, Adrian had no worries. He took them, gave them a shake, and quite contentedly placed them in a red plastic bag he had just taken out of his pocket.

"So, have we completed our transaction, little... insect?"

Ra's stared at Adrian, exuding an overwhelming aura that couldn't be resisted.

In the surrounding darkness, assassins emerged, their blades aimed at Adrian. In just a second, they could swarm him and pin him to the ground.

Talia remained silent, neither preventing nor promoting the possible events to come. She observed in a bystander's stance.

Once Adrian confirmed the completion of this transaction, Ra's would make sure this little pest experienced excruciating pain.

He wouldn't let Adrian die too easily.

The downside of forced transactions became apparent now. The Staff of Authority only maintained the transaction itself, not the well-being of the parties involved.

After the transaction, if Ra's wanted to kill Adrian, it didn't violate the Staff of Authority's rules.

Ra's wasn't regretting or wanting the Lazarus Pit water back; he merely wished, post-transaction, to... kill Adrian.

He even thought of using the two bottles of Lazarus Pit water on Adrian to ensure he experienced maximum pain before his final death.

Normal transactions would rarely lead to a confrontation after completion, but a forced transaction, where Adrian completed the transaction by touching Ra's's head, could result in brutal retaliation once it ended.

Ra's glared at Adrian. Once Adrian confirmed the transaction's completion, a terrifying glint flashed across the blade in his hand.

Even if Adrian wanted to delay, he couldn't for too long.

The items were already in his possession. Even if Adrian didn't "confirm," after some time, the transaction would automatically be considered completed.

As the murderous intent became palpable and Ra's's eyes actually began to emit a faint green glow, Adrian felt a shadow called "death" inching closer.

It was an unprecedented experience.

There was no trace of fear on Adrian's face; instead, a strange, radiant smile emerged, as if he relished dancing on the edge of a blade, walking a tightrope over a cliff, hanging by a thread.

He let out a breath and, looking at Ra's, uttered a single word with a smile, "Yes."

Instantly, the chilling blade slashed through the space Adrian had occupied, seemingly illuminating the dark room like lightning.

The next moment, Ra's's fierce expression intensified.

Because the decisive blow he intended to land had missed. The space where Adrian was a moment ago was now empty.

At the moment Adrian uttered that word, Ra's swung his blade, and the kid vanished.

The blade barely grazed the hem of his clothes.

"Where is he?"

Talia widened her eyes. This wasn't a trick of concealment using the darkness.

The recent situation was genuinely incomprehensible, leaving no room for hiding.

"He's gone."

Ra's slammed his blade into the ground at the spot where Adrian had vanished. "Go, thoroughly investigate his identity and origins for me!"

And Adrian? At this moment, he had already returned to his room in the sanatorium, his excited smile still lingering.

When Adrian received the Assassins League's message, he had actually surpassed the time limit. His continued stay in Gotham City was due to the consumption of wealth points.

During the time he spent consuming these wealth points to stay in other worlds, Adrian could return to his primary world at any time.

This was the confidence Adrian had in conducting a forced transaction with Ra's.

Dancing on the edge of a blade, the sensation of life and death on the line was indeed thrilling, but Adrian had no intention of dying like that.

"Black, how many wealth points do I have now?" Hanging the umbrella on the wall hook, and placing the Lazarus Pit water on the bedside table, Adrian sat on the sofa and asked.

[A thousand and fifty-two.]

Black quickly responded.

[The recent transaction gained you nine hundred wealth points.]

"Oh, so does that mean one Ra's is equal to nine Penguin?" Adrian chuckled.

Penguin had gone from being an individual to a "unit."

Adrian's first transaction was with a Gotham taxi driver, earning him 0.00005 wealth points, an amount Adrian instructed Black to disregard. Subsequent small transactions would accumulate automatically until reaching 1 point before computation.

Then, he had two transactions with Penguin, totalling two hundred wealth points.

He made a transaction with Uncle Bai Jincheng, gaining five points.

The five opportunities to visit the world where Gotham was located consumed fifty wealth points.

Before meeting Ra's, Adrian had a total of one hundred and fifty-five wealth points.

After surpassing the time limit, Adrian spent an additional three points. In addition to the recent forced transaction with Ra's, he now possessed a total of a thousand and fifty-two wealth points.

He had evidently reached the requirement for a Level 2 Executor.

"So, am I a Level 2 Executor now?" Adrian continued, "Any new permissions or abilities?"

To become a Level 2 Executor, one didn't need to consume one thousand points; having over 1000 points was enough.

Subsequent spending didn't affect the status once Level 2 was achieved.

[Activate personal independent space, capable of storing objects outside of living beings, measuring 5x5x5, 125 cubic meters. The space maintains an absolute state of stillness; all items retain the state they were in upon entry.]

[Ordinary transaction frequency increased to 5 times every 24 hours, forced transaction frequency unchanged. Time spent in other worlds during teleportation is 48 hours, with the option to leave early at 12 and 24 hours. After the time of return, a new teleportation can be initiated after 48 hours.]

Black's mechanical voice detailed the changes brought about by becoming a Level 2 Executor.

Adrian's transformation into a Level 2 Executor didn't involve any dramatic changes.

There was no sudden jolt to his body, nor did he radiate any intense light. It simply subtly enhanced his abilities and raised his permissions with the Staff of Authority.

Among these changes, what interested Adrian the most was the additional personal independent space.

One hundred and twenty-five cubic meters was a considerable space, enough to accommodate many items.

"How do I use it?" Adrian inquired.

Being a Level 2 Executor hadn't brought about any notable changes. Therefore, he wasn't aware of how to utilize this personal space.

[Please choose a fixed entry point for the space.]

Black replied.

"Left—no, mouth." Adrian glanced at his left hand, then smirked strangely.

A few seconds later, Black fixed it to his mouth.

At the same time, Adrian began sensing some changes. He felt a black space had somehow connected to him; by will, he could place non-living objects not exceeding the space's size inside it.

"Let's try it."

Standing up again, and walking to the bedside, Adrian picked up the bottle containing Lazarus Pit water and attempted to insert it into his mouth.

In an instant before the bottle reached his mouth, there was a slight distortion, and it vanished.

Adrian felt the bottle of mineral water inside the black space.

He experimented repeatedly until his mouth began to ache.

Of course, this was merely a subconscious action.

Even if he kept his mouth closed, he could still store items within the space. Proximity was sufficient for the objects to enter.

Storing both bottles of Lazarus Pit water in the personal space, Adrian didn't take a break. During his repeated experiments and trials, he discovered an interesting phenomenon.

This revelation reminded him of a section of a novel he came across while "cramming" various related "knowledge."

"If I'm guessing correctly, this is truly the mouth of the abyss—a talkative powerhouse."

Adrian grinned maliciously, taking down the black umbrella hanging on the wall. Holding its tip towards his mouth, he violently thrust it, as if he were attempting to "swallow the umbrella whole."

Thankfully, there was nobody else in the room. Otherwise, Adrian might have been subjected to a period of medication and various forms of psychological therapy.

The umbrella provided by Penguin was naturally stored in Adrian's personal space.

Then, Adrian slightly opened his mouth and "retrieved" the umbrella.

However, unlike the Lazarus Pit water that fell due to the space's effect, the umbrella's tip faced outward. It flew in front of him at the same speed as when Adrian had thrust it toward himself.

After hitting the wall, it fell to the ground, making a significant noise.

The wall now bore a small dent.

"So that's how it works."

Adrian smiled contentedly. The personal space retained the object's state at the moment of entry, including the "kinetic energy."

Releasing an object would retain that stored energy.

This was precisely the situation before him.

The personal space wasn't just for storage; Adrian had other plans for it.

"Reading more does have its benefits."

Adrian's mouth was no longer an ordinary mouth but a dangerous abyss.

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