Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 740: 433, Puppet

“If I don’t come earlier next time, I might really die here,” Luo Wanya gasped, leaning against the utility pole.

“Definitely next time,” Liu Dezhu said before turning to Qing Yuan.

Fire.

Blazing fire.

The moment Liu Dezhu collided with the seven assassins, the intense heat he carried instantly turned several people into fireballs.

The fire exploded outward from Liu Dezhu and Luo Wanya at the center, hurling the few assassins into the air with a scorching blast.

Since becoming a C-Class, Liu Dezhu rarely had the chance to give his all in combat, not because he was lazy, but because Qing Chen had arranged everything so well that he didn’t need to exert himself completely.

However, at this moment, the power of a C-Class Awakener was undeniably on display in the night of Zheng City.

Fury.

Extremely fury.

The dancing flames were like notes leaping on a musical staff.

Because Awakening releases the potential of the body, Liu Dezhu trained slower than the others, but he still persisted.

He did it for no other reason than because the boss told him that if he could reach B-Class in his training, he would also help him reach B-Class in his Awakener level.

After hearing those words, just like when the boss told him to stay angry in the beginning, he really did stay angry all the time.

But now, watching Luo Wanya, who was always smiling on regular days, with a face so pale, Liu Dezhu suddenly felt angry again.

The last time he felt this angry was when his mother was nearly killed.

‘Qing Yuan’ carefully scrutinized Liu Dezhu with his only remaining eye.

But at that moment, Liu Dezhu was enveloped in flames, his features indiscernible.

Having never revealed his abilities, Liu Dezhu remained a mystery to Qing Yuan.

“It seems that an organization has been targeting me with a plan,” Qing Yuan said with a confident smile, “Let me guess, there are two possibilities: one is that one of the Shadow Candidates is a Time Traveler just like me, who has also made good inroads in the Outer World. The other possibility is that a Time Traveler assists one of the Shadow Candidates, similarly having a reason to eliminate me. Which one are you? And who is your boss?”

Liu Dezhu remained silent, surveying his surroundings. The seven assassins were not weak, each possessing the strength of at least E-Class, even D-Class.

According to the boss’s speculation, Qing Yuan must have a considerable number of Genetic Warriors at his side, as a seventh of the Qing Family’s annual Genetic Potion quota was in the hands of Qing Yuan’s father.

By calculating the time since the crossover event occurred, even an Ordinary Person could have taken three Genetic Potions by now.

Three Genetic Potions, D-Class.

If Qing Yuan’s father, Qing Yu, was really a Time Traveler, he would undoubtedly build an army of Genetic Warriors capable of waging war in both worlds for his son.

Liu Dezhu was curious how Luo Wanya, under such an assault, still managed to poke out one of Qing Yuan’s eyes.

Then ‘Qing Yuan’ laughed suddenly, “Don’t want to talk? No matter, let’s first test the strength of your organization.”

As his words fell, the seven already upturned assassins charged toward Liu Dezhu to engage him in combat simultaneously.

Liu Dezhu chuckled, “Qing Xing sends its regards to you all.”

The fire dancing around him suddenly stalled as Liu Dezhu roared, his fist smashing towards the approaching assassin: “Down!”

All the training Liu Dezhu had undergone recently culminated in this moment.

His footsteps served as the foundation, with power transmitting from the earth to his twisting waist, and then to his swinging arm.

That fiery punch was released after the lead yet arrived first; although it was the assassins who struck first, Liu Dezhu was significantly faster.

Before the assassins could react, the explosive punch already brutally landed on an assassin’s face.

A crisp snap sounded from the assassin’s neck, and the man twisted and was hammered to the ground.

In an instant, that unparalleled fist burst forth with brilliant flames.

The flames instantly engulfed the assassin completely.

Light swirled, flames cracked the earth!

Kusanagi Kyo!

Rihachi-shiki: Orochinagi!

The next second, another assassin was already launching an attack with a dagger from behind him.

Liu Dezhu didn’t even turn his head.

Bending over, he flicked his left leg backward sharply.

In one fluid motion, he hooked his toe under the assailant’s chin, astonishingly flicking the assassin into mid-air.

“Up!” Liu Dezhu swiftly twisted his waist and leaped, catching the falling assassin with a sharp right hook.

A thunderous boom!

From that hook punch, another dazzling burst of light exploded, blasting the assassin back up into the sky.

Kusanagi Kyo!

Rihachi-shiki: Oniyaki!

Luo Wanya, leaning on the utility pole, was dumbfounded. Was this still the fool who only knew how to goof around and gossip about the boss every day in the daylight villa?!

When Qing Chen went to Europe a while ago, Liu Dezhu wasn’t idle either; he had been contemplating how to use his heat-based Awakening abilities.

Nan Gengchen had an idea and suggested he learn from Kusanagi Kyo in The King of Fighters, regardless of whether it was practical; as long as it looked cool, that was all that mattered.

“Careful!” Luo Wanya shouted a warning.

Just when Liu Dezhu descended from the air, two assassins had already charged at him with daggers drawn.

But before they could reach him, a figure appeared from nowhere, striking them in the throat with swift, dual strikes.

It turned out to be Nan Gengchen, wearing a mask!

Unlike Genetic Potions, the cultivation methods do not halt at a certain level after injection; it’s hard to approach the threshold of the next level.

However, Nan Gengchen’s cultivation of the Zhunti method was different; he cultivated his Qi meridians in an orderly manner, improving a little with each meridian he cultivated. He said he was close to C-Class, which meant his strength was also infinitely close to C-Class.

This advantage was incomparable to that of a Genetic Warrior.

The two assassins clutched at their crushed throats and slowly retreated backward.

The shattered throat bones pierced their windpipes, making it impossible for them to breathe. In just over ten seconds, they began to feel suffocated.

Everything in their sight gradually darkened.

Nan Gengchen silently watched all this happen, knowing he would have to face it someday and couldn’t always be protected by Qing Chen.

So, he stared without looking away,

trying to get used to that feeling as quickly as possible.

The remaining three assassins also backed away uncertainly because they didn’t know if there were any other masters hidden around.

Liu Dezhu stood his ground on the ground, then said to Qing Yuan, “Your body must be a puppet, right? Even though your real self is safe and sound, finding a good puppet shouldn’t be easy. Don’t you feel any pity at all?”

Qing Yuan’s expression remained calm, as if the blood flowing unstoppably from his abdomen couldn’t affect his will.

He smiled and said, “Perhaps your combat power doesn’t last, so you want to chat to stall for time, right? There’s no need for that—the encounter tonight was just a brief greeting. I believe we’ll meet again in the future.”

With that said, Qing Yuan actually picked up a dagger that had fallen on the ground and then gently slid it across his neck, falling askew to the ground.

Seeing this, Liu Dezhu’s scalp tingled.

The intense battle he imagined didn’t occur, but the scene of the opponent committing suicide so nonchalantly truly shocked him.

Not for any other reason, but because the opponent was too calm when killing himself.

Even though Qing Chen had told them it was a puppet, the sight was still shocking.

The three assassins didn’t linger to fight and turned to blend into the crowd, swiftly leaving the battleground with decisive action.

Liu Dezhu looked at Nan Gengchen and was silent for a few seconds, “Was that cool just now?”

Nan Gengchen exclaimed, “I told you, if you want to look cool playing with fire, you have to learn from Kusanagi Kyo, right?”

“That, you two… help me up,” Luo Wanya said.

Only at this moment did Liu Dezhu finally have the mindset to observe Luo Wanya’s injuries, “How are you? I can take you to the hospital right now.”

“No need, no need,” Luo Wanya, his face twisted in pain, still declined.

The back of Luo Wanya’s suit was chopped up like a vagabond’s, tattered and torn.

Liu Dezhu and Nan Gengchen were extremely distressed.

They had no idea that Lao Luo had paid so much for the sake of daylight.

But when Liu Dezhu touched Luo Wanya’s back, he asked with some surprise, “Wait, why is there no blood on your back?”

Luo Wanya said, “I knew it would be dangerous coming to Zheng City, so I got a friend to make me a bulletproof vest to wear underneath. Winter clothes are thick, so no one could tell…”

Liu Dezhu: “…”

No wonder Luo Wanya chose the most impetuous fighting style—he was counting on his high defense!

Who would have thought of that?!

Which serious Time Traveler ever fought with a bulletproof vest on?!

The seven assassins must have been baffled when they chopped at Luo Wanya’s back and it didn’t bleed—what was going on?!

Liu Dezhu exclaimed, “If we’re talking about being shrewd, you, Lao Luo, are the clever one. So why are you still pretending to be in pain?”

Luo Wanya replied, “I took two strikes to my legs… just need some simple stitching up. No need for a hospital; I can handle it myself.”

Relieved, Liu Dezhu and Nan Gengchen took a quick look around, “Let’s go, we’ll talk elsewhere.”

“By the way, where’s the boss?” asked Luo Wanya.

“No idea.”

The three assassins silently and swiftly walked down the streets.

They crossed through the crowd, throwing their knives into the trash cans by the road.

In about ten minutes, the three regrouped at the intersection of Fuyuan Road and Shangding Road.

They stood casually by the roadside, as if the battle that had just unfolded had nothing to do with them.

Suddenly, a black business car arrived at the corner, its rear passenger door opening automatically.

Just as the assassins were about to enter the vehicle, a young passerby walked by behind them. The passerby seemed to reach out lightly.

The assassins only felt a feather-light object grazed across their necks.

When they reached up to touch, then looked at their palms, they were covered in fresh blood.

Horrified, the assassins looked toward the tall figure of the passerby who had moved farther away, with no intention of looking back.

Meanwhile, the driver of the business car was still focused on the road ahead. Seeing that they were slow to get in, he urged, “Get in.”

No one responded.

When the driver turned his head again, he was shocked to find the three assassins lying beside the car, in a pool of blood on the ground.

Looking into the distance, the figure of the passerby had vanished, and the driver broke into a smile, “Didn’t take the bait, huh?”

He didn’t restart the business car but instead got out and walked away. After several steps, he pressed the remote control in his pocket.

With a thunderous roar, the business car exploded into a fireball.

This was another of Qing Yuan’s puppets—he had specifically informed the three assassins that he would come to pick them up, expecting that someone might follow them.

If the follower reached the vehicle and attempted to take the driver and the assassins hostage, intending to extract information about ‘Qing Yuan’ through interrogation,

Then they would all turn to ashes together.

After all, it was just a puppet. Although creating one could be troublesome, Qing Yuan didn’t mind.