76: Chapter 76 Third Tier

In the evening, Lin Mo returned from the Southern Ridge.

The sun had already set, leaving a smear of dark red on the horizon, like the color of a scabbed wound. The outline of the camp was just ahead. The newly built perimeter wall was nearly finished, and from a distance, he could see workers moving about on top of it.

Lin Mo slowed his pace.

He didn't take the main road, instead skirting along the foot of the mountain. Keeping about a kilometer away from the camp, this distance was just right—enough to see the situation over there clearly, without being discovered.

His Eye of Sin-Eating remained active.

In his field of vision, the camp area was a normal gray-white. Li Chengxi and his people had a faint red hue on them, which was normal for regular people; they had killed living things, but not too many.

Lin Mo withdrew his gaze, preparing to continue walking.

Then, he stopped.

To his front left, three hundred meters away.

A rock.

What his Eye of Sin-Eating saw was not the gray-white that a rock should have.

It was dark red.

Very faint, but definitely dark red.

A Mimic.

Lin Mo didn't turn his head, didn't change his expression, and didn't even stop his pace. He continued walking forward, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

But his peripheral vision had already locked onto that position.

That "rock" was in a damn good spot. It was right on a protruding part of the hillside, with an open view, allowing it to see the camp gate and the newly built perimeter wall clearly. There was no cover around it; a normal person wouldn't stay there—it was too conspicuous, like a target.

But a Mimic would.

By turning into a rock, the more conspicuous the place, the safer it was. Because people wouldn't suspect a rock.

Lin Mo continued walking, his steps very steady, and his breathing didn't falter in the slightest.

He was already calculating in his head.

Three hundred meters.

In between were woods, ditches, and uneven terrain. Running over there would take at least fifteen seconds at the fastest. Fifteen seconds was enough for a late-stage Third Order Mimic to run two li away, and enough for it to shout and summon people.

But that was in the past.

Now—

A small arc curled at the corner of Lin Mo's mouth.

He walked behind an old locust tree, his body shielded by the trunk.

Then he looked up at that "rock."

Everywhere his gaze reached was a place reachable by teleportation.

The next instant—

The scene flashed.

There was no process of running, no trail left behind, and none of that messy stuff in between.

One second he was still behind the locust tree, the next second he was already standing in front of that "rock."

zhan chao unsheathed.

A flash of blade light, and that "rock" violently shuddered. The layer of human skin disguise on its surface split open, and black blood sprayed out directly.

But it wasn't dead yet.

A late-stage Third Order's reaction was fast—the moment before the blade hit its neck, it tilted its head, and the strike that should have decapitated it only shaved off half its shoulder.

The Mimic let out a muffled roar, and its body changed back from the rock form to human form. It was a gaunt, middle-aged man with gray-white skin and vertical pupils, like a snake.

It stared fixedly at Lin Mo, its eyes nearly popping out.

Not from the pain.

It was because—

It subconsciously turned its head, looking toward the place where Lin Mo had just been.

Three hundred meters away, behind that old locust tree, a silver shadow was slowly fading. That "Lin Mo" still maintained the posture of standing behind the tree, not even changing the action of looking up, stuck there like a sculpture.

One second later, the shadow dispersed.

The Mimic's pupils constricted violently.

"You—"

It had just opened its mouth to say this one word.

Lin Mo's second strike had already arrived.

This time it couldn't dodge.

zhan chao cut into its throat and pierced out from the back of its neck, black blood spraying all over the ground. The Mimic's body twitched twice, and the vertical pupils in its eyes began to dilate.

But Lin Mo didn't stop.

He grabbed the Mimic's forehead with his left hand, opening his Eye of Sin-Eating to the maximum.

[Ding! Eye of Sin-Eating passive triggered, capturing target's residual consciousness fragments—]

Images flooded into Lin Mo's brain.

A pitch-black basement.

Zhou Xiong's face.

"Keep an eye on the Seventh Battalion, especially that kid named Lin Mo. In that Rock Beast attack, everyone else died, but he came out alive; that's not right."

"Should we report this to the higher-ups?"

"No need. I'll handle it myself. You just watch; if he leaves the camp, tell me immediately."

"Understood."

The scene shifted.

Still the same basement.

But this time, there was another person in front of Zhou Xiong.

A blurry face, impossible to see clearly, but judging by the aura, at least Fifth Order.

"How is it over at Lingwu City?"

"Three days later. At the Hualian Chamber of Commerce warehouse, that heart will be sent in as a 'high-grade material.' I will preside over the sacrificial ceremony, and you will provide support on the perimeter."

"What about that student?"

Zhou Xiong paused for a moment.

"If he's sensible, keep him. If he's not—"

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

The images stopped.

Lin Mo released his hand, and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud.

He crouched down and searched the corpse. He pulled out a black token, the size of a palm, with a crooked symbol carved on it—exactly the same as the pattern on the heart in his spatial ring earlier.

There was also a crystal, the size of a thumb, with light faintly moving inside. It was used by Mimics to communicate.

[Ding! Killed late-stage Third Order Mimic, slaughter value +1600 (extra 100% for cross-rank combat)]

[Current slaughter value: 1710]

Lin Mo put the token and crystal into his spatial ring and stood up.

He glanced down at the corpse and was just about to leave—

Then he stopped abruptly.

Something was wrong.

Something was approaching.

Very fast.

Lin Mo's pupils constricted slightly, his figure flashed, and he vanished from the spot immediately. He didn't run far away, but instead teleported to a large tree thirty meters away, blending his whole body into the shadows, running his Turtle Breath Technique at full power, suppressing his aura to the lowest level.

Three seconds later, a figure landed beside the corpse.

Zhou Xiong.

Lin Mo saw it clearly from the tree.

It was Zhou Xiong himself.

Not Shen Yi.

Zhou Xiong was wearing the Sixth Battalion's combat uniform, standing there, looking down at the corpse on the ground. There was no expression on his face, but Lin Mo could see his hands trembling slightly—not from fear, but from suppressed rage.

Zhou Xiong crouched down, his fingers touching the wound on the corpse. The blade wound was neat, a single fatal blow, clean and efficient. He looked around again, his gaze landing in the direction of the old locust tree—three hundred meters away, the afterimage Lin Mo had left had long since dissipated, but Zhou Xiong seemed to be able to sense something.

He stood up, walked under the old locust tree, and stood there for two seconds.

Then he turned around, returned to the side of the corpse, and pulled something out from his bosom.

A crystal, one size larger than the one Lin Mo had seized.

He crushed it.

A few seconds later, a woman's voice came from the crystal:

"What is it?"

"Old Seven is dead."

Silence.

"Who killed him?"

Zhou Xiong looked toward the camp, his voice very low:

"I don't know. But the person who killed him can teleport."

"Teleport? Are you sure?"

"The afterimage is still three hundred meters away. I sensed the residual aura. It's power at the level of rules, not just fast speed."

The other side was silent again for a few seconds.

"That student?"

"Not sure," Zhou Xiong said. "But the fact that he escaped from the Rock Beast's mouth alive is already suspicious enough."

"What do you want to do?"

Zhou Xiong looked down at the corpse, his eyes gloomy.

"The plan remains the same. Three days later, Lingwu City. But adjust the priority—that student, regardless of whether he killed him or not, must die. Leaving him alive is a disaster."

"Understood."

The light of the crystal extinguished.

Zhou Xiong took one last look at the corpse and turned to leave.

His figure disappeared into the night, his speed shockingly fast—Fourth Order peak, and much faster than an ordinary Fourth Order.

Lin Mo waited on the tree for another full five minutes. Only after confirming that Zhou Xiong had truly left did he come down from the tree.

He stood beside the corpse, looking in the direction Zhou Xiong had left, his back feeling a bit cold.

Just a moment ago, when Zhou Xiong was standing under the old locust tree, he almost thought he had been discovered. Although the Turtle Breath Technique could suppress his aura, he had no confidence against a Fourth Order peak.

Fortunately, Zhou Xiong's attention was entirely on the corpse.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and turned to leave.

He didn't go straight back to the camp.

He took a long detour and went in from another direction. When entering the gate, the sentry recognized him and greeted him:

"Lin Mo? Back so late?"

"Yeah, got delayed killing fierce beasts."

The sentry nodded and didn't ask further.

Lin Mo walked into the camp and returned to his dormitory. Closing the door, he finally let out a long breath.

The scene from just now was still spinning in his mind.

Zhou Xiong had come personally.

What did this mean? It meant that the killed Mimic wasn't just some ordinary trash, but at least someone Zhou Xiong trusted. And Zhou Xiong mentioned the title "Old Seven"—it seemed there was an organization among the Mimics, with rankings.

Old Seven was a late-stage Third Order.

Then who was the boss?

Zhou Xiong himself?

Or that woman who was talking to him in the secret room?

Lin Mo sat on the bed, took out the black token from his spatial ring, and turned it over and over to look at it.

Three days later.

Lingwu City.

The Hualian Chamber of Commerce warehouse.

The sacrificial ceremony.

That heart.

And Zhou Xiong, and that woman whose identity was unknown.

Lin Mo put the token away, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

He had to make a decision.

Should he tell Li Chengxi about this and pull in a helper?

Or go to Lingwu City by himself?

Behind Li Chengxi was the War Zone high command; if he were willing to help, this matter would be much easier to handle. But the problem was, could he be trusted? Even if there was no problem with Li Chengxi himself, were there any Mimic spies among the people he brought? Zhou Xiong could plant spies in the Seventh Battalion; what about the Sixth Battalion? What about the War Zone?

If he alerted the enemy, and Zhou Xiong acted early, that would be troublesome.

But if he went himself—

Lin Mo opened his eyes and looked at the pitch-black sky outside the window.

With his current strength, killing a late-stage Third Order in his normal state was like a game; if he went all out, he could even clash with a mid-to-late stage Fourth Order. But against someone like Zhou Xiong, a Fourth Order peak, his chances were not very high. As for that unidentified woman, judging by her aura, she was at least Fifth Order—his chances of winning were basically zero. Even with Instant Shadow, he could only guarantee he could run away; he couldn't stop them from performing the sacrifice.

Unless—

He glanced down at the system panel.

[slaughter value: 1710]

[cultivation: Second Order Ninth Layer]

Still 690 points short to reach the Third Order.

After the Third Order, with his base attributes boosted, plus the amplification from Instant Shadow, he would have the qualifications to clash head-on with a Fourth Order peak. As for Fifth Order... it was still uncertain, but at least he wouldn't be completely powerless to fight back.

690 points.

Three days.

Lin Mo stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the lights in the camp were all on. The newly built dormitory building was already occupied, with students walking in twos and threes, and occasionally, laughter drifted over.

He withdrew his gaze and looked to the north.

The direction of the Southern Ridge.

Tomorrow, continue the work.

Early the next morning, before the sky was fully bright, Lin Mo left the camp.

This time he didn't go deep inside, but searched along the foot of the mountain. Since Zhou Xiong had sent people to watch the camp, there might be other spies nearby.

And he really guessed right.

Around noon, he found a second one in a mountain gully.

Early-stage Third Order.

It had turned into a dead tree, crouching halfway up the mountain, staring in the direction of the camp.

Lin Mo didn't give it any chance.

Teleport, draw blade, kill.

[Ding! Killed early-stage Third Order Mimic, slaughter value +400]

Soul search.

This time there weren't many fragments, just some fragmented information—this guy was an outer-ring spy, responsible for passing messages, and didn't know the specific plan. But one thing was confirmed: Zhou Xiong's people were gathering toward Lingwu City. Not just Zhou Xiong, but another group of people, stronger, seemed to be from the outside.

Lin Mo sheathed his blade and continued walking forward.

In the afternoon, he ran into another one.

Peak-stage Third Order.

This guy had high alertness; when Lin Mo teleported over, it actually dodged the first strike. But it only lived two seconds longer—the second strike cut its neck directly.

[Ding! Killed peak-stage Third Order Mimic, slaughter value +2000]

Enough.

Lin Mo stood under a large tree, looking at the numbers on the system panel.

4110 points.

Breaking through to the Third Order required 2400 points.

He took a deep breath.

"System, breakthrough to Third Order First Layer."

[Ding! Consumed 2400 slaughter value points, beginning breakthrough—]

As soon as the words fell, Lin Mo's body shuddered violently.

A stream of heat surged from his lower abdomen, rushing through his whole body in the blink of an eye. His tendons were stretching, his bones were hardening, his blood was boiling. Every cell was screaming, every cell was changing.

This feeling—

It was more intense than any previous breakthrough.

Because this was a major realm.

The Third Order was a watershed.

His strength was rising.

His agility was rising.

His constitution was rising.

His mental power was also rising.

Lin Mo closed his eyes, feeling the surging power in his body.

A full minute passed before that feeling slowly faded away.

He opened his eyes and opened the attribute panel.

[Name: Lin Mo]

[Class: Awakener]

[trait: Instant Shadow (Gold High-grade), Lightning Flash (high-grade purple)]

[cultivation: Third Order First Layer]

[Strength: 165]

[Agility: 215]

[Constitution: 160]

[Spirit: 157]

[Technique: Flowing Cloud Aurora Slash LV5 (36/100), Basic Saber Technique LV12 (78/100), Lingyan Steps LV4 (24/100), Turtle Breath Technique LV1 (13/100)]

[slaughter value: 1710]

[achievement points: 7]

...

Lin Mo looked at the numbers on the panel, feeling the surging power within his body.

The feeling was as if his whole body was going to float up; it was ridiculously light, yet filled with explosive power.

He now had the confidence to clash head-on with Zhou Xiong.

Fourth Order peak?

Come and try.

He put away the panel, his figure flashed, and he vanished completely.

In the distance, the sun was sinking.

When Lin Mo returned to the camp, it was already pitch black.

He had just walked to the entrance of his dormitory when he saw someone standing there.

Li Chengxi.

Leaning against the wall, holding a box in his hand, not knowing how long he had been waiting.

"Back?" Li Chengxi saw him and straightened up.

Lin Mo nodded.

Li Chengxi walked over and shoved the box into his hand.

"dragon blood ii. My father had someone send it over; it just arrived this afternoon."