52: Chapter 52 The Strange Old Man

"Is the person who died today not in the files?"

Nie Ning didn't answer Borton, but instead asked about the person who died in Shangrong Alley today.

"You're certainly well-informed. I've already seen the state of that person's corpse; it's not much different from the others."

Borton poured a glass of water for Nie Ning and said with a smile.

Nie Ning looked up at Borton. "Then have you heard of anyone nearby hearing a 'ding-ding-ding' sound?"

The sound he heard today was indeed strange, and it had even triggered Malice Perception, which was not a good sign for Nie Ning.

"A 'ding-ding-ding' sound?"

Borton frowned, a look of anxiety appearing on his face, and he immediately asked, "You didn't happen to hear that sound, did you?"

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Nie Ning asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's a huge problem!"

"According to information from the Guard Hall, four of the victims had heard that sound."

"Currently, some speculate that all the victims might have heard that sound before they died. Those four recorded individuals had all seen other victims before their deaths, and they all died within the following three days!"

Borton explained with a grim expression.

Although he wanted Nie Ning to solve the case to increase his reputation, he didn't want it to happen this way.

If Nie Ning had heard that sound, it likely meant he had already been marked by the hunter!

"Let's go! To the Guard Hall! Maybe they have a way—"

Just as Borton was about to pull Nie Ning to the Guard Hall, he saw Nie Ning wearing a bitter smile.

"It's too late. It's already here."

Within Nie Ning's Malice Perception, a wave of malice was hovering nearby.

If things were truly as Borton said, that unknown beast was definitely coming for him.

"It's here?!"

Borton's eyes widened, and he immediately looked around vigilantly.

"I'm leaving now. If I don't die, I'll come find you later."

Nie Ning said as he stood up to leave.

He had already sensed the eeriness of that malice; it was somewhat similar to the Human-Faced Balloon.

If even he couldn't handle it, Borton's presence wouldn't help and would only drag him down.

After all, those who heard that thing's sound would die; Borton might get caught up in it.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let's think of something. Maybe it's still not too late to rush to the Guard Hall."

Seeing this, Borton hurriedly stopped Nie Ning.

The two had known each other for a long time. Since Nie Ning was looking out for him, he naturally didn't want to see Nie Ning go to his death like this.

"I won't necessarily die. We'll meet again if fate allows."

Nie Ning smiled, then opened the window, climbed onto the sill, and leaped onto the roof.

By the time Borton caught up, Nie Ning's figure had already vanished.

However, Borton didn't give up; instead, he hurried toward the nearby Guard Hall.

...

Nie Ning put on a mask and traversed through the alleys.

He looked back from time to time; although there was nothing behind him, Nie Ning could clearly sense that the malice was nearby.

There were too many people in Shangrong Alley. Because of the strange beast, Nie Ning sprinted toward the north.

There was an open space in that direction, which would be perfect for dealing with that invisible fellow.

...

A few minutes later, a lawn appeared in front of Nie Ning, with some logs piled nearby.

Just as Nie Ning was about to pass through the alley and onto the lawn not far away, a 'ding' sound suddenly reached his ears.

Before Nie Ning could react, his body seemed to come to a sudden halt; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take a single step forward.

Not only that, but a tearing pain surged from his left leg.

Nie Ning was shocked and hurriedly tore open his pant leg.

He saw the veins on his left leg bulging, and the muscles began to twist as if affected by some force.

At that moment, Nie Ning thought of the state of the victims in the photos.

Limbs twisted and deformed, abdomens ripped open!

Nie Ning gritted his teeth and scanned his surroundings, trying to find the invisible fellow.

But the alley was empty; he couldn't see anything at all.

As the muscles in his leg twisted and deformed, Nie Ning broke into a cold sweat from the pain, his face filled with agony.

He wanted to leave but couldn't move an inch, as if his leg were nailed to the ground.

Nie Ning had no choice but to directly activate his Strange Beast Body, hoping to use his powerful constitution to alleviate the twisting of his left leg.

But as Nie Ning's eyes turned amber, a flickering, illusory figure appeared before him.

The illusory figure wore sackcloth, had a stooped body, and kept its head down so its face couldn't be seen, but it appeared to be an old man.

It held a small hammer in its hand and squatted in front of Nie Ning, looking extremely eerie.

Seeing this, Nie Ning was startled. By reflex, he swung a punch.

Unexpectedly, Nie Ning's fist passed right through the illusory figure, as if he had struck thin air.

Suddenly, the Stooped Old Man moved, raising the small hammer in his hand and tapping it down gently.

*Ding~*

As the sound rang out, Nie Ning was horrified to find that his right hand could no longer move!

Just like his left leg, his right hand began to twist and deform, and a piercing pain flooded Nie Ning's mind.

Nie Ning's face showed pain and terror.

The squatting old man before him was simply too bizarre—so bizarre that he had no idea how to deal with him.

At that moment, the Stooped Old Man squatting on the ground raised the small hammer again.

Seeing this, Nie Ning gritted his teeth and kicked out with his right leg.

Just like before, his right leg passed straight through the old man's body.

Meanwhile, Nie Ning's left leg had already twisted like a pretzel, and his entire body collapsed to the ground, unable to support itself.

*Ding~*

The tapping sound of the small hammer rang out.

Nie Ning's heart skipped a beat, and then he found that his right leg could also no longer move.

For some reason, a thought arose in Nie Ning's mind: if the old man raised the hammer and tapped again, he would die.

Nie Ning's face turned pale, his eyes filled with terror, and his entire body trembled at the impending face of death.

*Think of something! There must be another way! There has to be!*

Facing the fear of death, Nie Ning frantically thought about how to break the situation.

But the opponent was like a ghost; besides being visible to the Tiger Pupils, there was simply no...

Thinking of the Tiger Pupils, Nie Ning's spirit suddenly jolted.

That's it!

I also have something untouchable!

It was just that because he had never used it, he hadn't thought of it for a moment.

At that moment, a wisp of grayish-white transparent mist drifted out of Nie Ning's body, and then the massive Frenzied Giant Bear soul appeared behind the Stooped Old Man.

The Frenzied Giant Bear swung its massive paw, swatting the Stooped Old Man, who had just raised his hammer, flying away.

The Stooped Old Man slowly stood up.

Facing the lunging bear soul, the Stooped Old Man raised his hand and sent the giant bear flying with a single hammer blow.

Seeing this, Nie Ning didn't care whether the bear soul lived or died; he just wanted to stand up and quickly escape this area.

But no matter how much Nie Ning struggled, his legs and right arm still couldn't move an inch, and they continued to twist and deform.

...