Chapter 39: Seven Days and Seven Nights Under the Chocolate Tree × Cold Shot

In the depths of the darkness, Qi Peixin waited quietly for the school of fish to return.

21... 22...

A total of 27 Bizarre Fish had Cycled back. This number was slightly lower than Qi Peixin had estimated.

Did another Nen user intervene, or did someone manage to escape the first wave of predation?

Time is running out...

Qi Peixin felt the constant, burning sensation across his entire body. The Stomach Acid must have melted away most of his outer skin by now.

...Still, it doesn't matter. As long as I have enough Nen, I can heal.

Is that Kakin Prince dead yet?

His intuition told him no. He had always trusted his gut. According to Karl, he was an Enhancer who had developed Nen Beasts.

Is he implying I'm wrong? Old Karl always hated speaking plainly, such a stubborn old man...

Wait, stop. Don't start reminiscing again. I need to focus on how to kill that Kakin Prince before I die.

There shouldn't be any ordinary people left alive. Once the Bizarre Fish finish their Cycling and digestion, the remaining Nen users hiding in the shadows won't be a threat.

Kantigara's Seven Days and Seven Nights Under the Chocolate Tree could seal the building for a total of 24 hours. Any longer, and his spirit wouldn't be able to hold up. Even for a normal person, one hour of that hellish experience would be enough to break them, let alone 24...

But I won't even need 24 hours. If they keep eating like this, my consciousness will likely dissipate before long. I'll probably just turn into one of these predatory monsters.

It doesn't matter. After that, no one in this building will be left alive. I just feel bad for Kantigara...

THUD!

A violent jolt snapped Qi Peixin out of his thoughts, alerting him instantly that he was under attack.

But where is the enemy?

The two veins protruding from the back of his neck connected to the brain of the Lead Catfish. As the veins vibrated, he felt as if he had entered a transparent world. Every vibration in the outside environment manifested here.

However, Qi Peixin could only perceive the vibrations of the surrounding fish and Nen blasts that seemed to appear out of thin air.

'Is it the enemy's ability? If so, I need to switch perspectives...'

Standing perfectly still, Lakshya remained calm, firing Nen blasts one after another. Every shot struck with lethal precision against the belly of the Lead Catfish. Based on his prior experience, these Nen beasts could only be killed by destroying their heads, but a peculiar, reinforced skull protected almost the entire brain. Once killed, these beasts vanished instantly, giving Lakshya no time to analyze the skeletal structure and locate a weak point.

But the belly was different. It was incredibly soft, lacking that heavy bone protection, a fact he had deduced during his earlier skirmishes.

Wait...

Lakshya recalled the first time he had seen the man calling himself Qi Peixin. He had crawled out of the fish's mouth, in other words, he was hiding in the fish's abdomen!

There's another possibility: he might be hiding in a sub-space within the abdomen, though I doubt it. To have an automatic-type Nen beast possess such high-level entry-and-exit capabilities would require an extraordinary amount of talent.

Suddenly, Lakshya saw the Lead Catfish glance in his direction.

A jolt of alarm shot through him. To prevent the vibrations of his footsteps from being detected, he hadn't moved a single inch. This was completely different from tracking the school of fish in the corridor earlier; those were automatic-type Nen beasts, so he could use Nen blasts to draw their attention and mask his own footsteps. But this fish was clearly being piloted by a human; there was no way his movements were being ignored.

He forced himself to stay calm. 'Maybe it's just a coincidence. Don't lose your nerve.'

'Yes, just a coincidence.'

But the next moment, he overturned his own conclusion. The Lead Catfish swerved violently, charging toward Lakshya at high speed.

I've been found! But how?

Lakshya had no time to ponder the anomaly. Facing the charging beast, he instinctively shifted his Ren into Ken. He then bent his knees, gathered his strength, and leaped backward to create distance.

The Lead Catfish lunged, snapping its jaws at the airborne Lakshya as if it suddenly possessed vision!

It's fine! At this distance and speed, it shouldn't be able to reach me!

Lakshya's vast combat experience allowed him to judge the enemy's range with precision. Based on his speed and the distance of his retreat, he should have easily avoided the bite.

However, the tides of battle are rarely so accommodating.

The Lead Catfish's massive maw seemed unable to bridge that final gap, but in the next instant, a bloody, skinless humanoid figure burst forth from those gaping jaws!

Lakshya's pupils contracted. He saw the figure's hand condense with Nen, swinging a fist at his head with speed that defied his ability to dodge!

It's Ko!

Can I block it? Can I dodge? No... it's too fast. This is the speed of an Enhancer!!

Lakshya realized with despair that he couldn't escape the blow. If the enemy had developed an automatic-type Nen beast, he should logically be a Manipulator or an Emitter. Yet, the Ko before him possessed the raw speed and power of a high-level Enhancer. His Ryu wasn't fast enough to shift his full-body Ken into a concentrated Ko on his head before the blow landed. He didn't even have time to pull the thread Maror had left him!

This is it... it's over.

Suspended in mid-air, Lakshya watched the crimson, raw humanoid grow closer and closer, his senses overwhelmed by the scent of death.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Unexpected gunfire rang out.

Three bullets tore through the air, piercing three holes into the thick fog. A silver streak of light streaked across the space, hurtling toward the bloody humanoid figure.

"What?!"

Caught off guard, Qi Peixin hurriedly twisted his body to avoid the shots, but he was struck by one. His right arm, mid-swing, was blown apart at the elbow, blood spraying across the mist.

Lakshya snapped back to reality. He landed on his feet, steadied his stance, and abruptly looked up, firing a decisive Nen blast!

But the blast arrived a heartbeat too late. The gravely wounded Qi Peixin had already recoiled instinctively back into the body of the Lead Catfish. The giant fish lashed its tail, swatting the incoming Nen blast aside. It ignored the mysterious bullet, choosing instead to focus its entire intent on attacking Lakshya, who was right in front of it.

Clearly, Qi Peixin, hidden within the fish, hadn't been rattled by the surprise attack. He understood the principle of concentrated fire, focusing solely on the target at hand.

This is a cold, experienced enemy.

Hidden in the fog, Dia watched the proceedings with cold, observant eyes.

Long before Lakshya had fired his Nen blast, Dia had been hiding in the mist, carefully monitoring the combat with his Ripple Radar and Stand. The bullets had been his handiwork, fired with the specific intent of keeping Lakshya alive a little longer to drain the enemy's stamina.

And, as a matter of fact, the timing had been a rare, perfect opportunity. It would have been a waste not to take the shot.