“I can finally sleep… I need to sleep.” Lin Wude murmured instinctively.
He hadn’t slept for three days and three nights.
Even though he was still under the bed, surrounded by dust and cobwebs, the man’s eyes slowly closed involuntarily, his consciousness beginning to slide into the abyss.
Heavy snores erupted from beneath the bed almost immediately.
****
Outside the house, in the street, the encirclement had already tightened.
Yun Ning leaned against the wall, his right hand gripping the lock of the iron gate, while Huang Xiaoxian stood beside him, their expression serious.
“Agent Yun, how do we get in?” they whispered.
Huang Xiaoxian, who had evidently been secretly watching some spy movie, had already started role-playing, assigning the identity of secret agents to both themselves and Yun Ning.
“I have a way,” Yun Ning said, lowering his voice. He pulled out his lock-picking tools from his pocket and, with a few swift movements, picked the brass padlock.
“Wait, you guys learn this too?” Huang Xiaoxian’s eyes widened in surprise.
“When undertaking missions in the Present World, lock-picking is a necessary skill.”
Yun Ning glanced at Huang Xiaoxian, unsure if he was explaining to them or to the owner of the eyes behind them.
He gently pulled the iron gate outward, successfully preventing the unlubricated hinges from making any noise.
The ordinary door lock to the room inside the iron gate posed no challenge for Yun Ning either.
He fiddled with it for less than five seconds.
With a soft click, the flat pins reset, and the door was unlocked, pushed gently open to reveal the shoe cabinet in the entryway.
“The person is in the master bedroom at the very back. Their perception is extremely sharp,” Huang Xiaoxian suddenly stated, their voice calm.
Without a doubt, Yun Ning knew that this was Huang Xiu using Huang Xiaoxian to relay information.
He nodded, silently stepping over the old-fashioned women’s shoes on the floor, and headed towards the bedroom.
Huang Xiaoxian followed closely behind him.
The old-fashioned room was not large, and Yun Ning crossed the living room in a few strides, arriving at the bedroom door.
He grasped the doorknob and glanced at Huang Xiaoxian, who immediately understood, raising both hands.
*Whoosh!*
Six sharp black spikes extended from the web of Huang Xiaoxian’s hand, signifying that they were ready for battle.
Yun Ning slowly twisted the doorknob, but a slight creak was still unavoidable.
He pulled the door open a crack and peered inside.
The room was silent and dark, with only faint moonlight filtering through the sheer curtains, casting dappled shadows.
But that meager light was enough for Yun Ning.
His gaze immediately swept to the bed, wanting to confirm Lin Wude’s position and condition.
However, the bed was empty.
There was only a downward indentation and a rumpled blanket, indicating that someone had been sleeping there but had suddenly left for some unknown reason.
‘Did I alert them?’ Huang Xiu’s heart sank. She quickly switched her vision to the other mutated plants forming the encirclement.
The street was empty, the alley had only rats, and the rooftops were covered in bird droppings and rainwater.
If Lin Wude had fled, he would have been unable to escape the eyes of the mutated plants unless he possessed instantaneous movement.
Yun Ning turned to look at Huang Xiaoxian.
Huang Xiu understood her senior’s meaning and immediately controlled Huang Xiaoxian to gently shake their head.
‘They haven’t escaped?’ Yun Ning pondered inwardly.
He pushed the door open a little wider with his left hand, while his right hand clenched, ready to strike at any moment.
First, he peered through the wide gap towards the near corner of the wardrobe on the right; no one was there.
Then, he used his peripheral vision to examine the gap between the door and the doorframe.
No one was behind the door either.
‘Not in the bedroom?’
Yun Ning gently nudged Huang Xiaoxian, then mouthed a silent instruction, signaling them to watch their back.
Huang Xiaoxian hunched slightly, their gaze scanning the room alertly.
Then, they pushed the door wide open and leaped inside—Huang Xiaoxian was still outside the door.
Yun Ning’s first reaction was to look at the left corner of the bedroom. He frowned, realizing that in that case…
Only two places in this bedroom remained unchecked: the wardrobe and under the bed.
Yun Ning walked to the foot of the bed, positioning himself on the side furthest from the wardrobe.
This was to prevent any surprise attacks from the wardrobe should he lean down to check under the bed.
He crouched, lowering his head to look beneath the bed…
*Bang!*
A pair of cruel, bloodshot eyes met Yun Ning’s gaze just as a flash of cold light slashed out from beneath the bed.
Yun Ning was aghast; his heart nearly stopped beating. Fortunately, he had maintained the highest level of vigilance.
The moment his eyes met those beneath the bed, he had already leaped up, narrowly dodging the horizontal cleave.
The cleaver struck the bedpost with a *thwack*, embedding itself deeply into the wood.
Yun Ning landed on the bed, white light flickering in his eyes. He unleashed a powerful punch towards the spot beneath the bed he remembered.
As his knuckle duster made contact with the bed board, a white pattern flashed across its dark, obsidian surface.
Immediately, a portion of the force from his punch bypassed the wooden board, striking the target beneath the bed.
Only then did the remaining force of his punch shatter the wooden board.
This was the effect of the Penetrating Knuckle Duster. A portion of the power from each of the user’s strikes would bypass the initial object contacted, hitting what lay behind it.
Colloquially, it was known as ‘striking a bull through a mountain’!
*Bang!*
Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously. One came from the splintering wood of the bed board, and the other from a punch-shaped indentation in the concrete floor.
Both strikes had missed. This was something Yun Ning hadn’t anticipated. He stood on the bed, punching downwards.
The enemy had no line of sight.
Yet, he hadn’t expected Lin Wude to actually dodge it. ‘Their perception is extremely sharp…’ Yun Ning recalled Huang Xiu’s words.
Their perception wasn’t just sharp; their ability might be strongly correlated with perception! Otherwise, their preemptive move of hiding under the bed couldn’t be explained.
His thoughts flashed by. He retracted his fist and turned to see Lin Wude had already crawled out from the other side.
“I’m here! A-rooo!” Huang Xiaoxian, who had been at the door, charged in upon hearing the commotion. They were now closer to Lin Wude.
Fearing no one but Huang Xiu, they let out a roar and lunged forward.
Their right fist, adorned with three sharp spikes, jabbed fiercely forward, aiming for Lin Wude’s lower body.
Lin Wude’s Synesthesia Domain couldn’t be deactivated. However, by concentrating and utilizing the inexplicable energy within his body, it could become even more potent, achieving an effect akin to seeing into the future.
In his bloodshot eyes, that punch was incredibly fast, far too quick for him, a man without martial arts training, to perceive.
Yet, within the Synesthesia Domain in his mind, that punch had already been completely seen through. Not only that, but even Yun Ning’s move, made simultaneously as he capitalized on Huang Xiaoxian’s attack, was equally transparent.
Under the Synesthesia Domain, the movements of any living being held no secrets for him! No matter how many feints, how many subtle changes, how many follow-up moves, everything was useless! Useless! Useless!
Lin Wude sneered. After all, this was the invincible power he had obtained by sacrificing everything.
He shifted his right foot slightly, evading the punch by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, he twisted his waist, dodging Yun Ning’s hook.
Then, using his body, which had been enhanced after gaining his ability, he kicked out at Huang Xiaoxian.
“Excellent timing!” Huang Xiaoxian exclaimed.
Someone was actually coming forward to touch their spikes. They immediately met the attack head-on.
But this direct confrontation was instantly detected by Lin Wude through his Synesthesia Domain. Something was amiss.
He immediately retracted his leg and spun around, striking Yun Ning with a punch that sent him staggering back several steps.
With a great leap, he sailed over Huang Xiaoxian’s head, who was half his height.
But how could Huang Xiaoxian allow such a thing to happen? Their master’s commands were paramount!
Since their master had ordered them to capture Lin Wude, they absolutely could not allow him to escape this bedroom.
“Spiky-Punch-Punch!” Huang Xiaoxian cried out, winding up and swinging their right hand forward.
Immediately, the spikes on their body facing Lin Wude shot out like a storm.
“What in the world is that?” Lin Wude’s eyes widened through his Synesthesia Domain.
He had watched Digimon before. When he first saw this strange cactus, he thought it was the enemy’s ability effect.
But now, he inexplicably wondered if this was a Togemon that had transmigrated from Digimon.
“I can’t dodge it.” Lin Wude confirmed this through his Synesthesia Domain. His fierce gaze instantly sharpened.
The Synesthesia Domain allowed him to almost preemptively anticipate all attacks in close combat and dodge them. But only *almost*.
This kind of saturation attack was his bane. Even if he perceived it, he still couldn’t completely avoid it.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Wude made his decision. He took half a step back, falling backward, his right hand shielding his head and upper body.
His left hand protected his lower body. This reduced the attack’s contact area and prevented critical areas from being hit.
The sharp spikes struck his hands, and the intense stinging sensation intensified his fury. But that was all it did.
That fall had largely avoided most of the spikes, and those cactus thorns that were dodged whistled past, turning the ceiling and walls into a pincushion.
However, Huang Xiaoxian’s move had achieved its objective, successfully stalling Lin Wude’s escape.
‘This is the power of my master’s great modifications!’ Huang Xiaoxian roared inwardly. ‘My master is invincible!’
Huang Xiu: “…”
Perceiving Huang Xiaoxian frantically flattering her in their mind, Huang Xiu’s face was instantly speechless. For a new phone, this cactus was truly resorting to every trick in the book.
They had even grasped the fact that she could perceive the mental activities of mutated plants through [Senluo], and were now madly showering her with compliments, building a good image for themselves.
‘It seems buying a new phone needs to be put on the agenda,’ Huang Xiu mused, stroking her chin, and continued to act as a camera and spectator.
She had no intention of controlling Huang Xiaoxian’s body for micro-operations or fighting the enemy. It wasn’t her original body, so she definitely wouldn’t be used to it. The sudden change in height alone would be enough to throw her off.
While she observed, the battle raged on, growing increasingly intense.
Yun Ning had been sent back a few steps by a punch, almost allowing Lin Wude to escape. Although he knew this was likely due to Lin Wude’s ability, and being caught off guard was not a fault in his fighting, a sense of irritation still surged uncontrollably within him.
“Void Art—Void Energy Attachment.”
A layer of white light slowly appeared on his hands, then spread along his fingers and the contact points with his knuckle duster, engulfing the weapon.
Immediately, the Penetrating Knuckle Duster was covered in a faint white glow.
This was another marvelous application of Void Reality. Void energy conducted void energy, carrying a portion of the reinforcing Void Art and abilities.
Yun Ning exhaled, his core ability rotating within him, and the Swiftness effect was applied to his body.
His speed instantly became incredibly fast, and he charged to the doorway in a flash.
At this moment, Lin Wude executed a clumsy roll, flipping sideways out of the room while simultaneously dodging Huang Xiaoxian’s attack.
He barely managed to stand up.
Lin Wude immediately perceived Yun Ning, who was rushing in with a punch.
‘So fast!’ he thought, startled and furious. His opponent hadn’t been giving their all before. He barely dodged one punch.
The next punch was already swinging towards him. Yun Ning, boosted by the Swiftness effect, unleashed a flurry of punches like a storm, the wind whistling from his fists!
This forced his opponent into a desperate retreat. One punch, dodged by Lin Wude, slammed into the wall.
Immediately, plaster dust flew everywhere, and irregular white chunks of plaster fell to the ground.
The furious assault, coupled with Lin Wude’s desperate dodging, left Huang Xiaoxian standing to the side, unable to intervene.
“I can’t go on.” Lin Wude had been suffering from prolonged sleep deprivation, his body depleted. Having fought for so long, his stamina was severely drained.
His dodging speed visibly slowed. At this point, Yun Ning also discerned his opponent’s true state. The other party’s frequent dodging indicated a lack of stamina, while he, who had persistently trained and honed himself, continued to unleash punches.
He now possessed enough stamina to exhaust an ox. He could even utter that famous line—