Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 499 - 469 VS Xu Gou 1

Chapter 499: 469 VS Xu Gou 1

Accompanied by a collision explosion akin to a meteor crashing into the earth, Xu Gou appeared in front of me. Earlier, I had chatted with Liu Shuying about my "impersonation" as a Void Realm Envoy—whether a genuine Void Realm Envoy would eventually expose me. Now, unexpectedly, a real Void Realm Envoy had emerged, and the speed of their "intervention" caught me completely off guard.

Xu Gou’s arrival here was certainly not to reveal an "imposter Void Realm Envoy." It was more likely because I had destroyed this branch base, thus provoking his attack. His actions seemed to suggest his allegiance to this station—standing with those extremist Extraordinary Fanatics.

And that was precisely what puzzled me the most.

Although I had few interactions with Xu Gou, I could tell that beneath his cold attitude, the flame of fervent kindness had not been entirely extinguished. When I first encountered Little Bowl, he seemed to suspect I held sinister intentions and even took steps to shield her.

Moreover, knowing the extent of malevolent deeds committed by those extremist Extraordinary Fanatics in this branch base, Xu Gou would find it even harder to stand on their side, given his past as a Human Bureau experimental subject. He suffered unimaginable abuse and oppression, despite the apparent reversal of roles—ordinary people using demon hunters in the Human Bureau’s experiments versus demon hunters exploiting ordinary humans in this base. Nonetheless, in Xu Gou’s perspective, both forms of exploitation were the same.

From the intelligence I gathered, Xu Gou had been an ordinary person before being forcibly subjected to the Twelve Gods Plan transformation surgery.

The original intent of the Twelve Gods Plan was to develop the technology to convert ordinary people into Great Success Rank Super Soldiers. Cases like Chen Long, who had already achieved hunter rank before surgery, were unusual exceptions. If Chen Long could attain Great Success Rank without being recognized as a successful case, it was due to his inherent strength. On the other hand, Xu Gou became an elusive success because a Divine Seal Fragment was implanted in his body, rendering the procedure near-impossible to replicate.

Xu Gou’s hatred for the strong imposing human experimentation upon the weak should have been unmatched.

In any case, since he attacked with animosity, I should respond in kind. This unforeseen turn of events stirred a strange excitement within me. Destroying weak enemies in an overwhelming fashion often lacked the thrill of danger. It’s battles against formidable adversaries where true exhilaration lies.

A fierce flash erupted from my palm once again. A destructive thermal beam, powerful enough to burn through a mountain, roared toward Xu Gou.

Confronting this strike, Xu Gou’s armored right arm transformed rapidly into a massive black metal blade, cleaving downward with an aura that seemed capable of splitting the ocean apart.

Like an indestructible reef blocking the torrent ahead, the orange-red destructive beam was shockingly split into two streams by his slash, brushing past his body’s sides without harm.

Simultaneously, he raised his left arm. The armor reshaped into a cannon barrel, aiming at me as silver-white brilliance burst forth from its muzzle.

A colossal beam, capable of blinding ordinary human eyes upon mere sight, surged toward me.

Compared to Ming Zhuo’s black-red beams, Xu Gou’s attacks were inferior in speed and precision. Here, "precision" didn’t refer to simple accuracy but rather the level of mastery over destiny and causality. Although I hadn’t anticipated his left arm transforming into a cannon, I still evaded the strike at the last critical moment.

However, this attack seemed like a mere feint to distract me. When I refocused my gaze on Xu Gou and the surroundings, everything had changed.

The rubble of the building groups I destroyed, the explosion smoke from Xu Gou’s descent, and the nearby Great Success Rank Impermanence survivors had all vanished. While the terrain suggested I was still originally there, my instincts told me I was somewhere else—like the enemy had recreated an identical replica space of this area and transferred me into it.

This wasn’t a metaphor... Upon closer inspection of spatial conditions, I realized I had unknowingly entered a separate zone akin to an independent reality—a Different Space.

"——Who are you?"

Xu Gou’s voice echoed in my mind. It was telepathy. Not only was he equipped with "Power Armor," but he also communicated in a way akin to using a transmitter.

"Just like you, Xu Gou, I am a Void Realm Envoy," I replied. "You may continue to call me ’No. 3.’"

Rather than the sterile "No. 3," I wished I’d chosen a cooler name as my Void Realm Envoy alias to debut in the real world. But this situation unfolded so abruptly that I had no time to prepare. Furthermore, after being mocked by Lu Chan recently for poor naming skills, my confidence shrank—a better nickname escaped me.

Using my real name was out of the question. What about "Dawn"? But Fa Zheng would instantly recognize me. Or like how Water Navy Xuanwu drew inspiration from his Power Seed, I could call myself "Vermilion Bird"? Yet anyone aware I’m a Liangyi Inheritor would likely suspect me.

Xu Gou, however, coldly replied, "You think you can make me believe that by uttering nonsense?"

Much like the Great Success Rank Impermanence earlier, Xu Gou displayed distrust. The difference, though, was his confidence—not blind rejection but an assertion reflecting certainty.

Observing the realm itself, he continued, "Earlier, you told those people you’re the ’Void Realm’s Third Apostle’... So you’re trying to make everyone believe you’re ’No. 3,’ right?"

It seemed he possessed the ability to trace history and uncover past events.

"You may deceive the uninformed, but you can’t deceive me!"

At the last word, the armor on his right arm morphed into another cannon. Dual weapons repeatedly blasted silver-white beams toward me.

Now, evasion became nearly impossible. Keeping up my false identity, I couldn’t summon flames for a counterstrike. Merely manipulating light wasn’t sufficient to fend off the silver-white beams. Although light lacked defensive properties, the orange-red light barriers I created were inadequate to withstand his attack.

Observing the silver-white beams, I noted their density matched my typical state, far inferior to "Eclipse." However, the mana composing the beam possessed unique characteristics, escalating its destructive power substantially. Purely in terms of damage, it nearly rivaled Ming Zhuo.

This trait felt familiar, resembling the "Gold and Killing Power" of the Yama Sword—the most destructive attribute among Liangyi Inheritors.

Most likely, Ying Lingyun integrated his research on White Tiger Killing Power into the Twelve Gods Plan project during Xu Gou’s transformation. Yet Xu Gou didn’t wield genuine White Tiger Killing Power; he only exhibited similar traits.

In the Five Elements, fire subdues gold. Against a true White Tiger Inheritor, even relying solely on light, I would suppress them under equal conditions. But Xu Gou’s mana defied the Four Symbols and Five Elements order. Mimicking White Tiger Killing Power, he retained its benefits while seemingly shedding its weaknesses—a cunning achievement.

Still, it was understandable. After all, Xu Gou’s mana originated from Divine Seal Fragments. Compared to the Power of Divine Seal Fragments, even Shan Liangyi’s Five Elements Mana might be relegated to an inferior rank. Using higher-order power to simulate lower-order power logically yields advantages over the latter.

Simultaneously, I understood why the Luoshan Branch Base I attacked had been shrouded in the Power of Divine Seal Fragments.

Undoubtedly, this was Xu Gou’s doing—though the effect of that power couldn’t be discerned. This explained why the power could be detected but not the fragments’ physical locations. Among Void Realm Envoys, there’s inherent immunity to mutual detection of held fragments.

How should I fight now? Brandishing scrap weapons here was inconvenient. Their compressed energy was overly "heavy," rendering them unwieldy even for me, much less extracting only their light attributes. Unleashing the fire within them before Xu Gou would inevitably expose my identity.

While swiftly strategizing, I retorted, "Oh? What makes me unlike No. 3?"

"I know No. 3’s true identity and have personally witnessed his power. His force and mana fluctuations are entirely different from yours." Xu Gou growled, "Even after being unmasked to this extent, are you still shamelessly posing as a Void Realm Envoy?"

He claimed to have seen my power... Then I recalled—in the Void Realm’s final moments, I had openly shielded Little Bowl with flames, leaving an impression. Xu Gou clearly suspected "No. 3" was "Luoshan Great Impermanence Zhuang Cheng."

It didn’t matter if he deduced this. The key issue was that "the current me" had to be perceived as a Void Realm Envoy.

Since Xu Gou aligned himself with the destroyed branch base’s faction, he likely had connections to Taoyuan Village, perhaps even its master. I needed Taoyuan Village Master to interpret the base’s destruction as "Void Realm Envoys acting for Divine Seal Fragments," or wrapping things up later would prove difficult.

How could I convince Xu Gou that I was No. 3? That route was now closed. Even so, he had to believe I was at least a Void Realm Envoy.

With my new approach in mind, I spoke cryptically, "——Pretend? I don’t understand what you mean, No. 1."

"You...!?" Xu Gou exclaimed, his voice filled with shock.