Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 324: A Snap of the Fingers and the Vanishing Floor

On the rooftop, three thousand meters away.

San Yue gathered her cloak, which the wind had blown askew. The wind was so strong that the crow on her shoulder could barely keep its footing, clinging desperately to the linen fabric to avoid being blown away.

San Yue continued, "With this wind, hitting the target every time within 2600 meters… If this sniper exists in this world, the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal is going to be very busy."

The implication was that many Metahumans would die under the sniper's rifle.

Hearing this, Li Dongze suddenly asked, "You wouldn't want to take him in, would you?"

San Yue calmly looked at him: "The Forbidden Artifact Tribunal has its own principles. We only take in Metahumans who are dying or already dead."

"When was that principle established?" Li Dongze asked.

"I don't know which generation," San Yue said, "But I think it's a good principle. It clearly defines what we should and shouldn't take in. Without this principle, the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal could arbitrarily take in any Metahumans. If you steal my resources, I can pretend to be righteous and take you in; if you steal my fame and fortune, I can also pretend to be righteous and take you in."

"The Forbidden Artifact Tribunal exists for the survival of humanity and to suppress the growth rate of the Forbidden Zone. The Crows also have faith in their hearts, doing what is right for us. Without this principle, the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal would be tainted by worldly fame and fortune, and the faith of every Crow would no longer be so pure."

The world calls the members of the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal Crows, and they themselves have readily accepted this appellation.

Within the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal, there are very strict criteria for determining whether to take someone in. The dying must be judged by a specific Forbidden Artifact, then placed under the supervision of the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal, awaiting natural death.

So, strictly speaking, the Crows only take in the dead.

That's why on the battlefield, you see the strange sight of two sides fighting, while the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal walks among them unattacked.

Because the Crows have their own principles.

In fact, without the Forbidden Artifact Tribunal, more than ten cities, including City 18, City 1, and City 7, would have long since become Forbidden Zones.

San Yue looked at Li Dongze: "From your reaction, I have a feeling you might know this sniper."

"I don't know him," Li Dongze shook his head.

"I understand. You still can't lie to me very well, just like before. Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. The Forbidden Artifact Tribunal has too many secrets; it won't matter if we keep this one too," San Yue said indifferently, "So, it's someone whose identity you need to protect—the next generation heir to Knight?"

"I told you I don't know him," Li Dongze raised his eyebrows, then pulled out his pocket watch from his chest.

"Don't try to change the subject. It's going to rain tomorrow," San Yue said, then looked towards the Jinmao Building, not mentioning Qing Chen's identity again: "Even snipers have limits. Without the sniper's protection, those B-level Gene Soldiers should learn to evade bullets like Li Changqing did before. In this situation, trying to hit them is very likely to cause collateral damage to Li Changqing. After all, at a distance of 2000 meters, the bullet takes two seconds to arrive. Even the most skilled calculator can't judge where a B-level expert will be in two seconds."

Before, the Shendai Family's sniper was able to shoot because eight experts limited Li Changqing's movement to a very small area. They had a very tacit understanding.

But Li Changqing was alone; she couldn't lock down the battle circle.

Just as San Yue said.

After killing all the snipers, Qing Chen aimed his rifle at the battlefield.

He tried to continue sniping the B-level Gene Soldiers, but now all the B-level Gene Soldiers began to evade the trajectory of the bullets, moving at high speed.

They kept changing their positions, even if it meant missing the opportunity to attack Li Changqing.

It became almost impossible for Qing Chen to hit them without injuring Li Changqing.

"What do you think he'll do? The sniper will be in a difficult position now. The distance he chose is indeed a great advantage for him—he can hit others, but others can't hit him—but the distance being too far will cause the bullet trajectory to be too long," Li Dongze calmly analyzed.

"How would I know? I've never been a sniper," San Yue replied, smoothing the feathers of the six-eyed crow on her shoulder.

But at this moment, Qing Chen no longer aimed at the battlefield but raised his rifle directly, as if to snipe the stars in the sky.

He mechanically pulled the trigger again and again, letting the bullets fly into the unknown high altitude.

Seeing this scene, San Yue sighed, "Not only is his shooting accurate, but he's also smart. This time, it's enough for Li Changqing to turn the tables."

A sniper on the battlefield doesn't necessarily have to hit every shot to be a threat. He only needs to let the enemy know that he is still there, and that itself is a threat.

Everyone on the battlefield couldn't determine whether they were the next target, so they could only keep moving at high speed, missing opportunities to kill again and again.

The sound of the sniper rifle was like the sword of Damocles hanging over the head of every enemy, no one knew when it would fall.

And the reason San Yue sighed was because she knew more Metahumans would die at the hands of this sniper.

The little Crows would be working overtime later.

On the street battlefield, three Gene Soldiers had already been lost. Everyone was carefully guarding against Li Changqing's arrows, but the green jade arrows had not been used since they returned to her sleeve.

Li Changqing knew that the hidden A-level expert was waiting to destroy her arrows.

The sound of the sniper rifle was still roaring, but not a single bullet came to the street.

All the Gene Soldiers felt the invisible pressure, becoming more and more restrained when facing Li Changqing.

So, even though Shendai had the advantage in strength and numbers, it seemed like Li Changqing was pressing everyone.

That was the authority of a sniper on the battlefield; no one could ignore it.

At this time, there were only five Shendai Family experts left. Li Changqing's figure suddenly became supple. Her two hands moved gracefully, each flick of her fingers like drawing an elegant circle.

That was the Baguazhang that Li Changqing had learned since childhood. Now, because the enemy formation could no longer be formed, it also came into play.

The roaring sound of the sniper rifle was like a wonderful drumbeat, making Li Changqing's battle exhilarating.

……

……

"According to the sniper's principles, he should have changed positions after killing the other snipers," San Yue said, "Is he close to Li Changqing? He is willing to violate the sniper's principles to suppress the enemy's momentum on the battlefield."

"I don't know him," Li Dongze said.

"If he doesn't leave soon, he'll be in trouble," San Yue said.

Saying this, San Yue turned and walked downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Li Dongze asked.

San Yue thought for a moment: "There's no need to watch the rest of the fight. I heard there's a nice little bar downstairs. I can order a cocktail, then go collect the bodies of the Shendai Family Metahumans… maybe even collect the body of Knight's heir."

In San Yue's eyes, the outcome was already determined.

San Yue looked at Li Dongze: "Aren't you coming for a drink?"

But Li Dongze turned and walked faster than San Yue: "No, I have other things to do."

"Going to save someone?" San Yue curiously asked, "Aren't you coming for a drink?"

"No, the alcohol in the bar downstairs is supplied by me," Li Dongze said.

San Yue's Face^[-] showed a rare look of astonishment.

At this moment, Qing Chen, while pulling the trigger, was paying attention to the surrounding movements.

He himself knew very well what the sniper's principles were. Since he had completed his mission and eliminated the opponent's snipers, he should leave as soon as possible.

The Shendai Family had many killers in City 18, enough to deal with both him and Li Changqing at the same time.

A stationary sniper would surely be targeted.

But he also knew that Li Changqing was still under great pressure, and he couldn't let go.

Suddenly, Lao Jiu, who had been unconscious, woke up at some point.

He lay on the ground, squinting for a long time, finally finding the right moment to get up again, using his body to crash into one of them, desperately helping Li Changqing reduce the pressure.

Lao Jiu was injured, so his combat effectiveness was greatly reduced. He could only hold onto the Gene Soldier he had knocked down, refusing to let go.

He let the other party hit him in the ribs again and again.

Lao Jiu, who was originally going to be renamed Lao Shiliu, would probably become Lao Shijiu after this battle.

The damage from these punches was no less than that of firearms.

But Li Changqing's arrows reappeared from her sleeve, striking the Gene Soldier locked by Lao Shijiu in the eye socket like a thunderbolt.

Seeing this, Qing Chen decisively put away his gun and left.

He put on his hoodie, and walked down from the Jinmao Building's emergency exit.

The power of the Jinmao Building had been cut off at some point, and the entire building was dark.

Just as Qing Chen walked into the emergency exit, a figure pounced from the dimly lit stairs.

He subconsciously blocked his arms in front of him, his muscles tense.

In a flash, Qing Chen, unable to dodge, chose to use his arm bones to block the sudden kick of this uninvited guest.

The young man was like a sandbag, flying out from the emergency exit doorway and crashing heavily against the wall of the stairwell.

So fast!

It turned out to be a B-level Gene Soldier!

Qing Chen was at the peak of D-level; he had no power to fight back against this B-level Gene Soldier. His bones were like they were falling apart, and he felt excruciating pain in his internal organs.

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and the pain almost made him faint!

"You're the sniper," the B-level Gene Soldier calmly asked.

Qing Chen recognized the voice.

Wang Bingxu!

Wang Bingxu, who once provided security for the Autumn Hunt Team!

Although the sniper rifle was powerful, only at this moment did Qing Chen realize the gap between himself and a true expert.

Indeed, he needed to seriously cultivate.

Fortunately, Qing Chen was still in the guise of Zard, and the other party didn't recognize him?

Wang Bingxu walked out of the emergency exit, but at the moment Qing Chen coughed up blood, Wang Bingxu saw a huge black sniper rifle suddenly appear in the other party's hand, which he aimed at himself and pulled the trigger.

In a hurry, Wang Bingxu turned to avoid the bullet, but he was too close to Qing Chen and didn't expect the other party to produce a sniper rifle out of thin air.

With a loud bang, Wang Bingxu couldn't dodge, his left arm was shot off at the root.

Qing Chen sighed inwardly. Facing this level of expert, as long as the opponent was prepared, even if he shot at close range, he couldn't achieve a fatal effect.

Wang Bingxu's pain and anger burned. He moved like a cheetah, kicking towards Qing Chen's head, trying to embed the head into the wall.

Qing Chen turned the gun to keep up with Wang Bingxu's moving figure, but found that the other party was too much faster!

Danger!

Desperate situation!

A snap of fingers.

Came from the emergency exit.

And someone whispered, "I drank too much tea; I almost missed it."

Time in the Jinmao Building seemed to slow down at this moment… no, it really slowed down.

In the stairwell, a figure in a duckbill cap leisurely walked upstairs.

The person's movements were leisurely, but their speed was very fast.

Wang Bingxu's kicking leg, seemed to be playing back frame by frame in a movie, slowly approaching Qing Chen's head.

And the figure in the duckbill cap, accompanied by a slight cough, walked past Wang Bingxu.

He saw the figure gently stroke Wang Bingxu's neck, as light and graceful as a dragonfly landing on water.

Then, the figure slightly raised Wang Bingxu's leg kicking towards Qing Chen by ten centimeters.

Another snap of the fingers.

The flow of time suddenly returned to normal.

The sticky time was like a swamp.

But at this time, time, after the snap of fingers, suddenly began to pour down like a dam bursting.

A huge amount of blood spurted out of Wang Bingxu's neck. The kick he kicked towards Qing Chen also barely grazed Qing Chen's head and kicked onto the empty wall!

The wall crumbled, and a large amount of dust covered Qing Chen with dust.

But Wang Bingxu was worse off. This B-level Gene Soldier didn't even understand what happened before he died of a ruptured carotid artery.

Qing Chen, using the dim light, looked at the familiar figure in front of him in shock: "Shadow Master?"

Qing Family Shadow squatted in front of Qing Chen, tapping Qing Chen's cheek with the knuckles of his middle and index fingers, making a thumping sound.

It felt like knocking on wood.

Then, Qing Family Shadow looked at Qing Chen's wrist.

He grabbed Qing Chen's wrist and carefully examined it: "Marionette? The Knight Order actually passed the Marionette on to you. It seems that the Knight Order is full of killing intent now, even using this sealed Forbidden Artifact."

Qing Chen always felt powerless when facing Qing Family Shadow.

It seemed like he knew everything and didn't care about anything.

You don't know who he is or what he wants to do.

If you don't know what he wants to do, you can't effectively target him.

"And Forbidden Artifactace-005, Master Li Shutong is really willing to give you even Forbidden Artifactace-005," Qing Family Shadow continued to sigh, "It seems, should I really find a Forbidden Artifact for you to win over your heart?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible."

"Cough, cough, I didn't expect I'd come to save you," Qing Family Shadow coughed and said, "Your internal organs are displaced; you need to rest for a few days… Bones, eh, your bones are fine."

Qing Family Shadow pinched his arm bones, but found that the bones, which should have been broken, didn't even have a crack.

At this time, Qing Chen also discovered that he had clearly used his arm bones to block Wang Bingxu's attack. Although it wasn't the opponent's full kick, it was still terrifying enough.

In the past, his arm bones would have been broken, but now that he had eaten nine Dragon Fish, his bones were fine, only slightly sore.

The effect of the nine Dragon Fish was even more fierce than he imagined. No wonder his master, Li Shutong, had to steal fish from Dragon Lake!

However, what surprised Qing Chen even more was the Shadow Master's ability.

At this time, Qing Family Shadow's Face^[-] was shrouded in the shadow under his duckbill cap. The corridor was already dark, and now Qing Chen couldn't see anything clearly.

"All right, you're safe now," Qing Family Shadow smiled, "Get ready to leave, otherwise…"

As he spoke, his smile slowly faded because Qing Chen had fainted.

"Forget it, let's finish the job," Qing Family Shadow waved his hand and opened a Shadow Gate. He picked up Qing Chen by the back of his clothes and easily walked in.

The other side of the Shadow Gate was the 132nd floor of Luoshen Building, Qing Chen's residence.

Qing Family Shadow threw Qing Chen onto the sofa and opened another Shadow Gate, disappearing to an unknown location.

After a while, Qing Family Shadow came back, this time he brought back Wang Bingxu's body, throwing it on the living room floor of Qing Chen's home.

Qing Family Shadow left again, and returned five minutes later, carrying two more bodies of B-level Gene Soldiers, as if they were stolen from the street.

He looked at the three corpses on the ground, then said to the unconscious Qing Chen: "Forbidden Artifacts are difficult to find, but it's not difficult to find some sacrifices for you. That A-level won't die for a while, I'll wait and see. Or, if Li Changqing can't kill him, I'll make a move myself? But it seems a bit risky."

Qing Family Shadow didn't seem to care whether Qing Chen could hear him; he just talked to himself.

……

……

In the Jinmao Building, Li Dongze was taking the elevator rapidly up to the 130th floor.

He walked slowly, observing the surroundings.

At this time, the Jinmao Building's backup power supply had been activated. Li Dongze discovered the battlefield outside the emergency exit, but Qing Chen and Wang Bingxu were gone, leaving only the broken walls and bloodstains on the ground.

Li Dongze's Face^[-] was cold; he was too late.

However, he judged that Qing Chen should not be dead, because judging from the battle traces, it was Qing Chen who had hit the wall, while the large pool of blood opposite should have been left by the person who attacked Qing Chen.

Judging from the amount of blood, it must have been a ruptured major artery that caused the spattering marks.

The enemy is dead, so Qing Chen should still be alive.

Was someone saving Qing Chen, or did Qing Chen save himself? Li Dongze couldn't be sure.

He looked at the wall, where there was a small pool of blood.

Li Dongze judged that the blood on the floor should have been coughed up by Qing Chen because of his internal injuries.

Thinking of this, in order to prevent others from collecting Qing Chen's DNA information, he actually pried up the entire floor and carried it downstairs…

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