Chapter 28: The Script Concludes
Bing Bing's current state was pitiful. She was first bitten on the shoulder by the giant snake, which injected venom into her. Although she immediately froze the venom, the ice formed by the venom was completely lodged in her body. Subsequently, the giant snake constricted her, causing further internal damage.
Then, Old Hu's final illusion altered Bing Bing's position, so in Li Yuanfeng's eyes, the steel bar pierced through her head, but it actually went through her chest. Though a fatal injury, it wouldn't kill her instantly.
Bing Bing pulled out the steel bar, froze the wound, and used the bar to create enough space to escape from the snake's corpse. She found Li Yuanfeng and Destruction in conflict. After Li Yuanfeng used some unknown means to kill Destruction, she seized the opportunity to kill Li Yuanfeng directly.
Looking at the nine masks on the ground and the one on Li Yuanfeng's head, Bing Bing's face showed hatred. She pulled out the steel bar, aiming at the masks on the ground, and used all her strength to destroy them. Suddenly, an unspeakable fear crept over her heart—a fear she was all too familiar with. A bit of black mist appeared in her vision.
Her eyes widened and gradually lost their sparkle. Then, a sharp pain came from her lower body, and Bing Bing lost her life entirely. A shadowy tentacle rising from the ground pierced her body, but her corpse didn't stop moving. The shadow extended into her limbs, manipulating her body.
Of the ten masks on the ground, eight were genuine. The shadow controlled Bing Bing to lift the steel bar and pierced a counterfeit mask. The next moment, countless shadow thorns erupted, blocking the bridge's view.
After a long time, the police and officials observing from afar with binoculars noticed the situation calming down and sent people to the bridge. They made some basic judgments at the scene: the three special agents from the Countermeasures Bureau had killed all the enemies. Special agent Old Hu died with the enemy, and only half of his body was found in the river. Special agent Xiaomi was rescued from the river but was severely injured and remained comatose, potentially becoming a vegetable. Special agent Bing Bing killed the final enemy, but when destroying the masks, triggered some mechanism that caused shadow thorns to erupt. Her body was torn apart, and the other masks were shattered.
Evidence was then collected: the frozen black mist, the Sloth Mask's plankton, the giant purple-red snake, Li Yuanfeng's body, the broken mask fragments, and various traces at the scene. After several transfers, these, along with blurry videos taken from afar and a basic investigation report, were sent to the Countermeasures Bureau headquarters in the capital.
While evidence was being collected, Lu Li, holding an oiled paper umbrella, surrounded by a floating black mist and nine masks rotating around him, quietly returned to his base.
This experimental script was considered a success. He not only harvested a batch of mask abilities but also managed to deal with the Countermeasures Bureau, averting the crisis of his identity being exposed. He even gained a new avatar.
Although this avatar had cut off most of its body and severed the connection with it, it would take some time to recover. However, as the incident spread further, Dark River would eventually re-emerge.
Seeing several missed calls on his phone, Lu Li decided to call back. His cousin Ji Yue answered:
"Cousin, are you okay? We were worried since you didn't answer your phone. The past two days in Le Ping City have been chaotic."
"I'm fine. How are you?" Lu Li asked casually. Although not very close to his uncle's family, they were still his relatives. He had ensured that his plans did not affect them. He received a reassuring reply that everything was fine.
"Is there anything else? If not, I need to hang up," Lu Li said. "I have some things to take care of."
"Oh, right. My dad asked if you've completed your college applications and if you need help with tuition and living expenses?"
"I've already applied online to the Miskatonic University in Yue Nation, as Uncle suggested. The scores will be out in a few days, and the admission notice should come soon," Lu Li said, not having high requirements for college. Since his uncle recommended it, he decided to go there. "I can manage the tuition and living expenses myself. Don't worry. That's it, I'm hanging up."
After ending the call with his cousin, Lu Li narrowed his eyes, thinking of another matter. While the crisis in Le Ping City was resolved, there was still a vulnerability regarding his identity—the post about the blood module he had made on the trading forum.
He had deleted the post early on, noticing Le Ping City's special status. Fortunately, few had seen and replied to it. Lu Li had checked those who saw the post and found that their codenames were mostly deactivated, likely dead in some instance. However, one person, Zhou Qian, who had seen the post and visited Le Ping City, was still alive. His codename was still active, indicating he was alive. If he accessed the upper forum, Lu Li's identity would be exposed. Therefore, Zhou Qian had to be dealt with. This Zhou Qian, an outsider, had previously driven a van to Le Ping City, making him somewhat tricky to locate.
Meanwhile, the Yue Nation began to block news, labeling the Le Ping City battle as a terrorist attack by an extremist cult organization. The so-called Fear Kings were just special effects created by terrorists to promote their cult. The terrorists were now killed.
Online, numerous trolls posted various statements, confusing the truth. Some claimed it was aliens, others said it was a secret government experiment, while some believed it was a plot by the City-State Nation. Most residents of Le Ping City were under confidentiality orders. Amidst these posts, the official narrative of terrorists prevailed.
However, the name Fear King Dark River spread. The increasing legends about Dark River, now a mass of black water, were a testament to this. With many people still searching the riverside, it was inconvenient to put Dark River back in the water.
Additionally, external legends about Dark River continued to evolve. While core elements remained black mist, fear, hidden monsters, riverside appearances, and unclear forms, new factors like black weapons, immortality, and lurking in hearts began to emerge. These factors were too few to form corresponding abilities.
Meanwhile, as evidence and investigation reports were sent back to the Countermeasures Bureau, some developments occurred there.