Chapter 82: Chapter 78: Ghostly Duel
"You..."
At this moment, Wu Liang had countless thoughts racing through his mind.
He opened his mouth wanting to speak, but he didn’t know what to say, especially since his father was likely standing on the opposing side now.
Whoosh—
Before he could figure out what to say, the Fierce Ghost, cloaked entirely in white with a white face mask, stepped in front of him on a gust of eerie wind.
Raising its hand, it summoned masks out of thin air, sending them hurtling toward Wu Liang’s face.
No matter how bogged down Wu Liang’s mind was, he understood he couldn’t allow those masks to cover his face.
His only option was to activate the effect of the [Breaking Blade], crushing the mask before him with a claw, taking advantage of the Fierce Ghost’s momentary surprise to dash forward and grab at the mask on its face.
Wu Liang’s swift reaction and his ability to shatter the mask with his bare hands clearly caught the Fierce Ghost off guard.
As the mask was about to be removed, a strong arm shot out from the side, colliding with Wu Liang’s murderously intent hand.
Bang—
When they collided, both felt an equally intense force, causing them to take a step back.
"I didn’t expect you to grasp part of this world’s truth on your own. You’re truly a rare genius," Qin Yuesheng—no, it should be Wu Xiaoyao—felt a bit gratified.
He glanced at his slightly cracked white gloves and said with even more admiration, "Its strength can actually rival my research. Quite impressive."
But when his gaze fell on Wu Liang’s smooth and delicate palm, he even showed a hint of surprise, "Truly miraculous how a Supernatural Object can integrate so perfectly with the human body. How is it done?"
Listening to his father’s three successive changes in tone, Wu Liang frowned.
The other party seemed to misunderstand his abilities.
Did he think Wu Liang, like him, used Supernatural Objects to exert Special Abilities?
That shouldn’t be... If his father could command the Fierce Ghost, why use Supernatural Objects?
"What exactly do you want to do?" Wu Liang asked in a deep voice, shaking his hand in preparation to move forward again.
Seeing the Supernatural Object in his father’s hand, another punch would probably break it. Should he restrain him first?
Yet it seemed his thoughts were transparent, as Wu Xiaoyao directly took off the glove, threw it to the ground like trash, and then pulled out an ugly straw doll from his waist.
"What I wish to do is simply to give everyone the ability to self-defend in the face of Supernatural resurgence. Is that a joke to you?"
Just as he finished speaking, a silver needle slipped out of Wu Xiaoyao’s sleeve.
Under Wu Liang’s cautious gaze, the silver needle was slowly inserted into the arm of the straw man.
Crunch—
In an instant, a numbing sensation spread through his right arm, and Wu Liang felt like he heard the crunch of breaking bones, followed closely by intense pain.
Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, yet Wu Liang showed no sign of pain, instead displaying an inexplicable excitement.
"Again... one more time? It’s not enough!"
With those words, enduring a pain that would be unbearable for most, he still took another decisive step forward.
This time, the effect of the [Breaking Blade] applied to his legs, and he appeared nearly teleported in front of Wu Xiaoyao.
He sent a straight kick aiming to disrupt the effect of the straw man.
Wu Xiaoyao indeed felt a bit surprised by Wu Liang’s drastic and sudden speed increase but reacted before the straw man got kicked.
Three more silver needles were firmly embedded into the straw man’s legs and the remaining arm.
"Now all four limbs are incapacitated..."
However, before Wu Xiaoyao could finish speaking, he noticed Wu Liang, who should be affected and about to fall, bore no expression of despair or pain but instead displayed a bizarre smile.
"[Shelter]! Deflect!"
Whoosh—
A gust of sinister wind arrived, red shadows fluttered.
A large red Oil Paper Umbrella appeared above the falling Wu Liang’s head out of nowhere.
The negative effects were instantly eradicated, and Wu Liang, whose face was about to hit the ground, stood firm again, casually stretching his neck and wrists.
Before Wu Xiaoyao could react, searing pain spread through his limbs.
His grip on the straw man involuntarily loosened.
[Shelter: An umbrella is used to shield from rain and sun; when placed under the umbrella, all negative effects are minimized or even eliminated, and can reflect negative effects back]
Moments ago, Wu Liang gritted his teeth to endure the straw man’s four-needle piercing intent to momentarily immobilize his father, preventing him from pulling out more strange Supernatural Objects.
Now, the tide has turned!
Bending down to pick up the straw man, Wu Liang didn’t remove the silver needles, simply gazing silently at his paralyzed father on the ground.
After a long while, he asked, "This small thing isn’t enough for everyone to defend themselves; it’s nothing but a weapon for personal gain. What are you really thinking?"
To Wu Liang, even if the artificial Supernatural Objects could be perfectly mass-produced, manufacturing these things in large quantities wouldn’t allow everyone to self-defend.
Because once Supernatural Objects are used, there will always be negative effects.
Take the Monkey Claw, for example—though it seemingly mass-produced altered memories one by one, the memories soon became chaotic, causing those affected to murder each other.
Chen Lili and Li Xiyue were prime examples.
Moreover, if everyone had Supernatural Objects in their hands, it would lead not to a stable society but a more terrifying dark forest!
Evil doers with Supernatural Objects would emerge endlessly, likely collapsing the current stage of social order.
Wu Xiaoyao—a madman with a nuclear bomb attempting to deploy it worldwide!
"Heh, holding supernatural power yourself, yet afraid of others wielding the same?" My son, I didn’t raise you to think this way. Once I told you..."
"Do good deeds, question not the future."
Wu Liang cut him off before Wu Xiaoyao could finish.
This phrase used to be often said by Wu Xiaoyao, and during the rare times Wu Liang spent with his father, he tried guiding his worldview onto the right path.
Especially when Wu Liang believed his parents were murdered, every detail lingered in his memory vividly.
"Do you... think you’re doing good? Or have you done any good deeds?" Wu Xiaoyao’s tone was calm, almost like casual talk over dinner with family.
"I haven’t done wrong."
After a few seconds of silence, Wu Liang managed to squeeze out these five words.
"That’s good then. Since we walk different paths, let us not conspire together." Wu Xiaoyao, unable to move his limbs, could only twist his neck, speaking regretfully: "Son, today let’s prove who’s right through our own means."
Thud—
As soon as the words were spoken, Wu Xiaoyao suddenly smashed his head against the ground, making a disturbing sound, the pain evident even just by listening.
However, Wu Liang showed no sign of concern; instead, he wore a face full of vigilance as he watched his father.
Because at this moment, the living aura on his father’s body had vanished...