Chapter 504: Seeking the Hunt

Nearly four months had passed since Chen Ling was promoted to Tier 3 and left the Aurora Realm.

During these four months, Chen Ling had not returned here, indicating that his mental power was still slowly growing but had not yet reached the threshold to trigger the next "performance." Now, however, his trial had arrived.

Chen Ling lowered his head. He was currently standing on the third step of the towering Divine Path and could vaguely discern the outline of the fourth step, though it was still a long way off. His current position was roughly halfway through Tier 3.

"Just like when I advanced from Tier 2 to Tier 3," he mused, "will I need to complete two performances?"

Only by completing this performance could he continue advancing on the Divine Path; otherwise, he would be permanently stuck here. This was the price of stepping onto the Twisted Divine Path.

Chen Ling took a deep breath, and his gaze fell upon the small print beneath his feet:

—Under the witness of at least 2,000 people, complete a breathtaking murder performance.

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly.

Thankfully, the conditions for this performance weren't so abstract. If it were another "unattended stage" or "a curtain call with thunderous applause," Chen Ling might not have been able to complete it.

The key elements of this performance were only three: 2,000 people, breathtaking, and murder.

In the Ancient Archive of Theatrical Arts, Chen Ling certainly couldn't complete this performance, so he would most likely have to find a way in the Era Archives. However, 2,000 people was no small number. Getting them to witness a murder firsthand would be even more difficult, and it would likely cause extremely negative social repercussions, hindering his subsequent actions in the Era Archives.

But compared to these two specific conditions, "breathtaking" might be the real challenge. How could a murder be considered breathtaking?

Pairs of scarlet eyes stared at Chen Ling in the darkness, mocking and expectant. Chen Ling pondered on the Twisted Divine Path for a long time before finally shifting his consciousness, and everything around him slowly faded away.

When he came to his senses, Yao Qing's face was right in front of him, looking at him with confusion.

"Daydreaming in broad daylight?"

Chen Ling expressionlessly pushed him away and continued walking towards the main entrance of the museum.

"…Hey, where are you going?"

"Back to the city."

Hearing this, Yao Qing seemed to recall something unpleasant. He lowered his voice and asked, "What are you going back for? Aren't you afraid they'll hunt you down again?"

"If I'm alone, they can't catch me."

Yao Qing looked at him with a strange expression, as if to say, "You're really showing off."

What Chen Ling said was naturally the truth. If he were alone, he could change his face and blend into the crowd. Previously, Su Zhiwei and the others were driving, making them too conspicuous, which was why he had to forcibly eliminate all their informants.

Now, with Xiao Chunping guarding the museum and protecting Su Zhiwei and Yang Xiao, it undoubtedly gave Chen Ling more room to maneuver. He should have no major issues operating outside for a short period.

"Then go ahead," Yao Qing said, puffing out his chest with his arms crossed. "Leave this place to me."

"Leave it to you?"

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. "Are you a good fighter?"

"..." Yao Qing forced himself to say, "Although I can't beat you, I did practice Sanda at school! Sister Zhiwei is a girl, Grandma is old and frail, and Dr. Yang Xiao looks delicate. Of course, I'm the only one who can step up!"

Chen Ling looked at him with a half-smile for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you then."

After saying that, Chen Ling turned and left, heading directly towards the city.

Yao Qing was suddenly startled. "Aren't you taking the car?"

"Your license plate has been exposed," Chen Ling replied. "I need to get another one."

Chen Ling walked to the roadside and casually flagged down a passing empty truck. After instantly transferring two million as "rent" to the driver, he sped away, leaving Yao Qing dumbfounded.

Second floor of the museum.

Xiao Chunping stood by the window, leaning on her crutches, also watching Chen Ling's departing back, lost in thought.

Meanwhile.

Loujiang Expressway.

On the empty, spacious road, a black sedan slowly pulled over. A figure in a dark cloak stepped out of the car, and deep eyes beneath the hood slowly scanned the surroundings.

"This is the place," Vulture said calmly from the driver's seat as he lit a cigarette.

"This is where two vehicles mysteriously collided," Vulture continued. "There are still skid marks on the ground. The location where the people in the other two vehicles were eliminated should be further ahead."

Nie Yu's gaze swept lightly. He then pulled a few pebbles from his pocket and flicked them with his finger.

Bang, bang, bang—!

The pebbles, traveling at speeds comparable to bullets, tore through the air with a booming sound. The next moment, they shattered the nearest road surveillance cameras. Only then did he slowly pull down his black hood, revealing his true face.

"So cautious?" Vulture raised an eyebrow.

"I'm still wanted right now; it would be troublesome if I were discovered," Nie Yu said, pausing for a moment. "And that brown-clothed man can manipulate electronic devices. These things are all his 'eyes'."

"I see..." Vulture mused. "But there are only a few skid marks left here. How will you track them?"

"Every object in the world leaves a trace when it moves."

Nie Yu closed the car door and walked alone to the center of the road. His gaze swept over the faint tire burn marks beneath his feet and the recently repaired edge of the expressway.

"These traces are imperceptible to the naked eye, but I can perceive them," Nie Yu stated. "There's no difference between hunting humans in a concrete jungle and hunting beasts in a deep mountain forest."

He half-crouched, lightly touching the ground with the fingertips of his right hand. A pair of hunter's "re-pupils," unique to the "Heavenly Wolf," gradually replaced his original eyes.

"Hunt."

As the re-pupils completely covered his eyes, the world in Nie Yu's vision instantly transformed. The bright sky gradually became covered in deep blue, as if he were looking at the world through a dark blue glass, and the colors noticeably grew colder. At the same time, a multitude of details imperceptible to the naked eye began to surface before him.

Overlapping and jumbled tire tracks outlined themselves on the ground. These were the traces left by all vehicles that had passed along this road in recent days. Among these dense tire marks, there were also a few sporadic footprints.

These details left on the ground slowly rose under Nie Yu's re-pupil gaze. Arranged in chronological order based on their depth and degree of wear, they flickered beside him like a film.

Streetcars and cars seemed to collide before his eyes. A figure descended from the sky, smashing another car to pieces with a single punch. The last car slowly pulled over to the edge. The figure slowly stepped out from the back seat, then vanished without a trace.

He frowned in thought for a long time, his gaze sweeping over all the wheel tracks from different time periods, until it finally locked onto one of them.

His gaze followed the faint imprint of the wheel track into the distance, and he murmured:

"I've found you..."