Vilitan raised his scepter and slowly descended the altar, then vanished into a patch of darkness.
A light rain began to fall, its cold drops pattering on Xu Mu's slender fingers. The young man's expression flickered.
"He... he...", Xu Mu stammered, his face a mask of shock, turning to Charles.
Why had he pulled the trigger, and the gun hadn't fired?
"Ahem, it should be..."
"It jammed," Charles coughed awkwardly.
He had promised that an AWM bullet could take down anyone below the Lord level, but Vilitan hadn't died because the bullet never left the barrel.
He never expected that at such a critical moment, the sniper rifle he had built would jam, causing him such embarrassment.
"What do we do now!" Xu Mu's expression contorted, unsure if he wanted to cry or laugh. He regretted listening to those two ramble on; what did their schemes and plots have to do with him? If he had just fired earlier, everything would have been settled!
"It must be the bullet. It hasn't been used in a long time, and the cellar is damp, factors that could have turned the first bullet into a dud. Ejecting the casing and chambering a new round should fix it."
Three black lines appeared on Xu Mu's forehead as he silently spat.
"Failing at the crucial moment. What kind of high-tech weapon is this? I might as well have brought a bow and arrow; that would have been more reliable."
*Click!*
"Is it okay this time?" the crisp sound of reloading echoed. Xu Mu's expression grew grave as he pulled the bolt back again. In the light rain, he lowered his head, re-aiming at the center of the altar.
"The probability of something I create jamming is one in a billion. If it jams a second time, it's practically impossible."
Charles patted his chest. In truth, if he had made it with materials from his Blue Star body, it would have been absolutely impossible for an accident to occur. But the materials in this world were too crude, and many things were makeshift substitutes. So, it was understandable that problems might arise.
But what was that faint trace of water elemental energy he sensed?
That person had been active during the day... Thinking of a possibility, Charles fell silent for a moment, then he jested:
"But if you're really doubtful, you can look directly into the muzzle and pull the trigger."
"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll likely experience something unexpected," Charles said leisurely.
"Idiot."
Xu Mu's reply was swift and clean. He had no mood for Charles's jokes right now.
The Pope had left; he couldn't let Feng Tianzhu get away.
After all, he was the one who had truly killed Wu Kui!
"Wind speed 2, light 1, humidity 30%, distance 115 meters."
"Fire!"
With a command, Xu Mu's expression turned ferocious as he pulled the trigger.
*Bang!*
A spark flashed from the AWM's muzzle, the sound of the bullet's discharge drowning out the click of the trigger. Xu Mu's body recoiled violently, almost knocking his night vision goggles askew.
"Huh?" Feng Tianzhu, who was summoning an异鬼 (yi gui - otherworldly ghost/demon) at the center of the altar, suddenly felt a chill in his chest.
Immediately after, a deafening roar erupted from the forest. He turned his head in alarm, saw nothing, then looked down again, finding his left chest already blooming with blood.
*Puff!*
"What... what kind of ability is this!"
Feng Tianzhu couldn't even finish his sentence. His right hand trembled, and the vial he held dropped to the ground. Intense pain shot through his limbs.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Three more shots rang out in quick succession. The bloody cavity in Feng Tianzhu's chest expanded to the size of a winter melon. Even as he was shot, he still tried to locate Xu Mu by the sound.
So, he turned sideways and, through the drizzling rain, saw a flash of fire on the hillside not far away.
Feng Tianzhu could no longer speak, blood trickling from his throat. He saw the bursting flames and heard the thunderous report, but it seemed to be of no use.
The AWM's bullets had pierced his heart, four times. By all rights, even the most resilient life should have ended by now.
With wide eyes, Feng Tianzhu's body crashed onto the altar, his legs twitching slightly.
Rain mixed with blood. Xu Mu, lying prone on the hillside, felt a ringing in his ears. He swayed his head slightly, took a deep breath, then fixed the sniper rifle onto his back and slowly stood up.
The rain had soaked his simple clothes, and his hair fell into his eyes, but Xu Mu didn't mind. He even let out a slightly deranged laugh.
"Heh... Hehehehe..."
Xu Mu rotated his neck, feeling the coolness on his face, a strange sense of unease creeping into his heart.
He hadn't expected to avenge Uncle Kui so easily. Logically, he should have been happy, but why did he feel a sense of loss? Perhaps he hadn't had enough of it?
Charles didn't know what Xu Mu was thinking, but he felt it had been too simple.
According to the story in his memory, a hatred this deep should have involved the protagonist enduring immense hardship before finally succeeding in revenge.
Even counting the training in the Heavenly Palace, Xu Mu's revenge had taken less than a day. How could the plot have progressed so quickly?
Well... but this actually made sense. After all, the AWM was not a weapon from this world. Even an ability user, if caught off guard and targeted by it, would practically be dead.
The legendary abilities of resurrection were not something a low-level ability user like Feng Tianzhu should possess, so he should indeed be dead.
Thus, Charles chose to remain silent.
Xu Mu stopped laughing. He pushed aside the bushes with his left hand, then leaped forward, sliding down the slope on the mud. He then began walking towards the altar step by step.
Even though it was raining, the torches on the altar's stone pillars had not been extinguished, likely due to the intense concentration of dark energy.
*Pat pat pat...*
Xu Mu's expression turned cold. He stepped into puddles one by one, approaching the altar.
But as he continued forward, intending to destroy the altar, Xu Mu suddenly found his body unable to move.
"Kid, you almost got me killed!"
Hearing this voice, Xu Mu's expression drastically changed, for it came from the lips of the supposedly "dead" Feng Tianzhu!
Feng Tianzhu crawled out of the pool of blood, his left hand bent, his face deathly pale. The rain wet his long hair.
"Your ability is terrifying; even the Pope probably couldn't withstand it. But your mistake was hitting only one spot on me."
Feng Tianzhu looked at the bloody hole in his left chest and reached his right hand inside. The altar's energy continuously healed his body.
"My heart isn't on the left, so this wound isn't fatal for me."
"But you...", Feng Tianzhu grinned sinisterly, revealing bloody teeth.
"Have walked into my Shadow Flow range. As long as you have a shadow, you will be controlled by me."
"Kid, stop wasting time and die!"
Feng Tianzhu used his ability to control Xu Mu's body. Xu Mu's hands tightened around his own throat, his face turning ashen.
His ability could control Xu Mu, and now, he was going to use Xu Mu's own hands to strangle himself to death!