Feng Yin leaped and dashed across the rooftops, making his way back. Not a single drop of blood stained his armor or the Canfeng Sword; it had all been absorbed by the Bloodthirsty Traits of the Wolf Slaughter Form. He thought, "I didn't expect this trait to have such an extra effect in reality. It's quite convenient." It saved him the effort of cleaning his armor.
As he ran, he silently assessed his physical condition and discovered something that pleasantly surprised him. Despite fighting a hundred men for over ten minutes, he didn't feel like he had consumed much stamina. Clearly, this miraculous armor, brought into reality from the game, didn't have typical stamina restrictions. While wearing the armor, the majority of his strength came from the suit itself, leaving his physical body to bear only a small fraction of the burden. To perform the same actions, the physical exertion was likely only a tenth of what it would be in an armorless state.
At the same time, he noticed something unusual. In fact, he had realized this since he personally snapped that attacker's neck the night before last. While in his armored state, his rationality and movements were exceptionally stable. Even though he had personally created a purgatory-like slaughter, and even though he could feel his own excitement, tension, fear, and disgust during the battle, his body and armor seemed entirely controlled by reason. His strikes were steady and precise, his Body and Step Techniques swift and decisive. His combat performance was completely unaffected by his emotions. The secrets of this armor seemed to be waiting for him to dig deeper.
***
After a long trek, Feng Yin returned to the vicinity of the Tongzi Building. By now, a sliver of light had appeared on the distant horizon, though the sky was still largely veiled in night. He thought, "I managed my time quite well."
With this in mind, Feng Yin slipped into a dark alley and deactivated his armor's manifestation, preparing to return in his normal state. He had taken an unconventional route when leaving, so there was no need to go through such trouble on his way back. Besides, after this outing, he wouldn't be undertaking similar operations again anytime soon. Even if there were a few minor flaws in his cover, as long as no one saw him with their own eyes, no one would look too closely into it.
However, the very moment he deactivated the armor, Feng Yin's face suddenly turned pale. He leaned against the wall, his pupils trembling continuously. His mind was instantly flooded with a massive amount of bloody scenes. Severed limbs, broken arms, agonizing screams, and desperate pleas for mercy... Stripped of the armor's buffs, all the slaughter he had personally committed tonight rushed back to him. In reality, these terrifying memories hadn't just appeared; they had been there all along. It was just that earlier, while wearing the armor, he had been shielded by that bizarre state of pure rationality, leaving him unaffected.
He thought, "They were all heinous... scumbags..."
Feng Yin took continuous deep breaths, gritting his teeth to mentally fortify himself. He thought, "Every single one of them deserved worse than death... More importantly, if they didn't die, it was highly likely I would have been killed in my sleep someday... As long as I stay on this Border Prison Island... I'll have to face this kind of thing eventually. I'm just getting used to it in advance..."
After several minutes of easing his nerves, Feng Yin finally felt his condition recover slightly. He straightened up, doing his best to ignore the images replaying in his head. Then, he turned and walked into the courtyard of the Tongzi Building. On his way, he ran into two guys on patrol. Feng Yin greeted them calmly before making his way up to the roof.
The once pitch-black pre-dawn sky had now taken on the pale light of dawn. Day had broken. It was time to practice his Swordsmanship.
***
During lunchtime, Xie Yanran came looking for Feng Yin. Looking quite pleased, she said, "We just received news. The Ren Sheng Group suffered a mysterious attack last night, and dozens of people died."
Feng Yin put down his spoon, feigning an appropriate amount of surprise. "Who did it?"
Xie Yanran shook her head. "I don't know either. But now the whole of Sin City is buzzing with rumors that it was done by a powerhouse wearing black armor. The news likely originated from the people in the Ren Sheng District."
Feng Yin fell slightly silent. He had slaughtered his way through the Ren Sheng Group for over ten minutes. During that time, many people had lost their nerve and fled. He was well-prepared for the fact that there would be witnesses to spread the tale. This wasn't a problem. He could manifest and dismiss his armor at will. As long as he wasn't seen during the Transformation, it was highly unlikely that his identity would be discovered.
At this thought, he remembered another thing he needed to pay attention to. Rumor had it that there were professional investigators capable of locking onto a person's identity based on their posture and gait. Fortunately, after donning his armor, his athletic abilities increased drastically, which in turn caused a significant change in his movement characteristics. However, now that he had learned Jiao Swordsmanship, he would unconsciously use its related Sword Techniques and Skills in combat. In the eyes of a powerhouse, this trait would be a very obvious marker. In the future, if he could manage it, he should try to adjust his style and attempt to fight using two different types of Swordsmanship.
As Feng Yin pondered this, he asked Xie Yanran, "Senior Sister, this should be a good thing for us, right?"
Xie Yanran smiled. "Indeed. With the intervention of this mysterious powerhouse, the Ren Sheng Group's numbers have plummeted. Furthermore, they will most likely have to expend a great deal of Heart Power remaining vigilant against that enemy. They'll hardly have any energy left to deal with us."
He thought, "This is exactly the result I wanted."
Feng Yin noted silently in his heart, then deliberately asked, "So, were the Leader Kondo, Yamanamikawa, and that so-called genius Swordsman they mentioned also killed?"
A hint of regret flashed through Xie Yanran's eyes. "Those few got lucky. Word is that they went out together to handle some business last night and narrowly avoided the attack."
Feng Yin's heart stirred, and he deliberately threw out a guess. "Those three are all at least Fierce-level Powerhouses, right? Maybe the attacker specifically waited until they were gone to make a move?"
Xie Yanran nodded. "That's a possibility. However, I tend to think that a top-tier powerhouse who can fight a hundred men alone, kill dozens, and retreat unscathed has likely already reached the Instant Level. It's unlikely they'd be afraid of three Fierce Levels."
"The Instant Level..." Feng Yin murmured thoughtfully.
Xie Yanran had previously explained the characteristics of an Instant Level powerhouse to him. Not only were their strength, Speed, and endurance greater than those of the Fierce Level, but they had also mastered more Fixed Form ultimate skills. But the most important point was that Instant Level powerhouses possessed the miraculous ability to See Through other people's movements.
So—could an expert who reached the Instant Level fight a hundred men alone, their strength comparable to his armored state?
He asked softly, "If an Instant Level can take on a hundred ordinary men alone, can they fight three Fierce Levels at once?"
Xie Yanran shook her head. "Apart from a few special Instant Level powerhouses, a regular Instant Level would struggle to face three Fierce Levels in a head-on confrontation.
"The strength of an Instant Level powerhouse mainly lies in their See Through ability. But this ability consumes a massive amount of Heart Power. The 'computational load' of fighting three opponents at once far exceeds that of a one-on-one duel."
She explained further, "Fighting a hundred ordinary men is different. Without Remote methods, at most only a few of those hundred can get close at the same time. The so-called taking on a hundred is essentially just taking on ten multiple times.
"Even a peak Fierce-level Powerhouse, if willing to fight using hit-and-run tactics and avoid getting surrounded, can pretty much take on a hundred. And since an Instant Level powerhouse is stronger than a Fierce Level, they can power through and secure kills head-on even when completely encircled."
Xie Yanran patted Feng Yin on the shoulder. "With your talent and special eyesight, if you train hard, you'll at least be able to reach the Instant Level in the future. You might even touch the legendary, top-tier Ultimate Level. That is a true Humanoid Monster.
"When that time comes, no matter how vast the world is, you'll pretty much be able to do as you please without any misgivings."