Huh?

An explanation?

Jiang Ye’s mind immediately flashed with a classic quote from the King of Pretenders—

“I, Chen BX, act as I please. Why should I explain myself to strangers?”

Unfortunately, his strength wasn’t enough; forcing the act of being a show-off would probably lead to a humiliating death…

However, Jiang Ye wasn’t afraid at all.

He frowned and counterattacked directly: “That question should be for you guys.”

“Why do the players inside the White Tower have disguise masks made from my face?”

“And also…”

He completely ignored Lin Ling’s gaze and continued staring at the water screen.

Fixating on the water screen, his brow furrowed even deeper:

“By the way, what kind of existence is this guy covered in steam? Why does he have such terrifying destructive power?”

“And why hasn’t this terrifyingly destructive force destroyed the disguise mask on this person’s face—the mask made from my face?”

The key point was obvious—

The other versions of disguise masks that Peng Gu took out were destroyed!

This made Jiang Ye suspect…

Could it be that the disguise mask made specifically from his face was particularly unique?

Or maybe it had nothing to do with him, and simply because Yu Mo was already wearing that mask when he mutated, the mask mutated with him?

By the way, what exactly was the method the Heavenly Net Organization used to implant blood patterns in people?

His doubts were even greater than Lin Ling’s.

Lin Ling still stared at him with a heavy gaze.

At this moment, Zhou Yuling conveniently explained:

“Among these followers, there is a member from the Salvation faction named Wu Ying, who possesses the [Glyph Shadow Parasitism] ability.”

“One of his parasitic slots was used on Jiang Ye.”

“Later, I also admitted him into the White Tower under Jiang Ye’s image.”

“Inside the White Tower, many disguise masks were made using Jiang Ye’s image.”

“Furthermore, there is another player who also possesses [Glyph Shadow Parasitism], who used Wu Ying to create a parasitic shadow with Jiang Ye’s identity.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ye’s reaction was intense:

“What the hell? The [Glyph Shadow Parasitism] glyph pattern ability… this is freaking ridiculous! Someone else can make disguise masks using my face even though it’s not me?!”

“Even worse, like a contagious disease, other players with [Glyph Shadow Parasitism] can have my identity?!”

“This ability… I remember now!”

“Isn’t this [Glyph Shadow Parasitism] glyph pattern ability such that if you kill the opponent, you get parasitized?”

He acted completely like he was hearing about the ability for the first time, showing great shock:

“But I was parasitized after killing the opponent during a battle simulator duel?!”

“The battle simulator is obviously a virtual fight! How could the outcome carry over to reality?!”

His reaction was extremely genuine.

The white-robed woman disguised as Zhou Yuling didn’t doubt him at all and specially explained:

“Not every kill of a player with [Glyph Shadow Parasitism] results in parasitism. This parasitism is like a monster invading a player, and it has a success rate check.”

“The reason the other party successfully parasitized you was probably that you didn’t understand the glyph pattern ability at the time and couldn’t use your innate power, so you had no resistance.”

Zhou Yuling also added: “If I faced such an existence, it would be impossible for him to parasitize me under any circumstances.”

She spoke with absolute confidence.

Jiang Ye thought to himself: Not necessarily.

After all, Wu Ying had now become one of his clones.

Who knew if he could successfully parasitize Zhou Yuling when she was underestimating him?

Thinking this, he rudely shot back at Zhou Yuling:

“Wait, why aren’t you coughing up blood anymore?”

???

Jiang Ye continued to poke her: “Look at this white snake, flapping up and down like it’s about to die any second…”

“…”

Zhou Yuling still didn’t respond.

But Lin Ling suddenly snorted coldly.

That ‘hmph’ sounded plain, just a breath from her nostrils.

Yet to everyone around, it felt like a sonic attack!

Jiang Ye’s weak clone immediately felt as if a string in his mind was plucked fiercely like a violin string.

That ‘buzz’ echoed endlessly!

His entire mind felt like it was about to explode!

Just as he suspected this big sister was about to start a fight with him without warning,

he noticed—

On the water screen, the huge Xu Gou, who had swollen to over three meters tall and was prostrated on the ground, suddenly changed his crazed and vicious expression!

Then, Lin Ling said sternly to Zhou Yuling: “Release those two.”

Zhou Yuling’s eyes flickered in surprise and asked instinctively: “Those two… excluding who?”

After all, there were three piled together.

From bottom to top were—Xu Gou, “Jiang Ye”, and Peng Gu.

Lin Ling replied directly: “Exclude Peng Gu.”

But hearing this, Zhou Yuling’s eyes widened even more.

She looked at the giant creature on the water screen—Xu Gou, who was steaming all over like a humanoid nuclear bomb…

A trace of uncontrollable fear flashed in Zhou Yuling’s eyes.

Even her following voice trembled faintly:

“If we release him in this state… wouldn’t it destroy your chessboard?”

Lin Ling’s gaze glanced toward the direction where the white snake was struggling painfully, then at the distant sky.

Her voice deepened: “If he dares to destroy my chessboard…”

“I will naturally make him pay the price.”

Saying this, Lin Ling gripped the Three Life Stone Staff and pointed casually.

The giant orb atop the staff pointed to a specific chess square.

She said to Zhou Yuling: “Put him on that square.”

Zhou Yuling didn’t dare disobey and immediately ordered the white snake.

Thus, Jiang Ye’s perspective saw—

The white snake, which had been struggling desperately, suddenly summoned all its strength and shot out a long snake tongue toward the direction Lin Ling’s staff pointed.

The white snake’s body was as translucent and pure as jade, snow white.

The snake tongue it spat was like a pitch-black blade, faintly shimmering with a cold gleam.

Jiang Ye strongly suspected that if that snake tongue was cut off and made into a weapon, it would at least be golden grade!

The snake tongue extended as fast as lightning!

It even actually carried an electric discharge!

Jiang Ye clearly saw a bolt of electricity, followed by the over-three-meter-tall giant being hurled toward the chess square Lin Ling designated!

Jiang Ye could feel the steam that thing was giving off from such a distance!

Back when Yu Mo first appeared, he had felt that steam through the Zhang Minghan clone.

At that time, it wasn’t as terrifying, only a wave of heat.

But now…

Jiang Ye vaguely felt this primal fear seemed to carry the instinctive fear dark-type creatures have toward light!

What the hell? Why did that steam have anything to do with light?

No, his clone didn’t have glyph pattern abilities or dark-type talents, so he shouldn’t be afraid of light.

So this fear…

Could it apply to all creatures?

That steam was terrifying to this degree?!

How could the Heavenly Net Organization still be just a first-class organization?

With such perverted strength of its members, it should be a top-tier force by right!

But from the information gotten from Wu Ying, the Heavenly Net Organization didn’t seem that strong…

As Jiang Ye’s thoughts flashed like lightning,

he saw the giant thrown down didn’t fall onto the chessboard square.

Instead, it was caught by a giant hand that suddenly materialized out of nowhere!

That giant hand was like a shadow, even larger than the swollen Xu Gou!

Jiang Ye recognized it immediately—

That suddenly appeared giant hand…

Very likely came from the shadow phantom that had previously rescued the possessed young man from Wu Gui’s clone!

According to Yu Mo back then…

That shadow phantom seemed to be the possessed young man’s father!

The possessed young man was named Tao Sheng, so the shadow phantom was Tao Sheng’s dad.

Of course, it was also possible Tao Sheng said that just to gain Yu Mo’s trust, claiming his backer was his real father.

But regardless of whether it was Tao Sheng’s real dad or not, the fact that the shadow phantom specifically saved Tao Sheng proved Tao Sheng was important to him.

Now, this shadow phantom had specifically caught Xu Gou…

What was the relationship between him and Xu Gou?

No!

Jiang Ye suddenly realized…

Lin Ling had just said something—

“If he dares to destroy my chessboard… I will naturally make him pay the price.”

At the time, Jiang Ye didn’t react.

He thought the “he” referred to Xu Gou.

But now he suddenly realized—

Lin Ling seemed to glance in a certain direction!

So the “he” she mentioned wasn’t Xu Gou, but that shadow phantom?

This realization shocked Jiang Ye deeply!

After all, he had subconsciously thought that the shadow phantom with special permission identity should be very strong.

Maybe even stronger than Lin Ling.

But now, from Lin Ling’s tone…

The truth might be that her strength surpassed the shadow phantom?!

This Lin Ling…

Rune Grandmaster, was she really that formidable?

No! Not right!

Jiang Ye suddenly realized again—

Maybe it wasn’t that Lin Ling was strong, but that special permission identities weren’t as strong as he thought.

For example, his Wu Gui clone was indeed special, but in terms of strength, it wasn’t impressive.

For example, his Observer clone was also special, but in fighting…

That thing couldn’t interact with any physical entities!

Simply put, you can’t hit me, and I can’t hit you.

If Jiang Ye could use the clone ability to empathize with the Observer clone…

It would be as if it didn’t exist.

So he had misunderstood.

Special permission identities are only special, not necessarily stronger than the other three types of permission identities!

Therefore, the shadow phantom’s strength might not be great either!

No wonder he acted all mysterious and left directly…

Maybe if they really fought, he wouldn’t be able to beat the Wu Gui clone backed by a clone army?

Thinking like this, Jiang Ye’s respect for the shadow phantom almost completely vanished.

At least from Lin Ling’s tone, it was clear—the shadow phantom had weaknesses!

And Lin Ling had already grasped those weaknesses.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have caught Xu Gou just because of a single phrase “make him pay the price”…

However, that shadow phantom’s hand wasn’t afraid of steam?

And previously, the Wu Gui soul entity couldn’t invade the shadow phantom…

This was clearly the shadow phantom’s special trait.

Just as he was thinking this, Xu Gou, who had landed on the shadow phantom’s giant hand, visibly froze!

He pressed his limbs hard against the giant hand, his eyes fierce, steam billowing.

Unfortunately, the steam with terrifying destructive power could not shake the giant hand even slightly!

Instead, a voice suddenly sounded in Xu Gou’s ear:

“Don’t waste your strength, it’s useless.”

Then the giant hand split off a slightly smaller hand and directly grabbed the “Jiang Ye” stacked on Xu Gou’s back.

At that moment, the air was filled with a sizzling sound.

The hand holding “Jiang Ye” emitted white mist like immortal energy around it.

Meanwhile, swollen Xu Gou on the giant hand shriveled visibly like a deflated balloon…

With that change, Xu Gou’s expression visibly became terrified.

Just as Lin Ling was about to slap him to death…

A familiar voice came from another direction:

“Wow, such a big chess game, such a lively board.”

Almost everyone present, except the unconscious Yu Mo, recognized the voice.

Because the voice owner was none other than the chubby guy who had previously negotiated with Lin Ling in the irradiated soil—the Card Grandmaster!

Oh my, this was a gathering of big shots!

Jiang Ye was marveling inwardly when the previously terrified Xu Gou suddenly shouted toward the Card Grandmaster:

“Big shot! Save me!”

Whoa! Xu Gou also knew the Card Grandmaster!

Jiang Ye quickly sorted out the relationships in his mind—

Both Xu Gou and Tao Sheng had the unique blood pattern of the Heavenly Net Organization.

Behind these two, each had a powerful backer.

Tao Sheng’s backer was the shadow phantom, suspected to be his father;

Xu Gou’s backer was the Card Master.

From Xu Gou not recognizing the shadow phantom’s giant hand, it was clear—he didn’t know Tao Sheng’s father.

Just as Jiang Ye was thinking this, the chubby guy who had dashed over spoke next, clearing many doubts:

“Sorry, this guy was arranged by me to explore the Abyss Restricted Zone.”

He appeared floating in the air, smiling toward Lin Ling’s direction:

“You should know—those old-timers in the Apartment faction don’t like letting Heavenly Net mutants descend into the Novice Apartment.”

“But this time, Miss Zhou here recruited followers, providing extra slots for mutants to enter the Novice Apartment.”

“So I took this chance to arrange for this mutant to come in.”

“I don’t know what method that shadow phantom big shot used to bring Heavenly Net mutants in?”

The chubby guy spoke politely and honestly.

But the shadow phantom seemed to see through his identity and replied just as politely.

However, instead of explaining, the shadow phantom held up Yu Mo and asked:

“Is this mutating Heavenly Net person also arranged by you?”

The chubby guy’s gaze swept over Yu Mo with Jiang Ye’s face, then looked at Jiang Ye and smiled: “Yes, also arranged by me :)”

Jiang Ye cursed silently: Nonsense! It was obviously arranged by me!

But among these three permission overlords, his weak clone was just a small Calamity; naturally, he kept quiet.

The shadow phantom seemed to believe the chubby guy’s words.

So the giant hand holding Xu Gou and the other holding Yu Mo both threw them toward the chubby guy.

At the same time, the shadow phantom’s voice came from the air:

“Then I’ll leave these two troublesome things to you…”

“And please, Left Alliance, hear clearly—these two damn things have nothing to do with me!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep