Chapter 39: How Did He Die?

The girl, upon witnessing this scene, suddenly seemed to realize something. Her face filled with shock as she exclaimed, “You—you actually mastered Vulcan’s Shield! Only Vulcan’s Shield can fully defend against my Underworld Flame attack. As expected of my archenemy, you’ve managed to master the demons’ ultimate technique so quickly.”

“Keep making things up!” Kong Zhe sneered coldly. He finally understood now—this girl was nothing more than a classic case of adolescent delusions. To think he’d actually been taken in by her before; what an embarrassment.

“Haha! As expected of my nemesis, you’ve seen through me!” The girl ceased her attacks, laughing loudly as she pointed to the ground beneath Kong Zhe’s feet. “That’s right, all my previous assaults were just a feint. The true aim was to lure you exactly to where you’re standing now.”

This spot?

Kong Zhe instinctively glanced down but saw nothing out of the ordinary—just a regular floor.

Ignoring him, the girl crouched and began forming hand seals rapidly, mumbling as she did so, “Chou, Shen, Mao, Zi, Hai, You…”

“Uh…”

Kong Zhe was speechless. What was this now—Western fantasy or Eastern cultivation? Why was she using ninja techniques?

“Hey, have you played enough yet?” Kong Zhe shook his head with a wry smile. He really didn’t have the patience to keep playing these childish games with her. He still needed to find the right candidate for his upcoming mission!

But just as Kong Zhe’s attention began to wane—

“…Chou, Wu, You, Zi!” The girl finished her lengthy incantation, then flashed a wicked grin at Kong Zhe as she slapped her palms onto the floor.

“Come forth, magic circle connecting to hell!”

“Hm?”

With her words, a sudden glow radiated from beneath his feet, dazzling Kong Zhe’s eyes. He squinted and looked down—only to find himself standing right at the heart of a ghostly blue hexagram.

This time, Kong Zhe’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What… Could it be, she really…”

The girl’s cold laughter rang out. “Heh, you thought I was bluffing, didn’t you? Too bad—you were wrong this time! Now it’s too late to escape. This is a magic circle linked to the underworld. The infernal taint has already infected you. Even if you run, it’s useless—the curse of death will haunt your every step!”

As she spoke, the girl pulled a short stick from her inventory, twirled it swiftly in her hand, then dashed toward Kong Zhe with all her might. “Face my attack, Blackwing Jax!”

Kong Zhe hurriedly raised his blade in defense, but—

“Ow!”

The girl had barely taken a step when her foot caught on a bamboo pole lying on the ground, sending her sprawling in a spectacular faceplant.

“…”

Kong Zhe eyed her suspiciously.

This klutz was supposed to be the Queen of the Blood Clan? Was this a joke?

But then, what about the magic circle? Was that just for show as well?

And the girl was only a first-level Awakened, which meant she should have at most one skill point, yet she’d already displayed abilities beyond count—featherfall, light magic, summoning, and a mutated fireball?

Was she really just delusional?

Kong Zhe genuinely couldn’t tell anymore, scratching his head in frustration. Imagine—a seasoned reincarnator like him, almost driven mad by a little girl.

But as he agonized over the matter, he failed to notice that the bamboo pole she’d tripped over had been kicked aside, and it was attached by a cord to a distant wooden box. The shift of the pole tilted the box ever so slightly, just enough for an iron ball perched atop it to lose balance and roll off.

The iron ball, fastened to a chain, pulled the chain taut, which in turn was wound around a bundle of rebar on the second floor. The chain’s sudden tug sent the bundle sliding down the stairs; one piece of rebar struck the ground, was pinned by the weight, and bent to its limit before snapping with a crack. The lower half embedded itself deep in the floor, while the upper half, propelled by the force, flew into the air in a graceful arc—straight toward Kong Zhe.

He heard a whistling from above and instinctively looked up, but before he could react—

With a sickening thud, the rebar pierced his chest.

Kong Zhe stared dumbly at the metal protruding from his body, mouth agape but unable to utter a sound. Agonizing pain shot through his chest as his life ebbed to zero; he didn’t even have time to scream. Darkness swallowed him, and the last thing he heard was Xiao Lei’s terrified cry.

…

…

Kong Zhe’s eyes snapped open as if he’d just been pulled from underwater. He gasped for breath, then was overwhelmed by nausea, falling to his knees and retching dryly.

It took a while before he could collect himself. His gaze flickered to his surroundings—the stairs, the 601 apartment number, and his own hand, raised to knock on the door.

So, he’d been reborn again?

But that wasn’t what troubled him now. What really mattered was—how had he died just then?

He carefully retraced the sequence of events, especially the source of that fatal piece of rebar.

It gradually became clear: a bizarre chain of coincidences had led to his untimely demise. But the improbability of it all was staggering—could such a freak accident truly occur?

Or was it the curse from the magic circle that had been the real cause of his death?

And just who was that strange little girl?

The more Kong Zhe pondered, the more his head throbbed. He shook himself, trying to clear his thoughts.

He glanced at his watch—9:59.

Kong Zhe jolted in alarm. He hadn’t realized how much time he’d wasted. Only one minute remained before the apocalypse began.

He sprang to his feet and knocked on the door. Whatever was going on with the girl, there was no time to dwell on it now. He had to get the black box as soon as possible... Moreover, he’d been sensing a mysterious pull emanating from the room ever since his return.

The black box—it was actually summoning him.

Previously, the box had shown little interest in him, except for a brief reaction when he’d met Xiao Lei. But now, something was different. Had something happened to it this time?

“Who’s there?”

A familiar voice—Xue Feifei’s—called from within.

“Delivery! Your chicken hot pot is here!”

…

“Chicken hot pot? Didn’t I order an omelet? These delivery guys are hopeless, always bringing the wrong order…” Xue Feifei’s grumbling came from inside, but Kong Zhe was too preoccupied with the box to notice.

Light footsteps approached and the door swung open.

Kong Zhe stepped forward, eager to enter.

“Huh? It’s you?”

Xue Feifei was startled to see Kong Zhe at the door.

This, in turn, caught Kong Zhe off guard. He asked, puzzled, “You know me?”

“Of course I do. Didn’t we just meet… Wait, that can’t be right. I’ve been home all week and haven’t seen anyone…” She trailed off, staring at Kong Zhe’s face in confusion. “So strange… I shouldn’t know you, but you look so familiar. And it feels like you saved me not long ago. How odd. It’s almost as if I’ve seen you in some research paper before…”

Kong Zhe frowned as she muttered to herself. In his previous life, she’d shown a vague sense of recognition toward him, but this time it seemed even stronger. Could his rebirth also affect others?

He shook his head—there was no time to consider that now. Ignoring her rambling, Kong Zhe walked straight in.

“Hey, what are you—”

“Shut up and give me your key. If you don’t, I’ll molest you!” Kong Zhe interrupted fiercely, threatening her without remorse.

“Ah!” Xue Feifei yelped in fright. Why was he suddenly so aggressive?

She dared not protest, afraid he’d make good on his threat, and hastily dug out her key from her pocket.

Kong Zhe snatched it from her and dashed to the safe. From the moment he entered, the strange resonance had surged, as if the box was urgently beckoning him.

He opened the safe, found the box at the bottom with practiced ease, and as soon as he touched it, his eyes widened. A wave of joy radiated from the box—like a beloved pet reunited with its master, expressing affection and delight.

Kong Zhe was astonished to find the box already activated. But in this world, he shouldn’t have encountered the box yet, nor let his blood fall upon it. What was going on?

A sudden thought struck him. He quickly opened the box and counted the cards inside.

A swift tally—only forty-six remained, one fewer than last time. And the missing card was of the same type as the one lost after his previous rebirth, each marked with a sandglass symbol.

This confirmed it: the cards were what allowed him to reincarnate. Each rebirth consumed one, and most likely only the sandglass-marked cards had that effect.

He rummaged through the deck and confirmed—only three such cards were left.

Just three more chances to be reborn?

Kong Zhe shook his head. As he pondered this, he suddenly heard soft footsteps behind him. Thinking of what was about to happen, he hurriedly called out, “You’d better drop whatever you’re holding, or I really will molest you!”

No sooner had he spoken than something clattered to the ground behind him.