Chapter 57: The March of the Delusional Dreamer

In a vast, pitch-black, abandoned warehouse, Tuantuan, clad in a fluffy dress, was crouched in a corner on the second floor.

She was in a rather sorry state: not only had she lost one of her shoes, but she had also managed to misplace her somewhat silly best friend. Her arm bore two fresh cuts from descending through a ventilation duct, but thanks to her awakened self-healing abilities, she knew they would leave no scars.

She wanted desperately to go back and search for her friend, but the mouth of the duct was eight or nine meters above the ground—easy enough to descend, but impossible to climb back up. She had tried several times already, each attempt ending in failure. So now she sat gloomily in the corner, her head buried in her knees, idly twirling a piece of wire in her hand.

On top of it all, she was thirsty and hungry. In her haste yesterday, she hadn’t managed to grab any food, though she had found some candy and milk in the warehouse earlier.

But candy hardly counts as a meal, and milk—besides being slightly spoiled—was her most hated drink since childhood. She hadn’t even bothered to look at it.

So it had been a day and a half since she last consumed anything; if not for her awakened constitution, she would have collapsed by now.

As she sat there, bored and restless, a creak echoed through the warehouse—the large door swung open. Tuantuan glanced down, spotting three figures entering.

It was too dark to see their faces, but from their silhouettes, she guessed there were two women and one man. One woman lingered near the entrance while the other two moved to the center of the warehouse.

Tuantuan, hidden on the staircase, watched them warily. From the man, she sensed a dangerous aura.

After a moment’s thought, she decided she must determine whether they were friend or foe.

She cleared her throat and called out, “Who dares disturb my solitude?”

Without waiting for a reply, she dashed away, her voice ringing out as she ran, “Who are you? State your name!”

“Tuantuan, it’s me, Xiaolei!”

The familiar voice from below made Tuantuan stop in her tracks.

“Xiaolei!” she exclaimed, a note of joy in her voice. But then she realized: her best friend was extremely naïve—how could she be following a man into the warehouse unless she’d been lured in?

Worry flooded Tuantuan’s heart. She threatened the male silhouette below, “You there! What have you done to my companion? Release her at once, or I’ll grind your bones to dust!”

There was no response after a moment. Growing anxious, Tuantuan wasn’t sure if she could defeat him. Thinking quickly, she raised her right arm, lifted her sleeve, exposing a tranquilizer dart launcher strapped to her arm, and fired three silver needles at the figure below.

Ping, ping, ping.

With three soft sounds, Tuantuan was shocked to see her opponent deflect the darts, even in this darkness.

His skill exceeded her expectations. Eyes darting, she ran to a spot she’d prepared earlier.

She fastened a rabbit plush toy above her with a wire and pressed the switch on its back. Instantly, a faint blue glow emanated from the internal lamp.

Tuantuan sat in a nearby chair, raised the watch-voice changer on her wrist, adjusted it, and spoke—the voice emerging sharp and raspy.

“Ha ha ha ha... I didn’t expect you’d evade my attack…”

At that moment, Kong Zhe, standing in the warehouse center with arms crossed, frowned at the rabbit.

He had come straight to this warehouse after entering the building from the rooftop. Before entering, he’d told Hongling to wait at the door and brought only Xiaolei inside. After all, Tuantuan still harbored many mysteries, and Hongling might be mistaken for an enemy, whereas Xiaolei was safe. From previous encounters, their relationship seemed close—Tuantuan would never harm her.

Having experienced this before, Kong Zhe noticed many details he’d missed the first time—like the faint footsteps and the altered, raspy voice. Though the tone was different, the timbre was unmistakably the same; it was the same person, using a voice changer.

He eyed the floating rabbit—it looked like a summoned creature, but lacked any magical energy. With a cold smirk, he flicked a pebble from his hand.

Tuantuan was mid-sentence when she sensed something flying toward her, but before she could react—

Bang!

Her plush was struck, falling to the ground, its stuffing scattered. The glowing blue bulb rolled out, illuminating the area and exposing Tuantuan’s diminutive figure in the light.

But Tuantuan hardly cared about that—her favorite toy had been destroyed, and rage surged within her. She shouted at Kong Zhe below, “You bastard! How dare you kill my familiar! Do you realize who I am?”

Kong Zhe shrugged, about to reply, but Tuantuan continued, “I am the reincarnation of the queen of the Blood Clan, a vampire who has lived ten thousand years—Lecis, Belle, Maria, Huang, Saint Margaret… Yes, that’s right, I’m the second-ranked awakened one in Golden City, as broadcast previously. Scared yet?” she said proudly, then muttered quietly, “I wonder who that first-ranked jerk is—forcing me to settle for second. Unforgivable…”

Kong Zhe’s eye twitched—the top-ranked ‘jerk’ was standing right before her! He picked at his ear, uninterested in her nonsense. “So, do you know who I am?”

“Huh? Who are you?” Tuantuan asked disdainfully, rapidly thinking how she might bluff him with some invented identity.

Kong Zhe grinned slyly, feigning gravity, “I am the young master of the Demon Clan, dark dragon knight, Blackwing Jax!”

Tuantuan had been careless, but the name startled her—she stepped back, eyes wide. “Wait, can you read minds?”

He had just spoken the same name and identity she’d invented in her head!

“See for yourself, I’m not lying,” Kong Zhe said, pointing to the label above his head.

Trying to dupe me, little brat? Today I’ll return the favor!

Tuantuan stared at the label above Kong Zhe’s head—sure enough, it read Blackwing Jax! Could such a coincidence exist in this world?

Shaking her head, she set aside the matter for now. Though Kong Zhe didn’t seem particularly malevolent, she couldn’t let her guard down—especially since he’d destroyed her beloved toy. If she didn’t teach him a lesson, her rabbit’s spirit would never rest!

She snorted coldly, then leaped from the second floor.

Kong Zhe watched as she jumped. This time, close by, he caught the faint sound of rope and pulleys—his suspicions confirmed. He flipped his hand, gripping a fruit knife, then tossed it.

As Tuantuan descended, she heard the snap of a rope overhead. Suddenly, she lost her support and tumbled straight to the ground.

“Ow!”

Tuantuan cried out, scrambling to her feet, stomping angrily. “You bastard…”

But before she could finish, she felt a shadow beside her—a hand seized her wrist.

“Well, our great queen of the Blood Clan needs ropes to come downstairs?” Kong Zhe teased, eyeing the broken rope behind her.

He pulled up her sleeve, revealing an array of gadgets strapped to her small arm: launchers, knives, wrist guards, remotes, laser pointers—even a stapler. The entire arm was covered in little devices.

Kong Zhe’s mouth twitched—this little brat sure went all out for her delusions.

“Let go of me…”

Tuantuan struggled fiercely, but her strength was insufficient—she couldn’t break free. In desperation, she lunged at Kong Zhe’s crotch.

“Damn!”

Kong Zhe’s brow furrowed—he hadn’t expected such indecent behavior. He quickly released her and dodged aside.

Tuantuan lost her balance and fell, but as she hit the ground, she pushed off with both hands, sprang up, and aimed a kick at Kong Zhe’s head.

He sidestepped, just avoiding it—this girl was surprisingly agile.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tuantuan rolled away from the fight and dashed to the far side of the warehouse.

She stopped at a spot on the west side, turned, and grinned wickedly at Kong Zhe, flashing a look that spelled his doom.

She rapidly formed hand signs, slapped the ground, and a ghostly blue hexagram array glowed beneath her.

“Heh heh, this is my protective ward. If you dare enter—huh?”

She didn’t finish—she suddenly realized Kong Zhe had vanished.

As she searched, puzzled, suddenly she was grabbed and her mouth covered.

“Mmm…”

Kong Zhe tucked Tuantuan under his arm; she flailed wildly but couldn’t break free.

He had used a spatial card to teleport behind her and restrain her, now eyeing the magic array on the floor with curiosity.

This was precisely where he’d died in his previous life. The girl had come here specifically to activate the array—clearly another trap she’d set in advance.