Taking yet another brutal stab, Scar suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of blood, finally feeling a sliver of strength return to his body.
He hurriedly mobilized this last bit of power, and countless blood-red poker cards materialized around him.
Scar was about to spatially displace himself and escape from this sound domain.
"Kid, Fractsidus will hunt you forever."
Scar raised his head, his sinister gaze fixed dead on Noah, as if to etch Noah's face into his memory for all time.
Slap!
A massive open-handed slap landed heavily on his face, making his head buzz.
"What the hell are you looking at?"
The poker cards surrounding Scar froze in mid-air. No matter how he tried to command them, they wouldn't budge.
It was Noah's time stop.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Those words sent shockwaves through Scar's mind. He couldn't understand how this man knew he was trying to escape.
He had never used this spatial displacement ability within Jinzhou's range before.
Raising Commando of Conviction, Noah stabbed downward once more. His patience was nearly exhausted.
He still had to find Jinhsi, find the Sentinel, rescue Jiyan—time was tight. Where did he have extra leisure to play around with Scar?
Pulling Commando of Conviction free, Noah coldly demanded:
"I'll give you one final chance. Where is Rover? If you can't answer, you die!"
"That whatever Rover you're talking about—I don't understand!"
Scar's expression hardened. He flung out a ring of poker cards. Noah instinctively retreated, only to discover that this wave of cards lacked the explosive energy of before.
Looking again at Scar, he saw the man forcing himself forward despite his severe injuries, rushing toward the Whisperin Erosion.
"Faster! Just a little faster!"
Scar gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain throughout his body. His eyes held nothing but the Whisperin Erosion as he muttered obsessively:
"As long as I reach... that place, I'll be safe!"
"Still trying to run? Mobile targets are my specialty."
Noah drew Undying Flame and a blue pistol, pursuing while firing.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!
Bullet after bullet, perfectly aimed, was intercepted just centimeters from Scar by poker cards.
Not lethal, but it drained the tiny bit of strength Scar had only just recovered.
Finally, Scar leaned against the man-sized black-purple eyeball, panting heavily as he looked at the approaching Noah. A cruel smile curled his lips:
"Heh, kid, you fell for it. You actually dared to follow me here."
Hearing this, Noah halted, his brows faintly furrowing. He noticed the frozen white figure a few steps away.
It was a beautiful silhouette clad in moon-white robes, dragon horns sprouting from her head, silver-white hair tied into two refreshingly natural ponytails, her features ethereal and transcendent.
It was Jinzhou's Magistrate, the Sentinel's Resonator—Jinhsi!
Only, Jinhsi's condition was dire. Dragon scales covered her exposed skin, and cracks glowing with white light riddled her torso.
Overclocking! Severe Overclocking!
A line of small text appeared in Noah's vision.
[Limited Banner "Winter's End Brings Spring's Awakening," "Ages of Harvest" has opened.]
Jinhsi's banner had appeared.
As expected, just like when he encountered Jiyan earlier, as long as he got close to these 5-star characters, their corresponding limited banners would appear.
But if he moved away from them, the limited banners would vanish again.
"I suggest you drop those stray thoughts and properly feel it—isn't there a power polluting your mind right now?"
A grating voice interrupted Noah's thoughts.
"Let me introduce you: the thing beside me is a Threnodian creation—Whisperin Erosion."
Scar pointed at the black-purple eyeball beside him, secretly recovering his strength while introducing it with smug satisfaction:
"Its greatest function is to pollute the minds of living beings within range. With Fractsidus technology assisting, polluted living beings have a chance of transforming into Tacet Discords!"
Hearing Scar's words, Noah's eyes instantly turned icy cold.
Living-being-to-Tacet-Discord experiments—although Baizhi had warned him about this in advance, hearing it directly from the mastermind still filled Noah with intense discomfort.
"Why does Fractsidus do this?"
"Oh? You want to know?"
Seeing that he had indeed piqued Noah's curiosity, Scar rejoiced inwardly.
This idiot—after learning the Whisperin Erosion's function, he didn't run!
Scar had originally only wanted to scare the guy off so he could conveniently escape, but now he changed his mind.
He would stall longer, letting the Whisperin Erosion fully pollute this fellow and turn him into a puppet.
"Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, there was a flock of sheep..."
"Stop!"
Scar had barely begun when Noah interrupted with open distaste:
"I've heard the black-sheep-white-sheep plotline countless times—it's unskippable!"
The story Scar was about to tell was the sheep flock tale that Noah had heard in the game until his ears practically had calluses.
The core of the story was that Fractsidus didn't trust the Sentinel to protect humanity forever, even prophesying that the Sentinel would betray them, so they sought another path.
"Impatient brat!" Scar, forcibly cut off mid-confession, glared viciously at Noah:
"Haven't you realized yet that your mind has already been polluted by the Threnodian?"
Under Scar's gaze, Noah opposite him did indeed clutch his head and begin wailing in pain.
Seeing this, Scar couldn't help bursting into laughter.
This damn nobody—so what if he was good at dodging? He had still been designed and counter-killed by Scar.
As a Threnodian creation, the Whisperin Erosion could cause area-wide mental pollution. No one could evade it.
"Fool! Once polluted by the Whisperin Erosion, there's no recovery. In a few more minutes, you'll become my puppet! Hahahahaha!"
"Aaaaaargh!" Noah clutched his head tightly, howling loudly:
"Aaaaaargh—nothing, just clearing my throat!"
In a second, Noah returned to his nonchalant self, looking at Scar with a half-smile.
"How is this possible!"
Scar's eyes nearly burst from their sockets as he roared hysterically:
"You're clearly not wearing any shielding bracelets—how can you not be polluted by the Whisperin Erosion?"
"Are you looking for these?"
Noah rolled up both pant legs, revealing a thick stack of shielding bracelets around his ankles.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out another handful, picking out a few to put on the nearby Jinhsi:
"If wearing them on the wrists works, wearing them on the ankles should be about the same, right? Afraid one wouldn't be enough, I specially equipped a billion more."
Scar: clown.jpg
"You—how do you know shielding bracelets can immunize against the Whisperin Erosion's pollution?"
Scar trembled with rage, his left hand gripping the Whisperin Erosion tightly as he sprayed blood from his mouth:
"Is there a traitor in Fractsidus?"
"Enough."
Noah raised Commando of Conviction, his expression suddenly turning cold:
"I don't have time to play with you anymore. Jiyan is still waiting for me to rescue him. Since you refuse to tell me Rover's whereabouts, then—"
"Die!"