Mortal Martial Arts Corporation Building
Fifteenth Basement Floor.
Qian Rushan’s face was dark as he tore off his surgical gown and casually tossed his disposable gloves behind him.
“Autopsy complete. This guy had seven different weapons hidden on him—a master assassin skilled in the art of killing.”
“What a shame he died too quickly. We couldn’t extract any useful information from him,” he said regretfully.
“My apologies. I failed to prevent his suicide in time,” Wenna said, bowing her head in guilt.
“This isn’t your fault. His mastery of human skin technique was extraordinary—advanced enough to bypass the corporation’s security systems and conceal his identity,” Qian Rushan replied.
He turned his gaze to Shen Ye.
Shen Ye spoke, “There’s just one thing I find particularly strange.”
“Speak.” Qian Rushan gestured for him to continue.
Shen Ye looked at the corpse on the floor. “Why did he insist on attacking only when we were alone?”
Qian Rushan’s eyes darkened. He replied in a low voice, “The enemy didn’t want to act openly. After all, you’re a member of the Shen family. If you were killed in public, they’d be forced to investigate thoroughly to save face.”
“But if you died silently and the incident was disguised as an accident, it could be swept under the rug.”
“Our family may have distanced itself from the Shen clan, but clearly, their fear is still rooted in the Shen family,” Shen Ye said with a bitter smile.
“Let’s go. This corpse is of no further use,” Qian Rushan instructed.
“You go ahead. I’ll stay here a bit longer,” Shen Ye replied, his eyes fixed on the lifeless body.
Qian Rushan sighed, patted his shoulder, and said, “Alright. Stay as long as you need, but come find me on the top floor later.”
This kid can sense death, Qian Rushan thought. If he has a talent for death, perhaps he’ll be able to perceive something from this.
Strange occurrences like this are commonplace among professionals.
“Alright,” Shen Ye said.
Qian Rushan left with the others, leaving Shen Ye alone with the corpse in the operating room.
A few minutes passed.
The deep voice of the giant skeleton rang out softly, “The coast is clear.”
Shen Ye nodded and murmured, “Someone once told me I wouldn’t find anything out.”
— “Whisper of the Abyss” activated!
“With the corpse as the medium, the deceased must respond to your summons, crawling up from the depths of hell to truthfully relay what they know. Only then will their souls find rest.”
The corpse’s eyes snapped open.
“What is this…?” it muttered in shock before letting out a sharp laugh. “You can talk to the dead? Impressive, but it won’t work—I won’t tell you anything!”
Shen Ye was taken aback.
Previously, Luo Feichuan had willingly shared information to protect him.
But when faced with a hostile entity like this, how could Whisper of the Abyss force it to speak truthfully?
“What do we do if it refuses to talk?” Shen Ye asked the giant skeleton.
The skeleton hesitated. “I’m not entirely sure—those who inherit one of the Three Great Legacies are incredibly rare, and choosing the ‘Whisper of the Abyss’ ability is even rarer. I’ve never seen it before.”
“However, this ability stems from the essence of the undead. There must be a way to make it speak.”
Before the skeleton could finish, the surroundings suddenly shifted—
The entire world vanished.
Shen Ye found himself floating in a void of endless darkness.
All around him, towering black metal walls stretched infinitely high and deep.
From within the walls came the sound of anguished sobbing and wailing.
In front of Shen Ye, embedded in one of the walls, was the corpse of the assassin.
Endless dark flames erupted from the metal wall, heating it to a glowing red and causing the corpse to sizzle and crackle.
The body let out a bloodcurdling scream as it was burned to white bones, which then crumbled into ash.
Yet in the next moment, the process reversed—the body reformed, only to be burned again by the relentless flames.
This cycle of incineration and restoration repeated endlessly, stretching on for what felt like centuries.
Shen Ye began to wonder if hundreds of years had truly passed.
One day, several skeletons clad in black cloaks emerged from the walls, dragging various torture devices behind them.
They slowly approached the corpse, arranging their tools methodically.
“Reporting to the Master of Arts, the formal execution is about to begin,” one skeleton solemnly informed Shen Ye.
—So those centuries of burning were just the opening?
“Yes,” the skeleton said as though reading Shen Ye’s mind. “Each punishment lasts a billion years, repeated a billion times over, before transitioning to a new method.”
“What if it never speaks?” Shen Ye asked.
“We will summon even more powerful wraiths. Stubborn souls like this intrigue them. They relish tormenting such spirits and are experts at keeping their victims both conscious and intact throughout their suffering.”
The skeleton’s words were chilling.
The moment the torture devices were about to be used—
“The scene.”
The corpse broke down, crying out loudly.
In an instant, all the strange phenomena vanished.
Shen Ye realized he was still standing in the dissection room.
The second hand on the clock had just ticked forward by one.
The corpse began speaking at an astonishing speed:
“We are assassins from the Assassin League. Recently, we received a joint mission.”
“The objective of this mission was to kill you but make it appear as if you died in an accident.”
“Wait a moment,” Shen Ye interrupted, taking out his phone and dialing Xiao Mengyu’s number.
“Hello? Any new intel?”
Xiao Mengyu’s voice came through.
“I’ve got an assassin here. I’m interrogating him, and he’s already confessed,” Shen Ye said.
“What did he say?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
Shen Ye glanced at the corpse.
The corpse quickly resumed speaking:
“First, I killed Chen Haoyu, impersonated him, and informed you that I was hospitalized.”
“We set up what appeared to be a ‘disaster’ site at the hospital, and one of my partners was in charge of the attack.”
“It’s strange, though—”
“When that thing activated, you should have already died at the hospital.”
“But you didn’t. There was even a witness at the scene.”
“So we continued with our plans until today, where I personally acted to kill you and stage the scene.”
“You really don’t know who hired you?” Shen Ye asked.
“Only the mission’s overseer knows all the details. He controls every aspect of the operation,” the corpse replied.
“Who is the overseer?” Shen Ye asked.
“He’s known as ‘The Skinner,’ a highly respected assassin in the underworld. The skin technique I’m using was crafted by him,” the corpse said.
“Where is he?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
The corpse looked at Shen Ye.
“Speak,” Shen Ye ordered.
“He’s gone to kill the witness,” the corpse said.
“Why kill the witness?” Shen Ye asked.
“Because the nurse saw the scene when the curse of a the King of Fallen Evil Spirits took effect. If the Shen family investigates, they’ll discover it wasn’t an accident,” the corpse explained.
“Where’s the witness now?” Shen Ye asked.
“She fled to a five-star hotel called ‘Maplewood’ on the outskirts of the city and is planning to leave town.”
The corpse paused for a moment, then added, “However, the Skinner has already started his move. That nurse is likely dead—or will be very soon.”
“What kind of assassin is ‘The Skinner’? Does he have any weaknesses?” Shen Ye asked.
The corpse said, “I wouldn’t dare defy his orders, and I’ve never seen any weaknesses.”
“If he’s so powerful, why didn’t he come to kill me himself?” Shen Ye asked.
“He never planned to act himself.”
“Why not?”
“To be honest, given his status and reputation in the assassination world, personally killing a middle schooler would tarnish his career. He’d become a laughingstock among his peers.”
“So he’s been secretly orchestrating this assassination plan?” Shen Ye pressed.
“He feels that merely overseeing the operation is already giving the mission’s backer plenty of face,” the corpse said.
“Does he have any notable characteristics?” Shen Ye asked again.
“If I had to say… he has one unique hobby.”
“What is it?”
“Cannibalism.”
The corpse finished its confession, and its soul departed.
Xiao Mengyu’s voice came through the phone: “I’ll go pay this ‘Skinner’ a visit.”
The call ended.
