The King of Black Fog

Glass shattered, countless specks dancing in the light, breaths heavy and labored.

"Hiss~" The King Cobra lowered its body, sliding toward the window.

"Master," his gaze shifted toward Yafeiluna and Phoebe, "Go, let me see your strength too."

"Yes!" Yafeiluna's face was stern.

In the presence of the "Master," she had been betrayed!

Just rewarded, and then betrayed by her own people? Incompetent!

Her eyes swept over Phoebe, Tang, Gai Nuo, and Cote, now devoid of the mistress's weakness and sympathy.

"Move," she said coldly, her voice chilly.

The Grey Fog, holding a scythe, stared at the four like a Death God's emissary, like a ghost marshaling prisoners into battle.

Phoebe swallowed a gulp of saliva, Tang felt a chill throughout his body, Gai Nuo and Cote clung tightly together, whitening each other's hands with their grip.

Following the King Cobra, the five of them walked out of the hotel.

The "Master" also stood up and walked outside, picking up Renado's Identity Card when passing by his bloodstains.

"What a pity," Yang Qinglan said.

"Hmm," he examined the unremarkable Identity Card.

The King Cobra was too careless, a good specimen lost just like that.

Fortunately—

Li Changzhou pocketed the Identity Card and continued to stride forward.

—there were still many more outside.

◇

It wasn't the superpower showdown one imagined, with gunshots, flashes of fire, and stray bullets flying everywhere.

Calvino and Hedde hid in the shadows, not advancing to the front line, not meeting face-to-face, but communicating over the phone.

"Renado has failed," Calvino said somberly.

"No matter," Hedde didn't care at all, "It's just a few more dead. Tonight, we must kill that bitch Yafeiluna!"

Silence on the other end of the phone.

Hedde didn't care how many died, as long as there were 'initiation ceremonies,' plenty of sell-their-souls types could be recruited.

In this respect, Calvino's "Torture" was far inferior to the opponent.

◇

Roda hid in the alley, breathing heavily.

He was a member of the Mafia; he had only started practicing with guns a month ago, and today was his first time in actual combat.

Hearing the gunfire from his teammate Browning's pistol, he quickly peeked out, fired two shots, then hurriedly withdrew.

The enemy was Naples's "Camorra," but where exactly they were or how many there were, he had no idea.

Out of bullets.

He breathed deeply, trying to stay calm, his hands trembling as he reloaded.

"Stay calm, Roda! You're fine!" he murmured to himself as he finished reloading.

Gripping the pistol tightly, he decided this time to clearly see the target before shooting again!

Each bullet had a special marking; one hit earned ten thousand Euros, killing one person, a hundred thousand!

Roda slowly peeked his head out, looking at a small square where unknown trees were blooming between the black and white tiles, the bullets causing petals to fall like rain.

The lighting was dark, the gunfire brighter than the bulbs.

Roda slowly scanned, trying to locate the enemy.

"Hiss~"

The trembling of his hands, the pounding of his heart, froze.

Roda looked at his feet, a long shadow from behind rising slowly, enveloping him.

The moment he thought to turn around, his vision plunged into darkness, all light, color, and sound completely extinguished.

A large volume of bright red blood splattered out like a downpour, scattering to every corner, staining the petals flung by bullets, the night even more bewitching.

◇

The battle lasted only five minutes. The opposition was numerous and well-hidden, but to the King Cobra's high-definition thermal imagery, the difficulty was akin to playing hide-and-seek in a classroom.

A few players, also caught by its 12 out of 10 speed, 11 out of 10 strength, plus the surprise of a sneak attack, were directly blown into blood balloons.

Yafeiluna's Grey Fog was akin to a butcher walking into a hen coop with a cleaver, and where the scythe passed, there were severed limbs and organs washed on the ground.

To any ordinary person holding a gun (including some players), before Grey Fog, they were like corn on cornstalks: easily broken off however they liked.

It wasn't without casualties.

Cote and Tang were dead.

Phoebe and Gai Nuo survived simply because they had no combat ability, and Yafeiluna hadn't forced them to fight.

Yafeiluna's Grey Fog had lost six paths.

◇

"Cazzo di merda!"

Hedde cursed under his breath as his subordinates covered his retreat.

He couldn't believe it; with so many people, so many guns, they still couldn't kill Yafeiluna!

Players were strong, but faced with sheer numbers of firearms, unless possessing a Skill like Telekinesis Shield, they could only tuck tail like a dog and flee.

Just missing one dodge meant either severe injury or death.

Although he knew Yafeiluna's Grey Fog subordinates were immune to bullets, he was also well aware that Yafeiluna herself was no different from an ordinary person!

Having failed, all he had left was to flee, instinctively, like anyone else entering into a "Mafia initiation."

"Hedde," two figures suddenly appeared from the alley ahead, blocking the way forward.

Hedde's heart skipped a beat, his eyes narrowing.

"Calvino," he watched the other, licking his dry lips.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you," Calvino, stocky in build yet with eyes as sharp as a skinny man's.

"Of course, but how about we get out of here first?" Hedde said calmly, his gaze cool and composed.

His subordinates walked to his front, shielding him.

Calvino's gaze swept over these men.

"Ah!" The screams ripped through their throats.

In an instant, these men collapsed, the veins near their temples bulging like earthworms, their fingers clawing at their necks, scratching out bloody lines.

In a second, their bodies were drenched in sweat.

Calvino shifted his gaze toward Herder. Herder instinctively stepped back, his subordinate by his feet still screaming in agony.

One of them violently slammed his head against the steps, killing himself on the spot.

What was even more horrifying was that upon seeing his death, the others appeared relieved and began repeatedly smashing their heads against the steps as well.

Worried they wouldn't die outright, they used great force, and the blood flowed down the steps like rainwater being washed away.

"I've heard," Calvino said, oblivious to the gruesome scene on the ground, "that the 'joining ritual' only requires your presence."

Herder's face darkened, understanding what Calvino meant.

"Your real goal tonight isn't Yafeiluna, but me, right?"

"Both of you," Calvino admitted with a smirk of arrogant pleasure, "but you are more important than her."

As long as he subdued Herder, it was as if he had the 'joining ritual' itself, coupled with his own 'Torture'... Calvino wondered, who could possibly resist him then?

Not the cardinal in red, not the nuns, not even the Pope!

"Herder," Calvino gasped out a thick breath, barely keeping his temper in check, "once you swear allegiance to me, you will forever be my second-in-command, my most trusted family member."

"...Yes, you would be my most trusted family member."

Watching a smile slowly form on Herder's face, Calvino inexplicably felt a chill sweep through him. How much did Herder's control over his own emotions resemble his own?

Bang!

Suddenly, Calvino was subdued, his face pressed to the ground.

The one who moved against him was his most trusted subordinate, Gregory.

Gregory had 'Instinct' of 'reinforcement,' not the kind found in construction materials, but as tough as steel reinforcement within the fascia.

Immensely strong, impervious to bullets.

"My target is also you and Yafeiluna, and what's more coincidental is that you are slightly more important than Yafeiluna," Herder laughed maniacally.

"Since when?" Calvino asked, trembling, his wide eyes only able to see the dirt.

"Before the 'Value Game' started," Herder walked over, his shoes pressing near Calvino's ear, "an oath is always effective."

He couldn't restrain another burst of laughter: "Calvino, choose: die or swear to follow me!"

A lengthy silence ensued.

Herder did not rush, growing more impatient inside, yet more patient outwardly, knowing that with 'Torture', not just the Mafia, but the whole of Italy—no, all of Europe—would be his!

Calvino slowly began to speak: "I swear."

"Excellent!" Herder's emotions exploded, his voice trembling at the end.

He produced a statue of the Virgin Mary he had prepared earlier, placed it in Calvino's left hand, and sliced Calvino's right hand with a dagger.

In his excitement, the cut was deeper than intended, the blade quivering slightly in the flesh.

He dripped the blood from the right hand onto the statue of the Virgin Mary.

"Calvino, do you swear by your blood in front of the Saint to forever adhere to the gang rules, never betraying the family?" As the ancient ritual began, Herder's mood incredibly settled.

"I swea—"

The voice abruptly stopped.

"Huh? What's going on? Calvino!" Herder exclaimed, both shocked and furious.

Gregory released Calvino, stepping aside, and Herder saw ten iron arrows shoot out from the steps, piercing Calvino's body and being bent by Gregory's 'Steel'.

The Identity Card slipped to the ground, blood flowing from Calvino's body between the steps, quickly mixing with the blood from the corpses of Herder's subordinates.

"Who?!" Hurd bellowed, his eyes red with fury.

His grand dreams were about to be realized, yet someone had interrupted him at the last moment!

Whoosh!

A gust of wind struck from the darkness.

Gregory stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Hurd.

A whip-like object, when it came closer, turned into wraps, entangling Gregory's body, lifting him off the ground, his toes dangling.

"Ah!!" Gregory roared, his arms bulging as he exerted all his strength.

There was no response, as if a person was shooting at the sea with a machine gun, creating no disturbance.

"Clap, clap!"

Accompanied by the sound of clapping, several figures approached from above the stairs.

"I hear that Italian dramas are quite famous, and truly, the reputation is well-deserved," the leader said in a clear English accent, his figure blurred.

Hurd glanced behind him, where several wisps of gray fog were flying over the bodies of his subordinates, coming up from there.

He felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, chilling him to the core.

"I, I can swear," he stammered, his teeth chattering.

"No." The blurred figure lowered his hand and placed it behind his back, "I want your Identity Card."

Hurd's complexion changed, instinctively thinking that the other party intended to kill him.

"The 'Master' is willing to give you a chance, now hand over the Identity Card!" Hearing Yafeiluna say this, he then realized that the other party wanted to control him through the Identity Card.

Hurd did not hesitate, he took out his Identity Card and handed it over.

With his abilities, the other party definitely would not harm him, and his future position would not be low.

Yafeiluna took the Identity Card and passed it to Li Changzhou.

Li Changzhou glanced at it, and a black fog extended a 'hand,' snatching Renado's "Flesh as a Thorn," placing it on Hurd's Identity Card.

Hurd watched the blurred figure nervously, guessing his identity and contemplating any future opportunities to turn defeat into victory.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he noticed another figure of black fog standing next to the blurred figure.

The humanoid black fog was tall, over two meters, the fog swirling constantly, always flowing but retaining a humanoid shape.

"Ah... Ah...."

Li Changzhou looked at Hurd, who was muttering in front of him, and fell into thought, had he gone mad?

What exactly was this black fog? Could it not restrain its own power properly?

"Ah!!!" Hurd suddenly screamed aloud.

Li Changzhou felt relieved inside, the scream was one of lucidity.

"Ah! Ah!" Hurd stepped back, tumbling down the stairs.

He scrambled and shivered, cowering in a corner of the alley.

Tears streaming, his body trembling, the 1.8-meter-tall mafioso curled up like an abused stray dog, his eyes filled with fear and despair as he looked at Li Changzhou.

Li Changzhou thought for a moment, then instructed Yafeiluna, "Take him back, pamper him well, and let's see his condition tomorrow morning."

"Yes." Yafeiluna gave Hurd a sidelong glance.

Compared to enduring 'torture,' his current state was more pitiful and more chilling.