Chapter 68: Ambers of the Long Night (24)
Tang Mobai wore a gas mask, his expression completely hidden. His low, cold voice cut through the air, “Everyone, step back! Or I’ll detonate the bomb!”
The moment they recognized the backpack behind him—the same model used in the Jade Society Explosion—every demon hunting Tang Mobai broke out in cold sweat. Without Red Duke’s command, they instinctively backed off to a safe distance.
They were just following orders to kill Tang Mobai, not here to die with him. Why throw their lives away? As for whether the bomb was real or not… that was too hard to gamble on.
Everyone knew a bomb with that level of power would cost an enormous amount to make. But the real question was—how many did Tang Mobai actually have?
He had once sold fasting pills in the Hunger Hell, and in this world he’d gained help from local NPCs. Though his points had supposedly been drained after the crash incident, still—no one could tell if he’d gone bankrupt after making one bomb… or two.
[Don’t believe him! He’s bluffing—he’s out of bombs!]
[Yeah, just rush him and take his head off! There’s no way he still has one of those things!]
[Red Duke, move in! You’re really gonna waste this chance?]
[Now’s the best time! Tang Mobai’s badly injured—miss this and who knows when the next chance will come!]
[Kill him now and I’ll tip you myself!]
—Yeah, easy for you to say. If you’re so sure, why don’t you come do it?!
Red Duke’s temper was fraying. Of course he knew what kind of people were watching his stream right now—besides his regular fans, plenty of guild spies had snuck in too. If Tang Mobai didn’t die, they’d all be too nervous to enter any dungeon later, terrified a bomb would blow up over their heads at any time.
Sure, it was easy for them to talk—only the ones here on the ground were risking getting blown to pieces!
“If you don’t want to die with me, back off now.” Tang Mobai’s tone was deadly calm. “I’m warning you—if anyone steps within half a meter, I’ll detonate immediately. Long-range sniping won’t work either. Even if I lose consciousness, I’ll trigger it in my last second. You can test whether you can run five kilometers away in a few seconds if you want.”
In truth, Tang Mobai was sweating a little at this point—he knew that the Demon Mall did sell “Escape” and “Teleport” spells that could actually take someone five kilometers away in seconds. But each one cost 3000 points, and in most dungeon missions, a demon only earned about that much in total.
He was betting they couldn’t all afford it.
And the ones sent after him were elite members from the Jade Society or other big guilds—no way their leaders would watch them all die here.
As for if they did have the points… well, emmm—the “bomb” in his backpack was actually just a flash grenade. When it “detonated,” it would produce a blinding white light. While they panicked and spent their 3000 points to escape, he’d gain enough distance to get away safely.
But clearly, Red Duke wasn’t willing to risk that. He’d already spent 10,000 points earlier, and now his balance was tight. He glanced back at his teammates—each one shook their head.
So Red Duke and his crew could only watch helplessly as Tang Mobai and Deville slowly retreated from the area.
“Boss, we’re just letting them go?” someone asked bitterly.
“As if,” Red Duke narrowed his eyes. “We’ll follow at a distance. Tang Mobai’s badly hurt, and healing spells cost a fortune. Even if he opens his stream, he can’t gather points that fast. We’ll keep our distance and harass him—wear him down and deny him recovery time.”
“And then?”
“Remember his two teammates? We’ll capture them.” Red Duke sneered. “The only reason he’s threatening to go down with us is because he’s out of cards to play. We’ll assume the bomb’s real for now—but a guy like Tang Mobai would never pull his teammates down to die with him. We’ll use them to force him to surrender.”
He continued, “All of you reopen your livestreams. Have your guilds watching behind the scenes send rewards. If they want this pursuit to continue, each of you must earn enough for a 3000-point Escape Spell. If not, we’ll risk it at the end. But we are not letting Tang Mobai walk away.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hearing Red Duke’s organized plan, the others silently exhaled in relief.
*
“Brother Bai, they’re still following us,” Deville whispered.
“I know,” Tang Mobai replied. That was exactly what he wanted.
By now, both Tang Mobai and Deville’s injuries were completely healed. When the Jade Society demons had approached earlier, Deville had taken advantage of the “grenade throw” moment to transfer the injuries away. Jing Yi’s earlier guess had been correct—the real bomb’s power was reduced by the stink and smoke bombs. Otherwise, Deville’s ability wouldn’t have worked at all.
It was all just a cover—to hide the fact that they were no longer wounded.
Tang Mobai kept up the act. Until nightfall, he had to convince the guild demons that he and Deville were at the end of their rope.
All afternoon, Tang Mobai and Deville kept running. His red-and-gold battle cloak made him stand out vividly against the ruins, keeping all eyes locked on him. Red Duke’s squad stayed just far enough behind to track them, forcing Tang Mobai to use up every explosive, stink bomb, and flash grenade he’d prepared ahead of time.
Finally, right before dark, he used the last smoke bomb and managed to shake off the pursuers.
But Red Duke wasn’t stupid. To prevent Tang Mobai from escaping, he had already used an item called the Boundary Rope, marking a five-kilometer-diameter area. Its effect: if Tang Mobai left the marked zone, a bright red glow would appear around his body, and they’d be instantly notified of his location.
Red Duke’s plan was simple—delay. Delay until they captured Yan Wuzhen and Seth. Delay until Tang Mobai’s “injuries” caught up to him. Delay until their guilds tipped them the 3000 points they needed—then go in for the final strike.
He had also considered the possibility that Tang Mobai might reopen his stream and get donations for healing. If that happened, they’d simply tail him constantly—any sign of recovery, and they’d immediately snipe him from afar to keep him wounded.
Fortunately, Tang Mobai hadn’t healed at all, and his livestream remained shut. That convinced Red Duke that he truly didn’t have time to farm enough points for healing spells.
“It’s dark now, Red Duke. Do we keep pursuing?” Mars asked, glancing at the sky.
By now, most of the city had fallen into darkness. They had linked up with other squads, but Yan Wuzhen’s team was slippery—darting in and out of ambushes like foxes, impossible to catch.
Red Duke scanned his team. After a day of chaos—from being suppressed by the Queen to that fall from the sky—even these elites looked exhausted.
“Forget it. With the Boundary Rope up, he can’t leave the area. We’ll have someone keep an eye on his stream. Everyone else rest. No matter if that bomb’s real or not, tomorrow we end this.”
The team let out a collective sigh of relief. Yi Ling too.
Then Red Duke added, “Yi Ling, you take the night watch. Everyone else needs rest for tomorrow’s fight.”
The implication was clear—she wasn’t part of tomorrow’s combat team. Yi Ling frowned but said nothing. She knew she wasn’t as strong as the others.
They set up camp at the center of the Boundary Rope’s area, making it easier to respond if Tang Mobai tried to escape. Red Duke’s team built a few simple tents, and aside from the night watch, everyone lay down to rest.
Yi Ling lit a campfire. Beside her, the injured Jing Yi lay silently, staring at the flames.
It was her first time truly realizing the limits of her divination power. Before she’d entered the infinite dungeon system, her philosophy had been simple: act only when certain; if not, do nothing and let fate decide. After entering her first dungeon, she’d chosen to “give up” entirely—and ironically, that desperate surrender had awakened her divination ability.
The ones who tried their hardest to survive died, while the one who wanted to give up gained the most useful skill. Sometimes Yi Ling thought the Paradise of Despair was just toying with humanity—never letting them get what they wanted.
She had drifted along into the Jade Society, but she wasn’t ambitious. She just wanted a place to lie low and survive. Unfortunately, with a boss like Red Duke, even lying flat wasn’t safe—and competing was impossible.
The night dragged on, dull and quiet. When her cooldown ended, Yi Ling used her ability to divine tomorrow’s success rate.
A die appeared, rolling through the air, and landed before her eyes— 99 (Critical Failure).
“Huh?”
Yi Ling froze. Since awakening her power, she had never rolled such an extreme number.
A 1 meant Critical Success—no matter what, everything would go perfectly, even a layman could perform surgery flawlessly.
A 99 meant Critical Failure—no matter what, everything would end in disaster.
Both were rare to the point of impossibility.
By logic, Red Duke’s plan was airtight—even if something went wrong, there should still be some chance of success. So what kind of situation could cause a total failure?
Only one—if there was no one left to carry out the plan.
As she pondered this, Yi Ling stared into the fire. Then suddenly, her head spun, a wave of dizziness washing over her.
“Turn off the stream.” A voice came from behind her, quiet and low, as a hand covered her eyes and mouth.
At this hour, not many people were watching her livestream. Feeling the firm grip, Yi Ling meekly obeyed.
The stream shut down. It was the drowsiest time of night—no one would notice for a few minutes. That brief window was exactly what Tang Mobai needed.
He had recognized her—this was the newcomer mixed into the elite squad earlier. And based on what Yan Wuzhen had said before, her “Sloth Fate” ability matched the divination type perfectly.
He felt a bit sorry—but he couldn’t afford to leave such a dangerous ability in enemy hands.
As the pressure on her head increased, Yi Ling panicked. Her survival instinct flared, overpowering her apathy.
“I can make a contract!” she whispered quickly. “I swear I won’t stop you!”
No response.
She clenched her teeth and upped the offer. “I—I’ll even help you!”
At that, the hands finally withdrew. A sharp military dagger touched her throat, and a contract scroll materialized before her.
Yi Ling didn’t even hesitate—she didn’t dare read the terms. She signed her name immediately.
The murderous aura behind her finally disappeared, and Yi Ling let out a breath of relief—but the next second, a pill was shoved into her mouth. Tang Mobai said calmly, “Do it now. The longer we wait, the more that could go wrong.”
Yi Ling swallowed the pill, and the drowsiness clouding her mind quickly cleared. She looked tearfully at the freshly signed contract in her hands, but there was nothing she could do. The clauses clearly stated she had to assist Tang Mobai in killing everyone present—and now was the perfect time.
Only now did she get a good look at Tang Mobai’s appearance. Gone was the striking red robe from the day; at night, he was wrapped in a black cloak embroidered with golden lines, covering most of his face. If not for her strong impression of him, she might not have even recognized him—his presence was chillingly faint.
Clearly, it was one of his equipment effects. And the way he moved—quick, silent, not showing a single trace of injury—told her she’d been played.
She realized too late: the injury, the desperation, the story about being cornered and forced to use a bomb to survive— It was all a psychological trap.
Hong Yu and the others would never dream Tang Mobai had already recovered. They’d seen him grievously wounded with their own eyes, chased him for hours, and were sure he’d had no time to heal. His points were too low for recovery items—so they never imagined he’d dare to counterattack in the middle of the night.
“It’s time,” Tang Mobai said, raising his military dagger and walking toward one of the tents.
Yi Ling sighed helplessly and moved toward another. She’d already boarded his pirate ship, contract signed—there was no way out now. Great… we’re both going to end up wanted criminals after this.
Soon, the faint smell of blood began to spread. The drug Tang Mobai used was something he’d learned about in real life—a new kind of alchemical sedative that blended seamlessly into the air, colorless and odorless.
It wasn’t expensive to make—the ingredients were common—but it required the target to inhale it for a while to take effect. That meant they had to stay downwind the whole time, a difficult condition. If Tang Mobai hadn’t spent the entire afternoon leading them in circles to fix the wind pattern around this camp, the plan might not have worked.
The “injured” act during the day had been all to set up this ambush. The red mage cloak that drew so much attention earlier was now his best camouflage in the dark.
He’d never planned to threaten them with a bomb and flee. From the very start, he’d planned to kill them all.
From the moment he saw Red Duke in Lost Paradise, he knew a fight between them was inevitable. The price for inheriting the alchemical civilization from the Revival Tournament—would be the blood of invaders.
To avoid alerting anyone, Tang Mobai used his dagger to slit throats one by one. When someone woke in agony, he clamped a thick cloth over their face, stifling their last breath. Tent by tent, the camp fell silent.
Until… the last one.
The tent at the center—Hong Yu’s. As soon as Tang Mobai stepped inside, a golden light flashed. At the same time, Hong Yu, who should’ve been unconscious, forced his eyes open—and met Tang Mobai’s amber gaze.
“Tang Mobai!?”
Hong Yu tried to sit up, but his consciousness was hazy. He caught the heavy scent of blood and instantly realized something was wrong. He tried to retreat, immediately using the 3,000 points of healing magic he’d received from guild donations that afternoon.
But because of the drug’s lingering effect, his reaction was a fraction too slow. Tang Mobai lunged forward—three steps in two—his warm amber eyes now dark and wild, his aura completely different from daylight.
Blood splattered. A crimson line opened across Hong Yu’s neck. He clutched the wound, and the magic activated just in time. The cut healed, and his mind began to clear. He glared at Tang Mobai—rage flickering red in his eyes—and unleashed his Fate-7 psychic strike.
Tang Mobai’s vision spun for an instant— But within 0.2 seconds, he broke free of the effect.
That was enough.
[Original Sin: Wrath]
Wrath I – Reflexes and critical rate surge with anger, up to +30%
Wrath II – Anger fuels resolve; mental resistance +40%
[Sealed Relic: Ouroboros Tattoo]
Effect II – Burns when facing invaders. After wounding an invader, enables Blood Hunt: will not stop until the target dies.
Effect III – Avenger’s Wrath: against invaders, your Wrath is locked at maximum, +20% to all attributes.
The tattoo on the back of his hand burned hot. Black alchemical sigils crawled up his arm. The same vision from the revival tournament—flames of hatred consuming his veins—reappeared.
Why should you get to sleep peacefully at night?
Why do you get to climb higher over corpses without guilt?
Why… aren’t you the one who died?
The world slowed again. Power surged through him, lifting his body to a higher threshold.
Yi Ling, still dutifully finishing off the sleeping enemies, suddenly saw two figures crash out of the central tent. One black, one red. But now, the roles were reversed—Hong Yu, who always tried to close the distance with others, was the one desperately trying to get away.
Clang! Steel clashed, sparks flared, lighting up Tang Mobai’s ink-dark eyes. Hong Yu’s breath hitched. This wasn’t the naive, kindhearted guild leader everyone knew. This was a demon, fresh from hell.
He couldn’t understand it. What was wrong with Tang Mobai? He wasn’t like this before! Wasn’t this guy supposed to be the gentle, pure, “angelic” leader of the Fuguang Guild?
Now, Tang Mobai fought like a beast, ignoring every wound. His dagger—a short weapon usually at a disadvantage—danced with deadly precision. Each slash carved deep into bone. Blood soaked Hong Yu’s robes.
“Did you coat your blade with poison?!” Hong Yu gasped.
Tang Mobai tilted his head, voice low and mocking. “Poison? Hardly. It’s a basic alchemical compound—it doesn’t kill. It just makes wounds hurt a lot more.”
“Go on, keep fighting. Weren’t you good at cutting people up?”
Hong Yu tried to focus, but the agony was unbearable. Every cut burned like salt in fire. His mind was splitting apart from pain. He’d never imagined getting hurt could hurt this much.
When Tang Mobai’s dagger came again, fear flickered in Hong Yu’s mind—just for an instant. That instant was enough.
The dagger sliced from the left. Tang Mobai ducked low, stepped in close, and drove the blade deep into Hong Yu’s abdomen, twisting viciously.
“AAAAHHH!”
The scream tore through the bloody camp, making Yi Ling flinch hard. She saw Tang Mobai coldly pull the dagger free. Blood splattered across his face, leaving him looking detached and monstrous.
If she hadn’t heard his voice, hadn’t seen his face earlier, she would’ve thought he was one of the hellish demons sneaking in for revenge. No one—no one—could look more like the embodiment of evil than Tang Mobai in that moment.
Hong Yu could no longer fight back. His spirit broke before his body did.
Open the store… escape spell… I need to escape…
Every nerve screamed in pain. He couldn’t pass out, couldn’t think—only run.
He activated his last shield and used its brief protection to retreat several meters, frantically opening the system shop.
First second: he found a cheap distance-teleport spell, just enough for ten meters. Second second—Bang!
The shield shattered. Tang Mobai switched weapons in one smooth motion and fired several rounds. At this range, he didn’t even need to aim.
A bullet pierced Hong Yu’s forehead. Before he could even spend his points, the light in his eyes went out.
In close combat, if you’re thinking about escaping instead of winning, you’ve already lost. Your opponent won’t give you two seconds to open the shop— A throat can be cut in one.
The so-called “Demon Store,” the great equalizer of Lost Paradise, was nothing but a beautifully packaged poison. Those who relied on it to survive would eventually die because of it.
Hong Yu had killed many who hesitated the same way. Now, in despair and pain, he met the same fate.
When his body finally fell, Tang Mobai fired a few more rounds to be sure. Then he crouched down, grabbed Hong Yu by the hair, and lifted his blood-smeared face.
“Almost forgot to tell you—” he said softly, “the Avengers of Rao World send their regards. This is only the beginning.”
“In the empty hell, the corpses of the Jade Society will soon pile high. Don’t worry…”
He smiled faintly. “You won’t be lonely for long.”
In the flickering firelight, the hooded figure tilted his head, blood streaking down his face, dark runes crawling up his neck. In his amber eyes, ink spread and drowned the light— like a demon fully awakened.
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