CH 164

In the end, Luo was unable to convince Xiao Lan to leave him alone to face the danger.

After the auction, the two left the venue and headed together in the direction where Luo felt his shard.

As they made their way down, there were fewer and fewer visitors around, and the environment became more and more silent, as if they had reached the working area.

Finally, there is a sign ahead saying "No visitors allowed".

The pair proceeded cautiously, skirting the occasional staff member who popped up.

At a certain point, Xiao Lan's footsteps come to a halt.

For a short distance ahead it looked heavily guarded.

Not only is the place guarded, these men are also heavily armed, all with guns in their hands, and are not ordinary security personnel at first glance.

Even the surrounding walls are reinforced with steel plates, as thick as tanks.

This area is The Endymion's premium storage area, which houses many of the guests' important belongings and even a number of rare antiques for private events, and is naturally guarded with great effort by the cruise ship officials.

The only good news is that, because these things are more or less invisible, there is no surveillance equipment in this area for the sake of secrecy.

Xiao Lan lowered his voice, "How far away is it from the direction you feel?"

Luo whispered, "It's still deeper down, but it's not far."

Xiao Lan stared at the security officers carrying guns and couldn't help but ponder the consequences of using physical stealth.

These people looked human and it was not difficult to knock them out.

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But in their current state, knocking them all out would certainly alert The Endymion's forces behind them, creating an obstacle to the pair's next activities.

But there is no other way past here, and they don't have much time to keep spending here.

A little obstacle seems acceptable when you compare the two.

"Sir, let me scout the way." Luo looked ahead at the crowd, "I'll try to draw them away."

Xiao Lan nodded at him, "Be careful."

In an instant, Luo turned into a dark shadow and infiltrated the heavily guarded area without a sound.

Seemingly as a result of the shards he had been collecting in and out of low and mid-level playgrounds over the past six months, he could now switch between his human form and his black shadow form with ease, unlike before when he was struggling so much to gather his human form.

Shortly afterwards, lights began to flicker throughout the corridor, and in one direction there was a creaking sound of steel plates rubbing and twisting, and a rustling of clothing that sounded as if it were haunted.

The men with guns in their hands couldn't help but look over towards the other side.

As we all know, guns are useless against ghosts and ghouls.

And once it starts to get haunted, they, the security staff, are at high risk no matter which film they are in.

"What's the panic?" A muffled voice rang out, "You guys go over there and check it out, Little Wang and I will stay behind and keep watch."

"Yes ......" The few who were named were not very reluctant, but went away in obedience to orders.

Before leaving, he gave an envious look at Little Wang, who was left behind. It was good to have a friendship with the captain, as he didn't have to do anything dangerous.

After several people had left, the captain and Little Wang remained in place, keeping a vigil.

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Seeing that there were still two people left in the same place, Xiao Lan thought about taking out the [Greening Spray].

[Name: Turning Green Spray].

[Ability: Create suspicion between collaborators, duration 2 minutes]

[Description: Wife I'm back ...... here ...... what are you guys doing?!

There is still plenty of liquid in the bottle, so it will be no problem to use it several times.

Since the last time I saw its power, Xiao Lan has never underestimated this small, unassuming bottle.

And this time it's in a corridor like this where space is limited, the [Turning Green Spray] should work better than before.

As the [Greening Spray] spread out, a change occurred in the two men who had been quietly keeping watch.

The captain who gave the order before said, "Oh Little Wang, look at you, you're no fun to be alone, what's the use of earning money from a mission, you're still kicked out by your little wild model girlfriend? Unlike me, my wife is pretty and gentle and a rich woman.

Having said that, he watched the other man's reaction expectantly, preferably to see the way he kept smiling even though he was obviously furious.

The man called Little Wang smiled back, "Captain, I think you're right."

The captain didn't see the expected reaction and wondered a little, "Am I right?"

Little Wang said, "Yeah, you're right, so we're planning to get married after this mission, so come and have a drink then."

The captain's eyes rounded, "Married? That's my wife!!!"

Little Wang's smile doesn't change: "Not any time soon."

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The captain was so angry that he punched Little Wang in the face, "How dare you green me!

Little Wang also punched back, "Damn, didn't you get to the top by virtue of your wife's connections? I'm telling you, soon those connections will be mine! I'll see how you can still give me the evil eye!!!"

The two men instantly went into a mutual battering mode, punching each other without mercy, in a manner of trying to beat the shit out of each other.

There is not the slightest hint of a good relationship.

"......" Xiao Lan, who had watched the whole process, could not help but look quietly at the small bottle in her hand.

Little did I know that these two were true green brothers-in-arms from the prairies.

The effect of [Turning Green Spray] is so horrible that it is the ultimate nemesis of all kinds of plastic friendships.

He carefully took the [Turning Green Spray] back to his storage space, it was a big treasure and had to be kept well.

As the two men fought to a standstill, Xiao Lan raced forward as fast as he could, following the dark arrow Luo had left for him on the ground.

The two men, who were fighting, only felt a gust of wind around them, but at the moment they only had eyes for each other and the gust of wind was not on their minds.

The markers Luo gave were very reliable, and all the way to the top they perfectly dodged all the security personnel who came out to investigate.

Soon Xiao Lan passed through this section and entered a new area.

A black shadow came to Xiao Lan's side and slowly coalesced into a human form.

Luo pointed to what looked like a calm front, "It's around here."

Xiao Lan looks around.

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It looks a little strange here, obviously deeper than the previous section, and it makes sense that the items placed inside would only be more valuable than those in front.

But he did not see any guards, nor even signs of surveillance around.

Is this area empty?

The two men took a few steps forward.

The further you go, the more dangerous Xiao Lan feels, as if there is a trap lurking beneath the illusion of calm.

Soon, this feeling was fulfilled.

The smell of blood was coming from ahead and scattered signs of battle could be seen around.

Along with these appeared a corpse that looked as if it had suffered from something that had devoured it.

The surface of the body was pitted and pockmarked, with so much flesh and blood missing in a number of places that it was difficult to distinguish its appearance, and exaggerated bloodstains were scattered around it.

When he saw the body, Xiao Lan thought it looked a little familiar.

It wasn't so much that the other man was someone he knew, but this devoured and mutilated corpse looked a lot like what had happened to the monsters that had attacked Luo.

This is the power of ...... from Luo.

Only Luo doesn't like to make the battlefield so bloody.

Xiao Lan points to the body and asks silently.

Luo nodded and looked towards a heavy, closed iron door at the end, a fine golden glint in his eyes, "That's where he is."

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Luo steps out in front, hoping that whatever comes ahead he will be the first to face it.

Then he reached out and pushed the door open.

Inside the door is pitch black, the floor is carpeted and you can't hear a single footstep when you step on it.

As the two entered, the light from the corridor spilled into the room, making everything clear.

In the middle of the room is a stand with magnificent velvet cushions, surrounded by display cases made of glass, which look like they should be used for some important exhibit.

But at the moment, the doors of the display case were opened and the stand was empty.

The description next to the display case indicates that it was originally intended to house a collection called the 'Crown of Darkness'.

It is a legendary cursed object, each possessor of which has been attacked by an unknown source and ended up dying a miserable death.

That is why a saying has since circulated - "Never touch the crown of night, it is an object belonging to death".

I wonder what kind of death-defying enthusiast's collection this is, and has put it up here with the appearance of sharing it with everyone.

Rich people have strange hobbies.

Xiao Lan's eyes searched the room.

Suddenly he noticed something that was reflecting not far from the door of the room.

On closer inspection, a magnificent crown has rolled down on the ground.

It is adorned with an abundance of jewellery and looks extremely extravagant, even in the low light of the moment.

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The most striking feature, however, is the huge, dark jewel in the centre of the crown.

The jewel has a magical quality that makes it seem deep, yet it is impossible to stop staring at it.

Perhaps the one who died earlier was the one who tried to take the crown away and that is why he was cursed and caused his death.

Luo naturally noticed the crown, and he curled his mouth slightly: "So it's attached to something else? Very clever move."

It seems that the source of the legendary reputation of the Black Crown is probably Luo's shard.

Luo stepped forward and held out his hand, ready to pick up the crown on the floor.

Suddenly, a sharp lance jabbed out of the darkness in front of him and came ruthlessly at his head.

Luo side-steps and dodges.

Almost simultaneously, pitch-black blades appeared at his fingertips, heading in the direction of his attackers.

After an exchange of blows, the distance between the two sides pulled apart.

It was only then that it became clear that the attacker was a figure dressed in black knight's armour.

He is a slender figure, very similar to Luo, but covered in a foggy blackness, with only blackness beneath the slits of his helmet, so that none of his features can be seen.

It turns out that all those who touched the crown of night did not actually die from the curse of the crown, but from this knight.

The next moment, the whole room was enveloped in a black mist that cut it off from the outside world and made it pitch black again.

Not even a sound could get through.

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Luo's brow furrows slightly as it turns out that there is not just one shard, but two.

Even both shards are unusual in that not only do they hide their scent, but one of them has a fighting ability that is higher than the others.

Luo stared at the black knight, but his mouth said to Xiao Lan, "Sir, please step away from the battle circle for now."

Xiao Lan understood that this was Luo's battlefield and said to him, "Then you take care."

With that, Xiao Lan stood at the edge of the room from memory, leaving space for Luo.

But he also took out the [Bone of Dalet] and clutched it tightly in his palm, ready to strike.

In the darkness, Luo's figure and the Black Knight attack each other at the same time.

The two similarly shaped figures attacked each other relentlessly, each time striking at the other's vitals with all their might, like two ferocious beasts of war.

The Black Knight is a very difficult opponent.

The exact same power as Luo makes their devouring of each other slow, and only destruction is the most effective means of attack.

Both sides are constantly being wounded and regenerated, and the interaction between attack and defence is fast and unpredictable.

After several exchanges, the blackened lance passed through Luo's chest, leaving a huge hole, and Luo took the opportunity to cut off one of his opponent's arms.

Luo was thankful that the darkness in the room meant that he would not be seen by the gentleman as he fought.

There is nothing decent about such a gesture.

With his arm cut off, Luo continued his attack, despite the hole in his chest.

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Luo's body was pierced in several places in an almost injury-for-injury fight, and he looked a bit miserable.

But the black knight also lost an arm once again.

This time Luo took the opportunity to ground his opponent.

Then the pitch-black shadows wrapped around each other like a tidal wave and began to devour each other amidst their fierce resistance and struggle.

Luo's injuries were not easy, and the simultaneous engulfment and suppression made his burden even heavier.

Luo suppressed a cough that was about to exit, but a mouthful of dark blood still spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He casually wiped the blood off with the back of his hand and laughed wordlessly, a rare helplessness in his smile.

We mustn't make any noise now, or else Sir will worry if he hears us.

Throughout, the crown of darkness on the ground continued to lie quietly, as if it had no offensive capabilities.

After a while, the blackness that had closed off the space faded away and Xiao Lan's vision became clearer.

" Luo!" Xiao Lan hurriedly searched for Luo.

"A pleasure." Luo stood not far from him and smiled.

Xiao Lan looked him up and down and was relieved to see that there were really no wounds.

And out of sight, Luo still has a large hole in his back that is healing like crazy.

Luo kept his posture facing Xiao Lan and slowly walked in, extending his hand towards him, "May I take it? Sir."

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Xiao Lan followed his movement and looked at the object in his hand.

It was a black spike that looked a bit like bone, yet was a strange material never seen before.

Xiao Lan asked suspiciously, "What is this?"

Luo said, "This is the core of what I used to be, sort of the only bone I had, probably scattered into the playground with my main body being torn apart at the time, and turned into the black knight just now."

The tone was calm as if to say, "This is a vegetable leaf I picked up on the ground.

Xiao Lan was startled: "Your core, what are you doing for me, it's important to you, isn't it?"

He remembered what his father had said, that Luo had been assassinated by the Juggernaut during the duel because he didn't have the core, so how could he have given it away so casually?

Luo shook his head and pointed to his heart, "I've got a new core now, want to see it?"

Xiao Lan hesitated, although he really wanted to see it, but how was Luo going to get it out?

Don't go straight for the black tiger's heart, he can't afford that image.

As if noticing his confusion, Luo took his hand and placed it on his chest.

Instantly, Xiao Lan's vision switches.

It was as if he was in an endless darkness, but there was a beautiful red piece in it, a ruby version of a textured heart with a searing heat, as if lava flowed from it.

It is the only red in the whole dark world.

In the next instant, Xiao Lan's vision returns and he asks, "Red, is that your core?"

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Luo leaned in a little closer, "Yes, remember when you were wounded once when I was unconscious? At that time I absorbed a little of your blood unconsciously."

Xiao Lan recalled that it was probably the wound he had sustained while fighting on his own after Luo had fallen into a coma while absorbing the shard in flat 404.

"This new core was forged with your blood plus my power." Luo looked at Xiao Lan, his eyes serious, "Because, I want to have a human heart."

The two are so close together that Xiao Lan can clearly see each of Luo's eyelashes.

It was then that he realised that Luo's skin had human texture, not as falsely perfect as before, and that even the hand he held his own was human in touch.

Luo looks more like a human.

Luo's forehead gently rests against Xiao Lan's: "I offer you the bone of my bones, will you accept it?"

At that moment all that remained in their eyes was each other, and the air seemed to rise with a certain burning atmosphere.

Not knowing who initiated it first, a lingering, deep kiss began.

They exchanged their breaths, as if they were going to become one in this way.

When they parted, Luo's eyes still held some of the fever in them.

Xiao Lan suddenly felt a chill down his back, this look seems a bit dangerous ......

The author has something to say.

Crown of Darkness on the Ground: I don't want any more dog food, do any of you remember me?!!!

Ex-core on the bench: +1