AITAMITB Chapter 120

The storm ceased as soon as they entered the small town.

Fula Town stood like an oasis in the desert, quietly standing amidst the vast sea of yellow sand.

Except for the human mannequins that should have been in the clothing store, all of them were moved outdoors. Everything else appeared normal, but this kind of normalcy sent shivers down one’s spine.

The convoy quickly stopped in front of the town’s police station.

“This is the police station, the entrance to the Fula battlefield is just below the police station.”

The accompanying member from Y City explained.

“Let’s go to the town’s inn first for rest. We can explore this place tomorrow.”

Arthur spoke, and everyone agreed with his proposal. The convoy continued forward until it reached the front of a small inn.

The inn wasn’t large, and there were many people in their convoy. The person in charge from Y City found the keys at the front desk. Each convoy member received two keys, equivalent to two rooms for each team. It was a bit cramped, but safety took precedence. In an unfamiliar place, especially facing the threat of an evil god, no one wanted to be separated from their teammates.

Although superhumans didn’t have high sleep requirements, in such a precarious environment, substituting sleep with staying up late was obviously not a wise choice. Without sufficient rest, a lack of mental energy could hinder the effective use of their superhuman abilities or lead to a loss of control over their powers.

“I’ll stay up for the night. The rest of you go to sleep.”

After assigning individuals with combat abilities to the night watcher and those focused on research to the night guards, Zhao Xiaokui opened the door, walked out, and sat cross-legged on the ground against the wall between the two rooms.

“Peeping, evil god, replacement.”

After writing down these three words, she drew a thick line beneath the term “replacement.”

The evil god had already noticed their arrival; that was certain. The large eyeball she had discovered was the gaze of the evil god.

Why doesn’t it directly attack them?

Back in S City, the evil god that constructed a domain in the abandoned building through the sacrifice of several lives could create its evil spirits to attack them. This god, who created a desert world in a matter of days, should logically be even more powerful. However, on this journey, except for a few individuals being contaminated, they walked relatively calmly and smoothly.

It’s as if the evil god intentionally led them to this place.

But she couldn’t figure out what the evil god would do next.

Things she couldn’t understand, Zhao Xiaokui chose not to dwell on. After all, there’s always a solution when problems arise. She simply closed her eyes and leaned against the wall to rest.

Admittedly, her mental state was a bit tense, and she needed a bit of relaxation.

At this moment, she suddenly heard the sound of a door opening. Zhao Xiaokui opened her eyes to see the door of the room belonging to the Alliance of Gods being opened, and Phyllis walked out.

She closed the door, sat down in front of Zhao Xiaokui, and asked, “You saw it too, right?”

“Saw it, so what?” Zhao Xiaokui knew what she was asking.

In the eyes of others, the mannequins scattered on the ground were just mannequins, albeit a bit eerie.

However, the two superhumans who awakened the bloodline of Merfolk saw the silent wailing souls among the mannequins at a glance.

“What does it want to do?” Phyllis asked.

“Don’t know,” Zhao Xiaokui said, “but it’s nothing more than pollution, infiltration, and replacement.”

“We already know its methods of attack. Now, what we need to be careful about is not falling into its traps,” she added.

Phyllis said, “You’re right. I’ll keep watch with you.”

There were people specifically assigned for night duty in the convoy, and Zhao Xiaokui didn’t mind having one more person sitting with her in the corridor. Therefore, she remained silent, allowing Phyllis to join her.

The external power lines of the motel had lost functionality long ago under the shroud of the sandstorm. Fortunately, they found a diesel generator and a barrel of diesel in the basement. In the dim light of the corridor, the two equally beautiful women sat cross-legged.

The light bulbs in the motel seemed a bit aged, with a layer of black soot settling at the bottom. When the light shone, it cast an indistinct layer of shimmering shadows on the ground.

Those shadows constantly flickered, as if something was leaping inside them.

A flickering light and shadow touched Zhao Xiaokui’s silhouette, resembling an impact against bulletproof glass, quickly returning to calmness.

Similarly touched by the light and shadow, Phyllis’s shadow, after intense tremors, was enveloped in a vague and ambiguous edge.

The night thereafter remained calm.

A calmness that bred panic.

Zhao Xiaokui had been listening to the steady breathing of her team members, occasionally tuning in to other rooms. However, upon hearing someone in a room engaging in explicit activities, she couldn’t help but retract her attention with a wry expression.

To carry on in such an environment, with so many team members around, she had to admire their courage.

At midnight, Zhao Xiaokui, who had been resting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them.

Phyllis sensed the change in her breathing and also opened her eyes, asking, “What’s wrong?”

Not feeling particularly nervous because, according to her perception, nothing had happened, Phyllis looked at Zhao Xiaokui, who furrowed her brows and said, “It seems like something’s happened to someone in your team.” She heard a change in someone’s breathing.

Phyllis was astonished, “How could—”

Saying so, she still stood up. Zhao Xiaokui, indicating the room where someone had an issue, gently knocked three times on the door.

Arthur opened the door. He appeared clear-headed, showing no signs of just waking up from deep sleep.

“What happened?” Phyllis asked, looking at Zhao Xiaokui. Arthur’s gaze also turned towards her. Zhao Xiaokui shrugged, “Someone in your team had a change in their breathing.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Due to different physiological structures, everyone’s breathing rate and depth are destined to be different. Also, because of past living environments and family genetics, each person has unique habits when breathing. Generally speaking, unless it’s due to uncontrollable external factors like illness, a person’s breathing habits, like a fingerprint, are hard to change.”

“But just now, in your room, one team member’s breathing frequency changed, adopting a habit completely different from their usual one.”

Arthur’s expression turned grim. “I need to verify this.”

He couldn’t discern what Zhao Xiaokui meant by breathing habits.

The awakened team member appeared confused and dazed. “Captain, what’s happening? Did something go wrong?”

Zhao Xiaokui walked in from behind, holding a bottle of holy water in her hand, prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. Upon hearing his words, she said, “Ask him personal questions, the longer the time gap, the better.”

Arthur asked, “Do you like Annie or Anna?”

The person hesitated, glanced at Phyllis, blushed, and answered, “…It’s Phyllis.”

Arthur’s expression changed slightly.

Then, he briskly pulled out a rope and tied up the person.

The person hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, asking anxiously, “Captain, what are you doing? Why are you treating me like this?”

“Johnny is a stubborn person; he would never admit that he likes Phyllis. Even if I asked him in a two-choice manner, he would simply deny it, call me nosy, and refuse to directly mention Phyllis’s name. Who are you?”

Arthur hadn’t expected that, right under his nose, a team member could be replaced.

Moreover, the imposter’s expression was incredibly convincing. When looking confused, he resembled his actual team member to the point that, if Arthur weren’t so familiar with the personality and habits of his team, he might have been deceived.

He expressed his gratitude to Zhao Xiaokui and then inquired, “Has anyone else encountered issues?”

“There shouldn’t be; I only found something amiss with him.”

Initially, the other members of the Alliance of Gods didn’t fully believe Arthur’s words. Despite having the utmost respect for Arthur, accepting that a teammate sleeping beside them silently transformed into someone else was likely too much for anyone to comprehend.

Some even tried to play it down, saying, “There might be some misunderstanding.”

Unfortunately, the pseudo-“Johnny” didn’t appreciate the attempt to downplay the situation.

Upon realizing that Arthur genuinely discovered his identity and wasn’t bluffing, he clicked his tongue.

“Well, that’s a shame. I thought my acting was top-notch.”

The expression on the young Black man’s face underwent a dramatic transformation almost instantly.

If, a moment ago, he appeared deeply wronged and aggrieved, in the next moment, it was as if he suddenly removed a disguise, revealing the sinister countenance belonging to the evil god.

Despite having his mouth restrained with a device designed for dealing with supernatural beings, his face showed no signs of panic. He allowed Arthur to put a suppressor around his neck, like a dog collar.

“It’s useless,” he said, “Are you going to kill me?”

Arthur’s face darkened as if water could drip from it, “Where’s Johnny?”

The pseudo-“Johnny” smiled but remained silent.

Arthur’s fist smashed into the face of the imposter.

His fist was heavy, and “Johnny’s” mouth quickly swelled up, but he seemed impervious to pain, still sporting a smug grin. He even provocatively taunted, “Go ahead, kill me and avenge your teammate.”

Arthur’s face burned with rage.

Before Arthur could lose control completely, Zhao Xiaokui kicked the chair “Johnny” was bound to, saying, “You’re dreaming.”

She suddenly grasped the cause and effect in that statement, “Let me guess, what do you want?”

“You want to enrage Arthur, make him kill Johnny, turn Johnny into your sacrifice, and force Arthur to become your follower, right?”

“Johnny” smiled eerily again, but this time, his smile carried a hint of offense. He stared at Zhao Xiaokui and said, “Little Mermaid, for the sake of your grandmother, I’ve done you a considerable favor. Why are you always so ungrateful?”

“My grandmother?”

In English, both “grandmother” and “maternal grandmother” are expressed by the same word.

Zhao Xiaokui, having never met her parents since birth, naturally had only one person referred to as her grandmother—her maternal grandmother.

Her gaze at “Johnny” shifted abruptly, “Do you know my grandmother?”

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