AITAMITB Chapter 135

On the night they entered the Anomaly, Zhao Xiaokui and Shen Zhifei spent the entire night on the warship, gazing at the starry sky.

The night turned out unexpectedly beautiful, with a dark sky that enhanced the brightness of the stars. The myriad of stars twinkled across the sky. Zhao Xiaokui extended her hand, describing to Shen Zhifei which stars connect to form constellations.

Uncertain how to approach the topic, Zhao Xiaokui talked about mundane subjects until Shen Zhifei suddenly called out to her, “Xiaokui.”

Zhao Xiaokui responded, “Hmm?”

Shen Zhifei took her hand, placing it in her palm, intertwining their fingers. “I know a place with an exceptionally beautiful view of the stars. When you come back, let’s go there together, alright?”

Tears welled up in Zhao Xiaokui’s eyes as she smiled and replied, “Sure.”

Although Shen Zhifei had limited mobility and endured significant pain even while lying down, when a tear was about to fall from Zhao Xiaokui’s eye, she propped herself up and kissed away the impending teardrop.

Zhao Xiaokui chuckled, “If you had done that on the day I advanced, you would have earned yourself a gem.”

“It seems the legend is true: when a mermaid cries, tears turn into pearls,” Shen Zhifei said gently, looking at her. “Then I’d make a fortune. No need to work; I could just make you cry every day and have an endless flow of money.”

Zhao Xiaokui teased, “Would it be you making me cry, or me making you cry?”

In bed, Shen Zhifei could never outwit her.

Shen Zhifei glared at her, “It’s me not wanting to see you cry, alright?”

Zhao Xiaokui chuckled softly, “Alright, alright…”

They continued gazing at the stars together for a while, and then Zhao Xiaokui spoke, “Actually, I never imagined that one day I would be involved in such events, even becoming a key figure leading the final outcome.”

Shen Zhifei said, “Perhaps that’s the wonder of destiny. It always manages to bring an entirely new and different life just when you think you’ve seen it all.”

“Yeah,” Zhao Xiaokui chuckled, “truly a completely different life.”

“When I was in high school, I dreamed of attending a music college, becoming a musician, writing lyrics and music, or even becoming a singer. It would be great to compose music for my favorite movies or TV shows. But who would have thought that after getting drunk, I would be ousted by Zhao Zijin and end up in the mermaid world.”

“When I was in the mermaid world, all I wanted was to survive each day. Dying peacefully was not as good as clinging to life. Until the very last moment, I refused to give up hope. I read countless books just to find a glimmer of hope. However, being inferior in strength, I didn’t want to become a puppet, a slave, or a sacrificial offering for others. So, I chose to end my own life, only to unexpectedly return.”

“After realizing that I became a singer, I was actually quite happy. Although I felt that my music and my dreams were tainted by others, who doesn’t like living a glamorous and adored life? If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of the evil gods, if it weren’t for those strange occurrences, maybe I would have genuinely pursued a career as a singer…”

“Zhifei, do you know? I used to completely disbelieve in the concept of fate. I didn’t believe in everything being predestined. It wasn’t until I met you that I felt maybe there is something worthwhile in the arrangement of destiny. At least, if it were left to my own efforts, I probably would never have met you or been with you, having you in my life.”

Shen Zhifei said, “I am also grateful to fate for bringing you to my side, but I am even more grateful to you for loving me, for becoming a part of my life, and for lighting up my life.”

Her life was originally dull and colorless, lacking vibrancy until Zhao Xiaokui suddenly entered.

The mundane life suddenly had ups and downs, like a small fish entering a stagnant pond, or a tender shoot breaking through frozen soil in a desolate, snow-covered land.

The two cuddled closely.

Shen Zhifei said, “Rest assured, I will always be with you. When you need me, just silently call my name in your heart, and activate the contract. No matter how far apart, I will respond to you immediately.”

Zhao Xiaokui said, “Now I’m thinking, what exactly was the contract I planted for you back then? Clearly, it was a contract intended to keep secrets, so why does it have so many extended effects?”

Shen Zhifei looked at her amber eyes and smiled, “Maybe it’s a marriage contract?”

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Zhao Xiaokui suddenly stunned, Shen Zhifei was also momentarily stunned, then said, “…It couldn’t really be a marriage contract, could it?”

When Zhao Xiaokui planted the contract, she didn’t think too much about it.

At that time, she and Shen Zhifei had no emotional connection; it was just a chance encounter. When she discovered her own secrets had been exposed, if it were an ordinary person from the supernatural world, their first reaction would likely be to kill to silence. However, Zhao Xiaokui had lived in modern society for over a decade, deeply understanding laws and regulations, and not accustomed to the life of slaughter in the supernatural world. Therefore, she instinctively set the contract to prevent herself from revealing her secrets.

Different contracts had different effects and meanings in the supernatural world.

But Zhao Xiaokui never remembered names or the occasions for these contract effects; she simply used them whenever she thought of them.

Now thinking carefully, in the book she read, it indeed mentioned that this type of contract is sometimes used between spouses, as a commitment for a lifetime.

Thinking about this unexpected turn of events, Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“So, it turns out… that from such an early time, it was destined for us to be together.” She lightly kissed Shen Zhifei’s lips and said to her, “It seems like we are a destined couple, destined to be together. So, don’t worry about me. Even for you, I will definitely come back safe and sound. Trust me.”

…

In addition to Zhao Xiaokui, the Beheading Squad consists of six other individuals.

These six people come from different countries. There is Ye Ying from Huaxia, a man with a very low profile. He was the one who pushed Zhao Xiaokui’s wheelchair to the meeting that day. His ability is similar to Zhao Xiaokui’s former teammate, Hong Ying, but his combat strength is much stronger. Apart from Ye Ying, another person from Huaxia is Lin Bai. After advancing, his mental power can directly connect to human calculators. Without the need for external devices, he can achieve the effect of intrusion, essentially functioning as a human-shaped deciphering device that can replace many tools.

Among the seven people, three are from Huaxia. The remaining four include Park Huiya from the Goryeo Kingdom, a rare shapeshifter who can completely transform her appearance and even her physique into another person in a very short time.

Zhao Xiaokui has observed the transformed human form of Park Huiya. Without asking for details, just in terms of speech and appearance, it is really difficult to recognize her. Even the soul of the original form undergoes subtle changes after the transformation, making her appear even more similar to the transformed individual.

This kind of change is easy for a natural soul hunter like Zhao Xiaokui to notice, but ordinary people, even if they can sense souls, won’t be as meticulous as she is.

Next is Sucha from the Thunder Sound Holy Land, a monk who doesn’t wear a monk’s robe like everyone else but is dressed in combat gear. He has a bald head with a scar, and he excels in using Buddhist scriptures to expel the power of evil gods. He can also protect his teammates’ minds from being contaminated by the power of evil gods, making him a support role in the squad.

The third person is Arthur from the Alliance of Gods. His extraordinary ability is not particularly special; he releases a barrier that can resist all attacks not exceeding a certain level for a short period. Moreover, he is a skilled combatant with formidable fighting abilities.

The last person Zhao Xiaokui encountered was the black young man who was following the white old man, Oliver Hood, that day. His name is Hill Nedam. Surprisingly, he is a rare spatial ability user who can store a small amount of items and instantly move with a person to a specific location.

When Hill knew that Zhao Xiaokui was the captain, he was a bit unwilling and insisted on challenging her. At that time, Zhao Xiaokui had just recovered her legs, and her energy was not stable enough. She accepted his challenge and used her two legs, which were harder than steel whips, to let him experience the joy of being hammered.

Yes, Hill’s body was indeed enhanced to the limit in the Freedom Tower, but how could a human body compare to the merfolk, who are born to fight with fishtails? Even though this long tail had turned into two long legs, each measuring just over one meter, the strength remained the same.

It took Zhao Xiaokui half a month to integrate with the team.

During this half month, they underwent a lot of training together, enduring hardships together. All for the purpose of being able to understand each other’s thoughts and intentions with just a glance or a gesture during future actions.

On the day of departure, the warship took Zhao Xiaokui and the others to a location nearly a hundred miles away from the mysterious realm covering the African continent.

Although the spirit of the mysterious realm had not spread to this place, they dared not get any closer. After all, there were too many people on the warship and too many extraordinary items. According to the law of aggregation, if they got too close, they could easily be sensed by the spirit of the mysterious realm, which might then concentrate all its power to attack them.

Zhao Xiaokui and a few others boarded a small boat.

The spirit of the mysterious realm is unconscious. As long as one can break through its blockade, they can enter the mysterious realm. The premise is not to be discovered by the evil gods inside the mysterious realm. On that day, she was just too unlucky, lingering too long with the spirit of the mysterious realm, which led to being discovered by an evil god outside.

“Did you all bring your holy water?” Zhao Xiaokui asked.

Everyone patted the places on their bodies where they had concealed the holy water.

“Unless absolutely necessary, do not open the holy water, and even do not take it out from your hidden places, understand? Once we enter the mysterious realm, holy water inside is like a beacon in the dark night, extremely conspicuous. If you don’t want to attract the attention of evil gods and monsters contaminated by evil gods, you must hide this thing well. In a critical moment, it can save your lives.”

“Understood, Captain.”

Everyone responded in unison, without anyone discriminating against Zhao Xiaokui due to her female identity or age.

“When we reach the contact point with the mysterious realm later, I’ll be in charge of the attack, provoking the mysterious realm. Lin Bai will search for weak points. Once a weak point is found, everyone should focus their attacks in that direction, trying to break through in the shortest time possible without being noticed by any evil gods. If any evil god discovers us, for those with overwhelming strength, we’ll disperse directly, prioritizing self-preservation. Only when I say it’s okay to attack, you initiate the attack, got it?”

“Got it, Captain.”

Zhao Xiaokui waved her hand, “Let’s go, set out!”

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