Mercenary Tao’s Disappearance

"Kill the original?"

Song Xian’s brows nearly twisted into a knot. This copy had, at most, completed a single novice trial mission, yet it dared propose a plan to kill Mercenary Tao?!

The next moment, he realized that rather than being ignorant of its own limits, this copy was far more calculating than they had expected.

Precisely because it was a copy, they had often overlooked its thoughts and subjective desires, instinctively treating it as nothing more than an accessory created from Bai Cangshu himself.

But recalling the setting of the Gantz world, copies produced by Gantz were almost no different from their originals.

This copy of Bai Cangshu would not consider himself a copy. Calling himself a counterfeit now was merely a judgment based on strength.

As long as he could kill the original Bai Cangshu, then to him, he would become the one and only real Bai Cangshu!

From this, Song Xian felt even more keenly just how twisted and abnormal Bai Cangshu was.

It was not merely that he lacked basic empathy and understanding toward others. Bai Cangshu probably had little empathy even for himself.

He would not think there was anything wrong with copying himself like this.

Song Xian exhaled a breath of stale air, white as smoke. The copy of Bai Cangshu raised his eyes. After completing the novice trial, he had gathered a considerable amount of information about Song Xian in the public space.

"Yes, Mr. Song Xian. I imagine you’re troubled by this too. It may sound strange, but… only I truly understand how terrifying that man is."

The copy of Bai Cangshu covered his chest. His smile remained warm, yet it could no longer make anyone feel even a trace of warmth.

"He is an aberration wearing human skin, a beast that can never coexist with humans for long~"

Phantom Sword Chu Qi sat farther away. Reincarnators in his earpiece were likewise continuously reporting the results of their mind-reading.

His expression was complicated. Was his old friend really… like this?

Chu Qi recalled scene after scene from their youth. He could not refute it.

Zhong Tianming merely assessed the copy before him. He did not know much about copies, Gantz, or such things, but he now recognized this as an opportunity.

And he considered matters more meticulously than the others.

This copy had clearly felt pressure from the original. The purpose of that young man named Bai Cangshu in sending the copy here was obvious: he wanted to raise powerful prey for hunting.

Therefore, this copy’s proposal to cooperate with them in hunting the original was an act of self-preservation. That motive was undoubtedly genuine. What he wanted was the Southern Heavenly Gate Project’s full support.

He needed protection while weak, while also being able to rise rapidly himself.

"Good. I have a new plan."

Zhong Tianming spoke, and everyone wore different expressions.

"On November 21, East Xia held a major press conference in Yanjing!"

"Mercenary Tao claimed that the Japan incident occurred because a Reincarnator codenamed Mad King had controlled a large number of Ability Users and begun infiltrating other countries. He had therefore taken action himself and purged Mad King…"

"East Xia confirmed that Mercenary Tao would not launch similar attacks in other countries and would actively work to safeguard world peace and stability…"

On the basement level of Paradise’s Babel Tower, Heavenly Feast watched reports in different languages from different countries on the screens, his expression strange.

"Miss Li, Boss Bai really went to East Xia?!"

Looking at the man in the footage, standing before the cameras in a well-tailored white suit, every biological signal and identifying feature told him that this was Bai Cangshu himself, codenamed Mercenary Tao!

Li Qingzi merely watched coldly. With a single glance, she recognized that the person on screen, whose appearance and movements were nearly identical to Bai Cangshu’s, was a counterfeit.

The person on the screen lacked something—the defiant air that had grown increasingly powerful along the way, that complete disregard for everyone else.

That "Bai Cangshu" on the screen was merely a copy!

After thinking for a moment, she said,

"Release the news. Paradise is willing to contact the World United Organization. We will participate in maintaining this world order…"

Heavenly Feast hesitated for a moment before ultimately choosing to obey Li Qingzi’s orders. Yet privately, he also began searching for information on Paradise’s true master.

Li Qingzi’s reaction undoubtedly told him that this Mercenary Tao in East Xia was only a fake, but they currently needed this counterfeit to draw the attention of other gatherings and Reincarnators away.

Because Paradise’s true master—the monster who, alongside Mad King in the fall of Japan, had caused Tokyo to sink, inflicting actual casualties and losses too horrifying to estimate—Mercenary Tao, had disappeared!

Whether in the real world or Private Space, there was no trace of Mercenary Tao.

The only certainty was that Mercenary Tao had not died.

Li Qingzi looked at the slave contract that still existed, her gaze flickering. Many people were now speculating that the hidden Mercenary Tao had been affected by some Authority of Mad King’s and was unable to repair himself.

Although the Infinite Dimensional Space could indeed be considered omnipotent, and with sufficient resources could heal almost any injury or affliction.

Conversely, the more special the ability, the greater the cost of healing and removal. Some costs were so high that they were unbearable.

The most serious were undoubtedly the effects of certain Cognitive Interference abilities, which could even prevent Reincarnators from actively choosing to heal themselves.

Li Qingzi believed that Bai Cangshu had most likely been affected by such an ability.

At this moment, she knew that the Mercenary Tao in East Xia was fake, yet she could not expose him at all. In fact, she had to actively cooperate with East Xia.

"Heavenly Feast, investigate whether there are people from East Xia’s government on our side…"

Li Qingzi turned and walked out. Those who could confirm that Mercenary Tao was not inside Paradise must have entered Paradise’s management system.

The faces of various people flashed through her mind. Without realizing it, Li Qingzi had already come to see herself as Paradise’s acting controller and wanted to eliminate the mole.

Jin Yue’an met Li Qingzi at the top of the tower. Li Qingzi tossed out a single sentence.

"Investigate Heavenly Feast. I need to know what connection he has with East Xia’s government."

Jin Yue’an froze for a moment, then nodded and left. Though she did not believe Heavenly Feast had a problem, upon seeing the news from East Xia, she naturally realized that there was a mole.

Jin Yue’an walked to the edge of Babel Tower and looked over the vast Paradise. More than five hundred Reincarnators, each with their own agendas, had gathered here. Once they learned that Boss Bai had disappeared…

Paradise, and even Myanmar, would likely soon be torn apart by rioting Reincarnators.

The news of Mercenary Tao’s appearance had, to a great extent, calmed the restless Reincarnators, allowing order in the real world to remain temporarily stable.

No one was willing to provoke Mercenary Tao at a time like this. Other than Supreme Experts, no one remained confident that they could survive an attack of that magnitude.

Red Dust lounged leisurely against his stall. Over the past two days, simply by selling all sorts of intelligence and information, he had gained more than fifty thousand Dimensional Points and two B-rank Anomaly Points.

The Anomaly Points had come from East Xia and the Finality Empire respectively. Both sides seemed especially concerned about news of Mercenary Tao and Mad King.

Red Dust was in high spirits, feeling that he had likely cast off the bad luck of the first half of his life. Suddenly, a fiery red figure arrived before his stall.

Red Dust raised his brows and saw a voluptuous female body clad in a red mage robe.

"Luoxi~"

Red Dust was not particularly fond of this woman. Though he had no title, his energy attributes were extremely high, and he had already obtained an Authority. His actual combat power far surpassed that of a Title-level Reincarnator like Crimson Lotus Mage, whose title carried no real weight.

But Luoxi stepped aside, revealing a young girl who was only slightly taller than the stall.

Above the girl’s head, a crown wreathed in faint black mist floated silently in the air.

Crack, crack…

Deathly energy pierced through the barrier of space and rushed straight at him. Red Dust felt his entire body turn icy cold in an instant.

"Tell me Mercenary Tao’s last destination and what happened to him."

"L-Life of Silence!"