Nighttime.

Zhang Ping and Wang Jieming returned to the dark chamber. The corpses of the two Skyborn Foxes had already been cleared away.

“Zhang Ping, what on earth is going on? How could there be Mutated Beasts in Mingzhu City? And... are they really Mutated Beasts?” Wang Jieming asked immediately.

Zhang Ping nodded and told him everything he knew. Wang Jieming was stunned after hearing it, his expression growing increasingly grim.

“What’s wrong? Don’t worry. We killed those two Skyborn Foxes, and someone is covering for us. The others won’t find us,” Zhang Ping reassured him after noticing his troubled face.

Wang Jieming shook his head and muttered, “I’m starting to think my mom was eaten by a Skyborn Fox.”

“Your mom?” Zhang Ping frowned.

“I’m serious. Something’s off about her. I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t said anything, but now it’s clear. She keeps teaching me things I already know. She doesn’t cook anymore and always brings home pre-made food. What if those meals are actually... Urgh...” Wang Jieming gagged mid-sentence.

“Hold on, don’t scare yourself yet. I’ll come to your house and check things out. For now, don’t overthink it,” Zhang Ping said quickly.

Wang Jieming looked pale, his face twisted with grief. “Zhang Ping, if my mom was really eaten, what should I do?”

“What else can you do? You get revenge, of course. Kill the Skyborn Fox that did it,” Zhang Ping replied firmly.

He couldn’t help but think of the Skyborn Fox that devoured Su Jingyao. He, too, wanted vengeance for that beautiful girl.

Wang Jieming fell silent.

After a while, Liu Sishan appeared before them, startling Wang Jieming.

“Sisi,” Zhang Ping greeted.

Liu Sishan said calmly, “If you have questions, ask them now. I’ve received intel that the Mutated Beasts outside the city are showing signs of unrest. The Patrol Squad has been massacred by the Skyborn Foxes, and the city defenses are in shambles. If other Mutated Beasts invade Mingzhu City, the consequences will be disastrous. I won’t have time to look after you then.”

“I know about this. The Skyborn Fox King has entered false hibernation. Mingzhu City didn’t suffer other Mutated Beast invasions before because of its presence. Now that it has suppressed its aura, the other Mutated Beasts are starting to stir,” Zhang Ping explained.

He had overheard much of the Skyborn Fox meeting through his Wind Whisperer ability, so he knew the situation well.

“In other words, Mutated Beasts will inevitably invade Mingzhu City soon,” Liu Sishan said, frowning.

Zhang Ping nodded. “Not only that, but the Skyborn Fox Prince will also take this opportunity to observe and eliminate any Awakeners who step forward to resist. They’ll target anyone they suspect of being members of your organization.”

“I see. They want to disrupt Mingzhu City’s order and focus on the strongest individuals who reveal themselves,” Liu Sishan said, instantly grasping their strategy.

It was a good plan.

After all, ordinary people couldn’t fend off Mutated Beast attacks. Awakeners would have to take action.

Mingzhu City had a population of millions. It was impossible for the Skyborn Foxes to assess the strength of every Awakener. Many Awakeners deliberately concealed their abilities, while others weren’t even registered. The city’s existing records couldn’t possibly provide a full picture.

Zhang Ping looked at Liu Sishan and asked, “Sisi, does your organization have a way to stop this plan?”

“Their plan is an open gambit. But that’s fine—so long as their King remains dormant, we can still do plenty,” Liu Sishan said.

Before Zhang Ping could ask further, she continued, “Alright, head back for now. I’ll report this to the organization. We’ll discuss the specifics later. In the short term, there shouldn’t be too many Mutated Beasts invading Mingzhu City. It’s still safe for now.”

With that, Zhang Ping and Wang Jieming were sent back to Iron Soul.

“Zhang Ping, can I stay here tonight?”

Wang Jieming glanced at the dark night outside and asked weakly.

He didn’t want to go home. He had no idea what awaited him there.

“Alright.”

Zhang Ping understood the feeling well. After all, Lunara Prince had once searched his house, too.

To tell the truth, while the Skyborn Foxes were terrifying and strange, they were ultimately just Mutated Beasts. The truly chilling part was the human skins they wore on their foreheads.

The blood-stained skins were enough to fill one with rage and terror.

Zhang Ping arranged for Wang Jieming to sleep in the guest room, which was right next to his own.

After Zhang Ping left, Wang Jieming shut the door and let out a small sigh of relief.

He had known Zhang Ping for a while now and understood he wasn’t the type to play games.

The problem was, everything he had experienced so far was based solely on the words of Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan.

He hadn’t seen the Skyborn Foxes with his own eyes. Even when Liu Sishan killed those two, they still appeared human to him.

So, was it possible that Zhang Ping and Liu Sishan were actually assassins? Was everything they told him just a fabrication?

It wasn’t impossible.

There had even been an Awakener in the past who used illusions to manipulate a woman’s entire life. She had spent decades trapped in a false reality, only to see the truth after the Awakener’s accidental death.

Zhang Ping had an organization behind him.

That organization was powerful, especially ‘Sisi,’ who could kill him effortlessly.

At least those two facts were certain. As for the rest, he would trust their words for now but remain cautious until he had solid evidence.

Before sleeping, he thought of his mother. The strange behavior and unsettling feelings filled him with heartache.

How he wished this was all just a lie.

...

On the other side, Liu Sishan relayed Zhang Ping's intelligence to Situ Shibai.

In the Slaughter Unit's conference room, Jin Bo, Chen Ming, and the others were present.

Situ Shibai smiled. "The Skyborn Fox want to muddy the waters in Mingzhu City. What do you think?"

"Hmph, those damn beasts just want to eliminate any promising human talents. If you ask me, we should take the opportunity to strike—kill as many Skyborn Fox as we can," Jin Bo sneered coldly.

Chen Ming frowned. "That's unwise. Though my abilities are disrupted, I have a bad feeling about this. If we act too aggressively, many people will die."

His ability was to foresee the future.

Thanks to this skill, he had become the strategist of the Slaughter Unit and its de facto second-in-command.

However, the Lunara King’s overwhelming power had interfered greatly with his abilities. Much of what he saw now was false. Still, as an Advanced-Level Awakener, his foresight heightened his intuition, which was rarely wrong.

"Chen Ming, do you know something you're not telling us?" Jin Bo shot Chen Ming a suspicious glare.

He knew all too well that even though Chen Ming had joined the Slaughter Unit, he still had an irritating habit—he withheld critical information until the last minute, claiming it would lose its effectiveness if revealed too soon.

"If I say it, it won’t come true," Chen Ming replied with a sly smile.

"Not this again," Jin Bo grumbled in frustration.

"Some things may seem bad for now but are essential for the future. My gut tells me that, at least for now, the Slaughter Unit cannot act recklessly," Chen Ming explained, meeting Jin Bo's gaze.

Situ Shibai smiled faintly. "But we can’t let those foxes have their way either. Since their king is slumbering, let the Barrier Team deploy the Illusory Sky Veil to split Mingzhu City into eight sectors. If the foxes want to observe, let’s make them see nothing but lies and illusions."

"Manny is currently supporting Sisi," Chen Ming added.

Situ Shibai nodded. "I’ll inform Sisi that Manny will be unable to assist her further for now. Once the Illusory Sky Veil is in place, Sisi won’t need to stay in hiding anymore."

"Understood," Chen Ming acknowledged.

The Illusory Sky Veil was a combined technique executed by three Barrier Team members—Manny, Chen Luowei, and Xu Jie.

Manny's ability was 'Black Shade'. Her upgraded skills included Black Passage and Black Vault, which allowed her to create shadowy spaces, like the darkroom where Liu Sishan and Zhang Ping often met. She was also responsible for covering Liu Sishan’s movements.

Chen Luowei's ability was Shadow Manipulation. Her upgraded skill, Dynamic Mirage, could manipulate light and shadow to create illusions. She often worked alongside Manny, providing stealth and defense for the Slaughter Unit’s base or assisting Liu Sishan in hiding.

Xu Jie’s ability was Solar Charging. Her upgraded skill, Energy Share, turned her into a "power bank," supplying Manny and Chen Luowei with immense energy to sustain their abilities.

Once the Illusory Sky Veil was activated, the three would be unable to rest, sustaining it for at most one week. Beyond that, the risk of collapse or death would become unavoidable.

Late at night.

While most of Mingzhu City was sound asleep, a shadow descended silently from the city’s center, spreading like an unseen veil.

The Black Shade divided Mingzhu City into eight sectors. Within moments, moving images began to fill the shadows. The shapes of the Black Shade morphed continuously, transforming the city into a distorted, surreal version of itself.

The next morning.

Mingzhu City carried on as usual. No one noticed the subtle yet fundamental changes around them.

Even the Skyborn Fox in the Lord’s Manor failed to perceive anything unusual.

Three Skyborn Fox—Lunara I, Lunara II, and Lunara III—emerged from the manor.

Their duty was to procure food for the others in the manor, a task that required daily excursions to hunt prey.

Ordinarily, this was a trivial matter. However, with Human Awakeners lurking in the shadows, their task had grown more perilous. Still, the three of them were among the strongest of the Skyborn Fox, second only to the Lunara Prince.

"Lunara I, do you feel like something’s… off?" Lunara III suddenly asked, scanning the bustling streets.

Lunara I swept its gaze around but shook its head. "No. What do you mean?"

"I don’t know. It’s just… a strange feeling," Lunara III muttered uneasily.

Lunara II chuckled. "You’re imagining things."

Meanwhile, Jin Bo and his team stood inconspicuously on the side of the street, watching the three Skyborn Fox walk by.

To Jin Bo, the Skyborn Fox looked human, but he knew better. They were monsters cloaked in human skin.

"Follow them," Jin Bo ordered, signaling to his teammates.

The Skyborn Fox moved on, unaware that anyone was tailing them.

What they saw were streets teeming with ordinary citizens, a perfectly normal scene.

But in reality, the Illusory Sky Veil had already isolated them.

Everything they saw—the streets, the people—was nothing but a fabricated illusion.