Chapter 960: Chapter 960

The pitch-black alloy twisted and deformed almost instantly, then was covered with dense, numerous cracks.

Outside the East Gate, a man named Crimson Claw stood next to an SUV wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, his eyes wide open as he gazed at the iron gate that suddenly began to crack.

At that moment, the black SUV behind him suddenly started its engine, and then the vehicle shot forward like a projectile, dashing off and leaving the area.

Almost simultaneously, the heavy iron gate exploded into countless messy fragments, like grenade shrapnel, bursting toward the position directly facing the gate.

By this time, Crimson Claw finally reacted. He immediately turned around, almost crawling on all fours, and sprinted toward the side of the gate to dodge the flying alloy fragments.

However, perhaps because he had just kicked the SUV’s door, causing some damage to his leg, his movements were a step slow.

As he was about to leave the splashing zone of the gate’s fragments, a piece of alloy scraped across his left calf, and a spray of bright red blood burst forth in an instant.

His running motion stiffened slightly, then he lost control of his body and fell forward, rolling onto the ground.

He took in a sharp breath of cold air and turned his head to look at his left leg.

The fabric that had covered his calf was already gone, and a deep, bone-visible gash had been opened up in the muscle-packed calf, with fresh blood pouring out from the wound.

Not far from him, the black SUV, despite running fast and deviating from the path due to a flat tire, remained mostly intact.

But Crimson Claw didn’t have much more time to think about these things.

Because within his field of view, along with the splashing alloy fragments, a massive figure also burst out from the gate, smashing the already uneven road outside, rolling over once and slamming into a dilapidated building across from the gate, raising a cloud of dust.

At this moment, Crimson Claw could no longer care about his injury. He painfully moved his body with his hands, turned around, and looked at the building that had just been smashed.

At this time, numerous gang members around also turned their gaze to look at the shattered building.

Accompanied by a sharp shriek, an immense snake head covered in green glow rushed out from behind the dust of the small building, opening its fierce giant mouth.

The immense scream seemed to burst the eardrums of everyone near the snake head.

The gang members closest to this snake head widened their eyes in shock the instant they saw the snake head and heard its shriek; bright red blood flowed from their eyes, noses, and mouths, and their bodies fell to the ground as if they had lost all support.

This scene caused Crimson Claw, who was further back, to shiver. He slapped the ground with both hands and staggered to his feet, enduring the pain, and took several limping steps backward.

And at this moment, as the dust raised by the collapsed building gradually thinned, more enormous snake heads emerged from the dust.

Beneath these snake heads was a man, staggeringly standing on the ground, skinny as if only skin wrapped his bones.

He raised his hand, his eyes clouded, and continued staggering forward, muttering to himself, "Who am I? What is my name? Why can’t I remember?!! Who am I?!"

The clouds in the sky parted slightly, revealing the bright moonlight, illuminating the confused pedestrian below.

At this time, looking at the staggering figure, Crimson Claw also hesitantly, tremblingly spoke.

Almost the moment his words fell, a vast shadow covered his body, and a gaunt face, as if only skin wrapped around a skull, appeared before him.

"You called me... what?"

A hand, jointed like segments of finger bones, grabbed Crimson Claw’s collar and lifted him up. The voice was hoarse and icy, like a snake in the grass hissing, "You called me, what?"

The huge snake heads slowly bent down from the sky, their fresh red tongues tinged with purple glow, staring at him.

"Black... Lord Black Snake?"

Crimson Claw, feet off the ground, trembled as he looked at the figure before him, forcing a strained smile, "Didn’t we just meet, Lord Black Snake? Don’t you remember?"

The illusory snake heads flickered above the gaunt man’s head. He lowered his head as if recalling something, then violently shook his head. He set Crimson Claw down on the ground, gazing at him, his voice growing more raspy and sharp, "I remember you, Crimson Claw, organizer, killer of the Old Geezer inside the gate."

Crimson Claw nodded tremulously, forcibly keeping himself from stumbling in front of the gaunt man.

Then he lowered his head, picked up the walkie-talkie, and said hastily, "Pick up the guns, aim at the gate, shoot to kill everyone who comes out!"

There was some silence on the walkie-talkie, the gang members standing on the perimeter were staring dumbfounded at those gigantic snake heads, they did not reply to Crimson Claw’s words, nor did they make a move.

"What are you dazed for? Do you want to die?"

Crimson Claw immediately looked around at the people, pressed the walkie-talkie, and bellowed.

The gang members around him trembled slightly, glanced at the gigantic snake heads, grabbed their guns, turned the muzzles, and aimed at the already shattered gate.

At that time, a lean man who had been leaning against the small building next to the gate struggled to stand up.

He limped slowly from the back of the crowd, ran out onto the road, then he hesitated for a moment, leaned behind a huge rock, and crouched next to a gang member’s body that had just been ’scared to death’ by a snake head.

Crimson Claw saw this emaciated figure and recognized him as the habitual thief who had come to ’tip them off,’ the start of everything.

If it weren’t for this guy bringing the news, none of this would have begun, nor would so many have died, if possible, he wished he could kill that guy on the spot.

But at this time, he no longer had the mind to care about that guy.

Slow footsteps were coming from behind that smashed gate.

An elderly man in a blood-stained white shirt, tall and upright, was slowly walking out from behind the gate, along the narrow corridor filled with metal fragments and blood, step by step toward the outside.

The thin man with snake heads growing from his back also shifted his gaze from Crimson Claw, looking toward the inside of the gate.

Those giant heads drooped, the enormous snake tail supported his body floating in the air, he watched He Ao, and slowly began to speak.

That low voice, like old strings pulled up from hell, raspy, sharp, cold, seemingly destined to drag one’s soul into the unseen light of eternal depth.

Crimson Claw hopped back on one leg, a path automatically cleared between the elderly man and the multi-headed giant snake.

The gang members around raised their guns, aimed at the calm and slow-moving elderly man, but not a single one of them fired, just quietly standing there.

A half-round moon emerged from between the clouds, the clear moonlight along with the dim streetlight together, sprinkled on the silent road.

Not far away, the smashed car wall was still burning fiercely, the gleaming firelight passing through the sparse crowd, illuminated the side of the elderly man and the side of the giant snake.

"I’ve found my name..."

The lean man cracked a smile, watching He Ao, the giant snake heads slightly visible on his cheeks, "My name is ’Black Snake,’ your so-called trifle..."

Gunshots, one after another, rang out in the darkness.

Everyone’s attention was suddenly drawn by the gunshot.

The one firing was a lean man, he leaned behind the stone, holding an old submachine gun that seemed to have been snatched from the hands of a corpse on the ground, aiming at He Ao, firing wildly.

While firing, he also looked around at the gang members, and bellowed, "Why aren’t you shooting? Where is your loyalty to Lord Black Snake?!!"

He Ao glanced sideways, took a look at this lean man.

He did not speak, nor did he twitch a finger.

The rapid spray of bullets flew past him, he didn’t even shift his gaze by much.

Meanwhile, the lean man frantically spent most of his bullets, not a single one hitting He Ao.

Then his old submachine gun seemed to jam, unable to fire, he frantically pulled the slide, ejecting the jammed cartridge.

In this panic, he pulled the trigger of the gun, accompanied by a ’Bang—’ the bullet hit his thigh, blood instantly soaking his trousers.

He glanced at the submachine gun in his hand, threw the gun away angrily, and limped toward the thin man bearing giant snake heads.

As he ran, he shakily shouted, "Lord Black Snake, I am utterly loyal to you!"

At the same time, he glanced downward, caught a glimpse of Crimson Claw on the other side, and upon seeing Crimson Claw’s cold gaze, he trembled, and shouted even louder, "Lord Black Snake, look at my loyal heart!"

Having reported information, he had already offended the seemingly very powerful elderly man, and he had now clearly offended Crimson Claw as well; once this affair was over, whether the elderly man or the Prisoners’ Gang won, he probably wouldn’t survive.

Now, his only chance to survive was to cling to that serpent-headed monster ’Black Snake,’ who even Crimson Claw had to treat with respect, possibly a major figure within the Prisoners’ Gang.

Now, while the gang members around did not dare to shoot, he dared to fire, proving his loyalty, a perfect moment to show his allegiance!

At that moment, the serpent-headed man seemed to hear his words too, turned his head to look at him.

The thin man’s heart leaped, and he moved closer to the serpent-headed monster.

Now, as long as the "Black Snake" showed a bit of loyalty to him, Crimson Claw would definitely not be able to trouble him afterward. He might even be able to climb aboard the mighty tree of the Prisoners’ Gang and skyrocket to success.

Having envisioned a beautiful future, he found the fierce serpent head somewhat adorable and unconsciously quickened his steps, "Lord Black Snake..."

A huge serpent head suddenly lunged out, engulfed the thin man in its jaws, melting both his body and soul and swallowing them into its stomach.

On the other side of the street, a young man hid behind an old billboard, cautiously approaching and watching everything that unfolded.

At this moment, the gaunt man also turned around, looking at He Ao and growling softly, "Your pale words can no longer shake my soul!"

He Ao raised his head, his gaze serene, "Is Black Snake your human name?"

The gaunt man opened his mouth to reply but suddenly stiffened, "My human name... my human name... what do I actually call myself?"

The giant serpent head continually emerged on his cheek; he painfully lowered his head, holding his head, "Who am I?! What is my name?! Am I human?! Am I not human?!"

Behind him, the numerous huge serpent heads raised and emitted shrill, piercing cries.

The silent darkness seemed to tremble with the sound waves at that moment, clouds in the sky drifted by, once again covering the moon.

"I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you!!!"

The gaunt man in midair bent down, his body seemingly controlled by an invisible and furious force, his voice a mix of hoarseness, and sharpness overlapped.

Behind him, the seven giant serpent heads extended their necks, letting out another sharp cry, their cold vertical pupils bursting with a demonic green glow.

Crimson Claw, who had already dodged slightly, immediately raised his hand and shouted frantically.

Some gang members, seemingly more trustworthy and positioned in front, glanced at the giant snake, trembling as they raised their guns and pulled the triggers.

Chaotic gunshots rang out in the darkness.

The gaunt man’s thick snake tail extended dozens of meters from the darkness, violently swaying in the night wind.

As the giant serpent heads cried out, two of them charged toward He Ao, with the others rushing to either side.

Crimson Claw had just leaned against a regular SUV, reaching for the electromagnetic cannon handed by a subordinate, when a giant serpent head descended from the sky, biting him and half of the SUV in one bite.

He didn’t even have time to make a sound before completely dissolving.

Among the chaotic gunfire, strong figures were continuously devoured by the serpent heads.

He Ao gripped the Hawk Claw Knife in his hand, looking up at the approaching serpent heads and the gaunt man’s frenzied cheeks.

Although the gaunt man seemed to have momentarily found a clear goal in that brief instant, appearing ’stable’ from his splitting madness,

in He Ao’s field of view, the gaunt man’s soul was splitting even more severely, the soul shadow belonging to the gaunt man and the black shadow connected to the giant snake were violently tearing at each other.

And this also confirmed He Ao’s earlier guess.

The so-called ’Enchantment’ the gaunt man had received was not a true ’enchantment of strength’ but a ’life’.

The multiple serpent heads behind the gaunt man were not an aberration of strength he had obtained but were inherently separate lives.

They had merely merged into the gaunt man’s soul, like those tiny black snakes parasitic in puppet-like soul shadows, nesting in the gaunt man’s soul and continuously devouring and merging with it.

All the ’extraordinary power’ displayed by the gaunt man was actually derived from this ’multi-headed serpent.’

These strong gang members around them were actually specifically ’bred’ as food by the ’multi-headed serpent’; thus, when it needed strength, it would directly and mercilessly attempt to devour these gang members.

Though it granted the gaunt man formidable extraordinary strength, it also took away his soul and body.

The fact was, the gaunt man’s soul was already fragmented, missing its own cognition, just that this subtle pollution and devouring made him ’forget’ the truth that he was forgetting.

The name Black Snake probably belonged to the multi-headed serpent, not the gaunt man.

This was also why He Ao, when setting a marker, heard what seemed like two voices. The voice lurking deep in the thoughts of the gaunt man, resembling background noise, was that of the multi-headed giant snake’s thoughts.

However, these thoughts were entirely different from human thoughts; they were like a foreign language. He Ao couldn’t immediately discern its ideas and initially thought it was just "noise."

But as He Ao beheaded the gaunt man and after the man regrew a head, the "noise" in the gaunt man’s mind noticeably intensified.

This made He Ao realize the abnormality of the "noise," and he gradually distinguished these two voices, separating these two "entities."

He also realized at that time through the "giant noise" that the gaunt man’s soul was almost depleted.

He Ao pointing out that the gaunt man had "forgotten his name" was actually to verify his own thoughts.

The final result proved that his guess was correct.

When the gaunt man became aware of his "forgetfulness," his subconscious showed intense fluctuations. As he tried to recover his "self," the previously superficial "harmony" of the "parasitism" showed a sudden tearing.

The current "unified goal to attack He Ao" was actually the consciousness of the multi-headed giant snake, desperately trying to forcibly stabilize the torn soul.

And this also meant that the gaunt man’s soul rending had reached a dangerous edge.

In a flash of thought, He Ao, holding the Hawk Claw Knife, faced the two snake heads biting towards him in the sky, leapt directly onto the left snake head.

At this moment, the two snake heads that had just swallowed a shadow immediately rose, attacking He Ao from left and right.

Meanwhile, He Ao also raised the Hawk Claw Knife, gripping the handle, with the Strengthening Magic Array covering the blade. He leapt into the air, and the sharp blade collided directly with the emerald poison fang in front of him.

Heavy Strike Martial Technique, strength enhancement 15%.

With a crisp sound, fine cracks spread from the root of the emerald fang, and then, the fang abruptly broke off.

He Ao then took a step forward, directly grabbing the broken fang.

The intense corrosive power madly eroded his palm’s Divine Sense. Meanwhile, with the power supply lost, the fang rapidly dissolved.

Another snake head in the sky had already arrived; He Ao’s figure flashed, leaping onto this snake head. At the same time, he covered the fang in his hand with Divine Sense and inscribed a Strengthening Magic Array, controlling the rate at which the fang dissolved.

At this moment, the remaining three snake heads charged together, blocking the direction in front of He Ao and obstructing the gaunt man below. They opened their terrifying giant mouths and bit at He Ao.

He Ao took a deep breath and forcefully threw the Hawk Claw Knife in his hand, smashing it into one of the snake heads.

With a forceful collision, the snake head’s motion was hindered for a moment, creating a slight gap, but it was too narrow for a person to pass through.

At this moment, He Ao gripped the poison fang with both hands, directly leaping towards the center of the three snake heads.

The Hawk Claw Knife, splattered in the sky, seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, changing position in the air, suddenly flying back and striking another snake head.

This snake head’s direction also shifted slightly, creating a gap large enough for a person between two snake heads.

He Ao’s figure almost instantly passed through this gap, holding the poison fang aloft, looking down from above at the gaunt man looking up at him.

The night wind blew away the dark clouds, and bright moonlight fell from the sky. It shone on the giant, terrifying snake heads, the giant cage formed by the snake bodies beneath the heads, and on the elderly man who descended into this cage from above.

"You can’t kill me!!!"

The gaunt man opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and sharp intermingling, trembling as it rose.

He Ao stared at his cheeks, at the Soul Shadow covering his body that already showed apparent tearing signs, and gathered his own Soul Power.

The powerful Soul Power struck the fragmented soul, completely tearing apart the barely intertwined soul.

The hoarse human voice and the sharp screams split at that moment; the giant snake body also violently flickered.

An enormous energy circuit, covering the entire snake body and human body, appeared in He Ao’s field of view. At the center of these energy circuits, a heart beating intensely was situated right at the center of the gaunt man’s chest.

He Ao clenched the poison fang tightly.

Long Weapon Martial Technique, tip strength enhancement 25%.

The dazzling green brilliance, like thunder under the bright moon, streaked across the dark sky and in an instant pierced the center of the gaunt man’s chest.

The intense corrosive power ultimately shredded the mixed black and mundane soul; the immense shadow flickering with green brilliance and the physical snake body also explosively shattered at that moment.