Chapter 273: Chapter 273
Under the protection of the Nomadic Merchant, Zhou Qiming's previous dissatisfaction instantly dissipated.
Holding the cross-shaped shadow in his left palm, his attitude became even more respectful and friendly:
"The [Reincarnation Key] on me should no longer be in a non-transferable state now."
"With your strength, Merchant, you should be able to directly take it from me?"
"Of course." The Nomadic Merchant nodded casually with an easygoing posture. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
As he spoke, he raised both arms.
Zhou Qiming's entire body floated up lightly like weightless paper!
At this point, Jiang Ye still harbored some doubts—
Had he been mistaken earlier?
Thinking about it, the trading partner was the Nomadic Merchant after all...
Perhaps problems would only arise with a different trading partner?
Indeed, before absolute power, all schemes were futile.
Just as Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief in his heart—
A piercing chill suddenly swept through him!
An overwhelming coldness filled the entire special space created by the Nomadic Merchant!
Before he could think further, a shrill scream pierced the air!
Zhou Qiming floated in the air like boneless chicken... no, like a boneless human willow, his limbs hanging limply without strength.
His entire body arched backward in a convex shape.
Simultaneously, enduring unimaginable pain, his hanging head revealed a deathly pale face with bloodshot eyes!
Even his entire face twisted grotesquely as blood seeped from his mouth amid screams!
Neither Jiang Ye nor Lin Ling had witnessed the transfer of the [Reincarnation Key] before, so they didn't know if this was normal.
However, faced with such a scene, both fell into silent shock.
Of course, Lin Ling's silence was superficial—inside, she felt a surge of schadenfreude, secretly cursing Zhou Qiming for deserving this.
Whether due to damaged vocal cords or impaired speech, Zhou Qiming's screams formed no coherent words—just endless "Ahhhhs," like a mute's wails...
His boneless body seemed to struggle weakly mid-air but lacked the strength.
Clearly, Zhou Qiming was experiencing excruciating agony at this moment!
Jiang Ye felt a wave of relief—thankfully he hadn't converted Zhou Qiming into a clone earlier, otherwise wouldn't he be enduring this pain now?
Watching from below, he was merely a spectator to the spectacle.
Lin Ling, with her sharper perception, noticed something more—
Within Zhou Qiming's boneless body, his soul seemed to be forcibly extracted!
No wonder his screams were so horrific—the pain must be soul-deep!
Concentrating, Lin Ling channeled her innate power into her eyes.
Golden light flickered within her pitch-black pupils, forming intricate patterns.
Her eyes now looked extraordinarily eerie.
Through this enhanced vision, Zhou Qiming's soul appeared equally bizarre!
Technically, Lin Ling couldn't actually see souls in this state—
But she saw the flowing patterns of runes covering Zhou Qiming's soul!
These luminous patterns, like meridians in a physical body, spread throughout his entire soul!
Thus, though unable to see the soul itself, Lin Ling discerned Zhou Qiming's soul outline through these unique markings!
This extraordinary sight sent chills down her spine!
Even she could hardly imagine engraving such runes onto a soul!
Yet Zhou Qiming's soul contained such intricate patterns—where did they originate?
Were they related to his special connection with Administrator 4444?
Or had some powerful being, noticing this connection, implanted these complex patterns into his soul?
Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Ling's mind—
About Zhou Qiming, about the mastermind behind him...
Just as she attempted to study the runic patterns further—
The flowing golden light suddenly froze mid-motion!
Then, the radiance shattered into fading sparks!
Simultaneously, Zhou Qiming unleashed his most bloodcurdling scream yet!
Through Lin Ling's vision, she witnessed the dimming patterns violently detach from his soul!
This wasn't voluntary separation—
Her peripheral vision caught the Nomadic Merchant clenching both fists.
The patterns appeared to have been forcibly extracted by him!
This sight deepened Lin Ling's astonishment!
In her understanding, all "runic patterns" required a medium—
Be it talisman paper, artifacts, or in this case, a soul...
Runes couldn't exist independently in mid-air!
An entire set of intricate patterns floated autonomously!
Unless... they were anchored to something invisible?
As these thoughts raced through her mind, her wariness toward the Nomadic Merchant intensified!
The moment those dimmed runic patterns separated from Zhou Qiming's soul—
Every battle simulator in the Doomsday Apartment and all Novice Apartments simultaneously trembled!
Not just simulators—other special machines also went haywire!
Some even developed cracks during the tremors!
The widespread disturbances shocked all players who noticed!
Especially within the Duoe Organization—members and spectators alike were stunned by the sudden phenomenon!
"What the—?! Why are all the simulators shaking at once?!"
"Is this some powerful enemy attack? Are other top factions finally making their move against Duoe?!"
"Could the Moon Phase Clock be malfunctioning? Is the 'Ninth Day' of the apocalypse arriving?!"
"No way! Is the Eighth Day ending already? At this rate, the prophesied Doomsday isn't far!"
"Please no! Did something really happen to the Moon Phase Clock?!"
Panic instantly spread throughout the Doomsday Apartment!
Jiang Ye's numerous clones in various Novice Apartments also noticed the simulator disturbances.
Initially confused, he quickly realized—
Could these tremors all be connected to the Nomadic Merchant?
To his knowledge, the battle simulators were controlled by the Duoe Organization.
Had something happened to them?
Was the Nomadic Merchant using Zhou Qiming to strike at Duoe remotely? Chapters fırst released on novel~fire~net
From Jiang Ye's perspective, he saw no souls or runes—
Only Zhou Qiming's helpless struggles and agonized screams, which he assumed were normal during the [Reincarnation Key] transfer.
But soon, he realized something was wrong.
As all simulators trembled—
Within the Nomadic Merchant's special space—
The Merchant suddenly thrust both arms downward violently!
The floating Zhou Qiming was slammed into the ground like a pancake, motionless.
Then, two new fissures split the dark sky above!
The Nomadic Merchant reached out—two figures tumbled through the rifts!
Similar to Lin Ling's earlier summoning, but far rougher this time!
Both figures crashed heavily with thunderous impacts—
One loud, one softer.
The louder impact came from a humanoid mechanical puppet.
The softer one from a flesh-and-blood individual.
These "heavenly intruders" made Jiang Ye instinctively step back, nerves taut.
His deal with the Nomadic Merchant was already complete...
Surely he could just leave now if things got dangerous?
Yes—at the first sign of trouble, escape was the plan!
But instead of fleeing outright, he subtly positioned himself behind Lin Ling, secretly observing...
Lin Ling currently had no attention to spare for Jiang Ye.
Her gaze locked onto the two figures, pupils trembling with shock.
Then, the Nomadic Merchant beckoned again—
The dimmed patterns extracted from Zhou Qiming's soul condensed into his right palm like shrinking threads.
Casually toying with them, he addressed the mechanical humanoid:
"Well then, old friend—care to explain what these are?"
The mechanical man vibrated intensely as he slowly rose.
His metallic face showed no expression, but the tremors resembled fearful shivering.
The other figure—a young man—also stood up, glancing inexplicably toward Jiang Ye's Administrator 4444 clone.
Jiang Ye thought: What? I'm just a spectator here! Should I leave?
But he'd rather stay for the show.
His Administrator 4444 clone stood straight, fearlessly watching—though seeing nothing in the Merchant's palm.
However, golden light flickered in the mechanical man's eyes as he spoke:
"I was only trying to extend the Doomsday Apartment's lifespan..."