Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 252 - 236: Ghost Call?

Buzz buzz buzz—

Ma Xuan reached out from under the covers and gently picked up the phone on the bedside table.

He glanced at the incoming call display and the time on the screen, slightly furrowed his brow, and answered the call.

As soon as the call connected, a strange chewing sound came through, causing Ma Xuan to freeze in surprise.

He quickly adjusted the volume to maximum, pressing his ear against the receiver to listen carefully.

Immediately, it was as if he had been propelled by a spring, suddenly sitting upright in bed.

He heard dozens of mouths and teeth crazily chewing and swallowing from the other end of the line, the sound like dozens of mouths gnawing frantically at the same frequency right by his ear, involuntarily causing goosebumps to rise on his skin, his heart faintly gripped by fear.

Ma Xuan cautiously made no sound, quietly pressed the record button, then sat silently on the edge of the bed, listening intently to the sounds on the phone.

Time ticked by second by second, and he listened for a full 42 seconds until the phone suddenly sounded like it had fallen and hit the ground with a crisp noise, then it was hung up.

"What is Chang Wei up to?"

Ma Xuan stood up and paced back and forth, his mind full of confusion.

He stopped, cautiously pressed the redial button while keeping the recording function on, remaining silent and not making a single sound.

Feng Yuhuai picked up the phone that had fallen on the ground, the screen cracked, and through the spider-web like fracture flickered a name — Ma Xuan.

Having eaten her fill, Feng Yuhuai regained her senses, licked the blood at the corner of her lips, then answered the call, likewise pressing the record button without making a sound.

The two on either end of the call remained silent, time seemed to have frozen.

Until after a dozen seconds, a cold male voice came through the phone: "Hello, Chang Wei, is that you? Calling so late, what's up?"

Feng Yuhuai did not answer, nor did the other end pursue the inquiry, instead remaining silent for a moment before hanging up.

Feng Yuhuai stared intently at the phone in her hand, memorizing that name and voice.

All because of Chang Wei's stubborn refusal, Feng Yuhuai failed to extract any information regarding the mastermind behind the texts from his mouth.

However, this unexpected call was like a faint ray of light, guiding her onto a new path of thought.

"The mastermind who ordered me to target Cang Qingsen's entire family is very likely someone Chang Wei knows, perhaps hidden in his phone contacts."

Feng Yuhuai's mind raced furiously, feeling irritated by her now sluggish thinking, yet at such a time, patience and deep deliberation were all the more necessary.

She mused inwardly:

"Ma Xuan was the one Chang Wei contacted before his death, even if he isn't the most suspicious person, he must be closely related to Chang Wei. He probably possesses some critical information."

Feng Yuhuai's lips curled into an asymmetrical smile, though her mind worked slowly, she was exerting all her might to plan her next move.

"Now, my thinking is no longer as agile as before, I am likely to overlook some vital clues."

"Therefore, I must be more patient, slowly partake in this game with the mastermind hidden behind the texts."

"As long as this game continues, as long as he still needs me to kill for him, in this process, every person I kill for him will grant me another clue, then sooner or later, when I've killed enough, I'll have enough clues to piece together his true face hidden behind the texts, like a jigsaw puzzle!"

"And before that, I must show absolute compliance and obedience."

Feng Yuhuai repeatedly weighed these thoughts in her mind, silently cheering herself on.

Though her brain no longer functioned as well as before, the endless accidents and hardships had doubled and redoubled in tempering her willpower.

Her inner self, too, like steel tempered through steps of blood and fire, grew ever more resilient and tenacious.

Feng Yuhuai took a deep breath, exhaling all her inner hesitations and fears along with it.

She turned off the phone, removed the SIM card, and tucked it deep into her pocket, then swiftly left the crime scene.

[...Congratulations, amidst this long night, your "Mask" lady has committed a heinous massacre of an entire family, she's gone to irretrievable levels of depravity, once again gazing into the abyss from up close.]

[Your evil index has risen slightly, Game Inheritance Level↑]

[Apparently, the abyss Miss "Mask" gazed into... is you]

[Your evil index has risen slightly, Game Inheritance Level↑]

In the clamor of the dinner, Feng Mu suddenly felt an indescribable heaviness, as though a hidden chord deep within of his soul had been gently plucked; he lightly closed the notification box on his retina, a faint sadness rising in his heart:

"The system is slandering me again, when did I ever order a massacre, I just instructed her to get rid of that bad person Chang Wei, don't round up carelessly here."

Qin Liang sat beside him, his face flushed red, caught in a state of half-drunkenness, even the crown of his head was somewhat tipsy and reddish.

He turned to glance at Feng Mu who was fiddling with his phone, the latter's face filled with a warm smile.

Because of Feng Mu's heartfelt words of friendship just now, Qin Liang's guard had lowered somewhat, and out of curiosity buoyed by the effects of alcohol, he asked:

"Who are you texting, can't close your smile?"

Hearing this, Feng Mu's lips curled, revealing a neat row of white teeth, replying with a beaming smile:

"A familiar junior female student, you know, girls at this age always have delicate thoughts, easily overthink and get lost at the crossroads of life."

"As a senior who's been through this age, naturally I have to pay constant attention to her growth, like a streetlight, illuminating and guiding her path to prevent any misstep or straying, haha—"

Qin Liang, having a daughter in college and often worrying about her, felt a deep resonance with Feng Mu.

He sincerely remarked: "That junior of yours is very lucky, to have a senior who cares so much for her."

Feng Mu humbly said, "It's just something a senior should do."

Approval appeared in Qin Liang's eyes, his guard dispersing even further, pondering that such a senior who cares for junior students, could only be so bad.

Better than a warden constantly calculating who should be a pawn, that's for sure!

Qin Liang withdrew his gaze, while Feng Mu quietly opened a hidden software program in his phone's folder, a software installed for him by the fifth senior brother Gong Qi.

With a light tap of his fingertip on the screen, the program started, generating a random virtual number.

Feng Mu sent Feng Yuhuai a congratulatory message from her senior.

...