A Guide to Humanity’s Extinction

After wrapping up their tour of the Super Hero Company, everyone from the Xia-Ke family grabbed dinner outside. Xia Lingxue and Ke Linye treated them, both claiming they had earned quite a bit of money from their university part-time jobs.

As for what those part-time jobs actually were, Ke Mingqing could only stamp a silent question mark over them in his mind.

In reality, he just turned a blind eye. After all, they had at least bought him dinner.

It was already night by the time he got home.

Ke Mingqing lowered his head, tugged at the collar of his T-shirt, turned on the living room lights, and aimed the standing fan at himself.

He closed his eyes and let the breeze wash over him for a moment before collapsing onto the sofa, resting his hands on his stomach to catch his breath.

Ultimately, touring the Super Hero Company was just a gimmick. Ke Mingwei had only wanted to run them through the testing device at the entrance. There was no way the company would let them into its actually important areas; everything they were allowed to see was completely inconsequential. Yet those boring locations had still eaten up an entire afternoon.

Then again, the Theater Puppet that Ke Mingqing had left with Death Crow was wasting time just the same.

Giovanni and Bai Ziling were sitting on a concrete slab in an abandoned building. The two of them had been reading comic books all afternoon.

The comic they were reading was Vampire Hunter.

It was a funny thought: a vampire girl reading a comic about vampire hunters with absolute fascination, her red eyes shining brightly.

Either she didn't believe vampire hunters actually existed in the real world, or she yearned to learn how her lonely kind lived by reading the comic. Only that could explain why she was so engrossed.

Now, Ke Mingqing opened his eyes and reached out, tapping the roulette wheel icon in the upper right corner of his vision.

He had one lottery draw available, earned from the mission to join Death Crow.

Looking up, he saw the six prize sectors on the wheel: "Low-Level Skill Enhancement Card," "2,000 EXP," "1,000 superhuman coins," "One-Time Skill Card: Big Big Big," "magical girl's leggings," and "One-Time Skill Card: Superhero Landing."

"Why is 'Big Big Big' still chasing me?"

Ke Mingqing grumbled, rubbing his hands together as he mentally clicked the spin button.

The needle spun rapidly, whirling like a pinwheel. A moment later, it slowed down and ticked to a stop on section six.

[Congratulations, you have obtained the One-Time Skill Card: Superhero Landing (Upon using this skill card, immediately plummet from your current position, causing a massive impact at the landing zone).]

[Note 1: Impact is based on your "Strength" attribute and "Total Flight Distance".]

[Note 2: While using this skill card, the player is in an "Invulnerable" state.]

"Awesome, it even comes with damage immunity," Ke Mingqing muttered thoughtfully. "Doesn't that mean I could try dropping from an altitude of 3,000 meters and smash the Super Hero Company straight into mud?"

He turned on the TV and absentmindedly opened the player forum, glancing at the currently trending top post.

[Trending N0.1: Title: Please note, these are the characteristics of the player detection device. — Poster: The Family's Black Cat.]

This was Kuroki Hitomi's forum account. In the post, she detailed the characteristics and mechanics of the player detection device. Naturally, Ke Mingqing was the one who had relayed all of this information to her.

Initially, Ke Mingqing had considered having Kuroki Hitomi only warn the players in Leijing to avoid alerting the enemy. But later, he decided to make the intel public to all players. After all, they were a community bound by a shared destiny.

Clicking into the post, Ke Mingqing saw that most of the players in the comments section had already started doom-saying.

Clearly, this detection device—which was utterly anti-human in both appearance and function—had dealt a significant blow to player morale. No one wanted to see their body parts turned into a piece of machinery after they died.

"Oh, come on, how am I supposed to accomplish the grand mission of exterminating the super-human species with this bunch of bugs?" Ke Mingqing propped his chin on his hand and turned to look out at the night sky beyond his window.

As he pondered, the TV suddenly broadcast a breaking news report: "Breaking News: A super-human species assault incident has occurred aboard the G2135 high-speed rail. It is suspected that the super-criminal 'Blue Leopard Man' infiltrated the passengers and is currently preying on them aboard the train."

Ke Mingqing raised an eyebrow. He turned his head back and cast a curious glance at the giant blue leopard rampaging through the train on the screen.

"Since my second sister isn't home yet anyway, I might as well find some entertainment first."

With that thought, he stretched, closed his eyes, and deployed a Theater Puppet into an empty alleyway nearby.

[Prompt: Theater Puppet No. 2 deployed. The attribute values of Puppet No. 2 are only 50% of Puppet No. 1's.]

Leijing, a relatively remote district.

The brightly lit G2135 high-speed train roared across the tracks.

Inside the high-speed rail, a massive blue leopard was charging through the carriages one by one.

It darted through Carriage 5, its paws snatching up fleeing passengers one after another. Finally, it hoisted their bodies high in the air and released its grip, letting them fall from midair.

Then, it swung its claws, ripping their throats wide open, before catching the severed heads as they dropped right into its mouth.

The screams cut off abruptly, leaving behind a gory mess. Deep crimson blood splashed across the entire carriage in an instant, like spilled ink.

The passengers' corpses were scattered everywhere; some lay haphazardly on the floor, while others were piled into a small mound. The common denominator was that none of them had heads.

Just as the giant blue leopard was enjoying a feast of human heads, a ghastly white figure suddenly flashed past the window. He shattered the glass with his feet and descended into the carriage along with the flying glass.

White Jack slowly raised his eyes, peering out from beneath the brim of his hat at the creature's silhouette.

[Superhuman Codename: "Blue Leopard Man"]

[Type: mutant]

[Danger Rating: C Rank]

[Superhuman Profile: As the name suggests, a mutant as swift as a leopard. He has inherited leopard traits and can freely switch between human and leopard forms.]

"So, it's just a little kitty cat that eats people."

White Jack shook his head and let out a breath. He slowly straightened up and retrieved the Cursed Doll from his inventory. In an instant, a ragdoll wearing a black Western-style dress appeared on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey, my name is White Jack," White Jack said.

"Ha, ha, ha, my name is Mio," the doll said.

White Jack spread his hands. "That's right, we are the best partners in the world."

The doll spread her stubby little arms as well. "I hate you. I only want to partner with Master. Partnering with you is no different from being exiled to Siberia to dig potatoes!"

"Oh, oh, oh, how could you say such hurtful things, Miss Mio!" White Jack shook his head, pressing a hand to his forehead with a sigh.

"You aren't even human, so Mio isn't hurting your feelings!" Mio said.

"I will petition for human rights for puppets!"

"Lord Mio is the president of the ragdoll world, motion denied!"

The man and the ragdoll went back and forth like a comedy duo, completely sidelining the Blue Leopard Man.

The blue leopard let out a low hiss and slowly turned its head, glaring furiously. It crushed a half-eaten skull in its grip, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth.

"Does my ugliness actually give you an appetite?" White Jack asked.

"He clearly has an appetite for Lord Mio," the doll said.

"I see. In that case, I definitely can't let him succeed!"

As soon as his voice fell, White Jack huffily equipped the Evil Angel Fist Blade from his inventory.

A pitch-black gauntlet attached itself to his right arm, covering him from the wrist all the way to his five fingers. A black blade extended forward, curving into the shape of a crescent moon.

"Go, little thing, let him hear what real music sounds like!"

White Jack suddenly clamped his hands over his ears. Immediately after, the doll on his shoulder took a deep breath, opened her mouth wide, and unleashed an ear-splitting, demonic shriek. The sound instantly flooded the entire carriage like a tidal wave: "Guwaaaaaah—!"

["Black Melody": Briefly enhance the attributes of a targeted ally, or briefly inflict mental interference upon a surrounding enemy.]

The Black Melody had two effects. What Mio used right now was naturally the latter.

The Blue Leopard Man roared, throwing its paws over its ears. In that moment, its mind was plunged into a state of extreme chaos, and its entire body slumped limply onto the floor.

This gave White Jack an opening. Quick as a flash, he ricocheted off the upper carriage wall, streaking toward his opponent amid a flurry of lightning as he swung out his right arm.

"Squelch—!"

In a flash, the Evil Angel Fist Blade carved a deep trench into the creature's shoulder. Black gas spewed forth from the bloody gash and poured into the fist blade, nourishing the wicked weapon.

[Prompt: The effect of the "Evil Angel Fist Blade" has been triggered—after striking an enemy, you will temporarily steal a portion of their "Strength" attribute. (This effect can be triggered repeatedly on a single enemy).]

[Prompt: Your Strength attribute has been increased.]

White Jack took a deep breath. He could feel his strength swelling at a visible rate. It was as if every blood vessel and every cell in his body was pulsing restlessly, craving a blood sacrifice.

"Nobody said this thing would affect my mind too! I don't want to turn into a witch. Doesn't 'Witch Jack' sound bad? If it sounds bad, then how about 'White Witch'!" White Jack babbled incessantly even as he launched himself forward.

This time, without Mio's mental interference, he had no choice but to clash with the Blue Leopard Man head-on.

Mio shrieked, "White Jack, don't die on me!"

White Jack shouted back, "How can you have so little faith in me, Miss Mio!"

As he spoke, a tiny paper figure suddenly popped up in the palm of his left hand, looking up and chanting "Superhuman Philosophy." Immediately after, a faint golden light enveloped White Jack's body.

White Jack let the massive leopard claw slash down at him—it couldn't shake his physical form anyway. A second later, he raised his fist blade again and violently smashed it into the leopard's chest.

"Bang—!"

A deafening crash rang out, overpowering the roar of the engines. The Blue Leopard Man was sent flying backward by two meters. It raised a beastly paw to clutch its cracked chest, narrowing its animalistic eyes to glare at White Jack's silhouette.

A cloud of black gas oozed from the wound along with the blood, pouring straight back into White Jack's fist blade.

[Prompt: The effect of the "Evil Angel Fist Blade" has been triggered, stealing a portion of strength from the super-human species "Blue Leopard Man."]

"This is fantastic. Is this what it feels like to be a thief?" White Jack tipped his hat downward.

"White Jack, how can you be so despicable? Give Mr. Leopard his strength back right now! He's about to cry!" The ragdoll Mio waved her stubby arms, shouting her accusations from his shoulder.

"Roar—!"

The Blue Leopard Man was utterly enraged. Its furious roar echoed through the entire carriage. It could see that its opponent had no intention of treating this like a real fight; the man was just toying with it like a circus clown!

At that moment, it sprang forward on all fours, blasting out like a deep blue meteor.

White Jack had anticipated this. Stomping his feet, he preemptively retreated backward. But his speed simply couldn't match the Blue Leopard Man's, and the creature's claws were already infinitely close to his pupils.

In that hair-raising split second, the agitated little paper figure on his palm suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "Eternal Return."

["Eternal Return" (from the philosopher "Nietzsche"): Returns you or a surrounding target to the position held 1.5 seconds ago.]

Enveloped in a flash of blue light, White Jack's figure suddenly zipped back to the position he had occupied 1.5 seconds ago.

And that position was directly behind the Blue Leopard Man.

The Blue Leopard Man's pupils contracted as its claws swiped at empty air. Just as it lost its target, a searing wave of agony flared up from behind. White Jack's fist blade had slashed into its back!

Lightning channeled along the edge of the blade, tearing open the Blue Leopard Man's back and wreaking havoc inside its body, vaporizing the blood before it could even flow out.

"Roar!"

Howling in pain, it convulsed and bolted forward, once again putting some distance between itself and White Jack.

The Blue Leopard Man turned its head, panting heavily. Black gas was seeping out from every single wound on its body, and arcs of electricity still danced across its skin, causing severe numbness.

It could feel its strength draining away. Every cell in its body was withering, and even the muscles in its arms had noticeably shrunk.

On the other side of the carriage, White Jack was standing with his hands on his hips in a blatantly cocky posture, looking increasingly full of himself.

"Feeling weak?" he asked.

"Not as weak as White Jack," Mio chimed in.

[Prompt: The effect of the "Evil Angel Fist Blade" has been triggered, stealing a portion of the enemy's strength.]

This was the third time White Jack had seen this prompt window. By now, the Evil Angel Fist Blade was completely shrouded in billowing black gas. From a distance, it looked as if he was gripping a pitch-black orb.

"White Jack, are you a magician?" the ragdoll tilted her head.

"That's right, I'm your exclusive magician, Miss Mio." As White Jack spoke, he suddenly leaned forward, took off his top hat, and placed it on Mio's head. "Do you still feel like coming out to work with me is like digging potatoes in Siberia?"

Mio's tiny head couldn't possibly fit such a large hat, so her face, and her vision along with it, were completely blocked by the brim.

No matter how hard she tried, her stubby little arms couldn't push the hat away.

"Mio must be in Siberia right now, right?" Giving up the struggle, she grumbled pitifully. "Mio is definitely digging potatoes."

The Blue Leopard Man lay twitching on the floor. It knew its chances of winning were already slim.

Its only option now was to use every last ounce of its strength—like the purest, most primal beast—relying on instinct for a desperate counterattack!

It tensed its muscles, and its shrunken limbs swelled up once more like small mountains. The price, however, was that its blood flowed out far more fiercely, turning it into a blood-red leopard in a matter of moments.

This time, White Jack had no intention of dodging. He cracked his knuckles, crouched slightly, and locked eyes with the Blue Leopard Man.

Man and leopard stared at each other in silence while the carriage lights flickered on and off.

The next instant, both charged forward simultaneously, clashing together in close combat like gladiators in an arena.

Logically speaking, it should have been completely impossible for Ke Mingqing to match a C Rank super-human species whose main strength was brute force. Furthermore, he was controlling the second Theater Puppet, which possessed only half the attributes of the main body.

Given that, it should have been even more impossible.

But, thanks to the strength repeatedly stolen by the Evil Angel, he had grown stronger, and the Blue Leopard Man had grown weaker.

With one growing stronger and the other growing weaker, their strength miraculously reached an equilibrium, much like the balance of Tai Chi.

At this exact moment, the Evil Angel's fist blade, radiating violent black gas and pitch-black lightning, crashed straight into the Blue Leopard Man's claws.

Fist blade and leopard claw collided. Wisps of electrical arcs danced in the air as fierce currents and black gas swept outward, wreaking destruction across the entire carriage.

"Crack—!"

At that moment, the train suddenly went pitch dark. Amidst the blinding darkness, a sound like snapping metal echoed out.

"White Jack, did you die?" Mio's voice rang out from the darkness.

"I'm not dead yet, Miss Mio," White Jack replied faintly.

The next instant, the carriage lights flickered back on. The Blue Leopard Man's claws had been snapped cleanly off, the bloody appendages sent spinning into the air.

Now completely unobstructed, White Jack's fist blade drove straight forward, slicing into its neck. The pitch-black lightning and the inky black gas surged together, ruthlessly corroding the giant leopard's body.

The edge of the blade sank deeper and deeper.

Finally, with a sickening squelch, the Blue Leopard Man's neck was severed completely.

The massive leopard head catapulted to the right, crashing into the train window with a heavy thud. It slid slowly to the floor and fell still.

At the same time, a settlement panel popped up in White Jack's vision.

[Prompt: Successfully killed one "C Rank super-human species." Acquired 500 EXP.]

[Current Level Progress: Lv.09 (600 points/4500 points)]

"Take the hat off, Mio can't see anything!" The ragdoll was still waging a battle of wits against the hat on her head.

"Work's done."

White Jack picked up the top hat covering her head and placed it back on his own. But just as he was about to leave, the sound of something tearing through the distant night sky reached his ears.

He raised an eyebrow and turned to look out the window.

At that moment, a figure clad in a long black-and-red metallic coat was standing on Wind and Fire Wheels, streaking through the night sky outside the carriage and closing in on the G2135 high-speed rail.

A moment later, Red Lotus slowed her flight, allowing White Jack to get a clear view of her.

She maintained a parallel distance with the train, looking down from her high vantage point to quietly gaze at the ghastly white figure inside the carriage.

"Well, if it isn't our Miss Red Lotus," White Jack shrugged. "It's only been a few days, but I've missed you dearly."

Saying that, he stowed away his bloodstained Evil Angel Fist Blade and held the ragdoll from his shoulder high up in the air. "Allow me to introduce you. This is my new partner, Miss Mio."

"Let go of Mio! This is a downright humiliation!"

The ragdoll flailed her stubby limbs in midair but simply couldn't break free. The wind caught the hem of her dress, exposing her mini-panties to the night sky.

"Lord Mio's flashing everyone!"

"Oh, my heavens, this is truly—"

White Jack raised a hand to cover his eyes, making a big show of averting his gaze as he pulled Mio back and set her down on his shoulder.

"White Jack is an absolute beast. He won't even spare a ragdoll!" Mio mumbled, her head hung low.

"I am a gentleman through and through," White Jack shook his head. "This was a pure misunderstanding, Miss Mio."

Red Lotus raised an eyebrow, glanced at the ragdoll, and then turned her gaze to the scene inside the carriage. The Blue Leopard Man's severed head lay in one corner, while a small mountain of passenger corpses was piled up on the other side.

"I didn't expect you to do a good deed," she said, turning back to meet White Jack's eyes.

"Oh, that is the most stereotypical stereotype to ever exist. When did I ever say I was a villain?" White Jack said, setting Mio back on his shoulder.

"White Jack is a bad guy. All he does is bully Lord Mio," the ragdoll muttered.

"Shut up, or I'll punish you by sending you to dig potatoes in Siberia."

"Mio doesn't want to dig potatoes."

Watching this man and ragdoll bicker like a comedy duo, Red Lotus actually found it rather amusing. Cradling her Fire-Tipped Spear, she quietly watched for a moment before speaking up. "Seeing as you didn't do a bad deed, I won't kill you this time. You can go."

"Of course, I'll screw off right away." White Jack raised a single finger. "But before that—Miss Red Lotus, there is something I must discuss with you."

"What is it?" Red Lotus tilted her head.

"It's a matter concerning your younger sister," White Jack said quietly. "This is very important. If it isn't handled correctly, she might even lose her life on the spot."

Red Lotus froze slightly.

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