N-M Chapter 814 - 654: I’m Not Him (Part 1)
Chapter 814 - 654: I’m Not Him (Part 1)
Back to Shen Tang and Jin’s side.
Ever since that last unpleasant conversation, the two of them hadn’t spoken again. Every time Shen Tang wanted to talk to him, the other man was like an iceberg, completely inaccessible.
It was as if an ice wall that could never melt had been raised between them, and a silent cold war continued on and on.
Shen Tang also heard the commotion outside, hurried to the window, and saw a huge crowd pressing in, surrounding from all sides; the entire estate, inside and out, was encircled.
When she saw Shou He at the head of the troops, her face changed even more dramatically. She couldn’t care about anything else and rushed straight into Jin’s room.
Staring at the tall, powerfully built black‑haired man standing by the window, she urged anxiously, "Shou He has found us. This time he’ll definitely drag you back. Hurry and find a chance to escape!"
Jin had already noticed the commotion outside, but he showed no reaction at all. Those dark‑gold eyes were like a pool of dead water, so still it was as if he didn’t care about anything.
"Ah Jin?" Shen Tang stepped forward to grab his hand, but he shook her off in one motion.
"You should go," he said flatly. "Don’t worry about me."
The one Shou He wanted to capture was him. From beginning to end, Shen Tang was just an innocent person dragged into this; there was no need for her to get involved in this muddy mess.
As long as Shou He caught him, the troops would naturally withdraw.
Shen Tang looked utterly incredulous and shook her head. "No. We have to escape together. How could I possibly abandon you? If Shou He catches you, he and the lab will never let you go."
There wasn’t a trace of fear on Jin’s face—or rather, he didn’t show any expression at all. His whole body exuded a faint air of defeat as he said indifferently, "Mm, if they take me, they take me. I’ve had enough of this life of hiding and running."
He knew Shou He and the lab wouldn’t stop. The reason he’d stayed here these past few days instead of leaving was because he’d been waiting for them to come knocking.
If he was taken back, he would either be sealed or killed.
Those were the only two endings.
Living didn’t seem to mean much anymore.
Shen Tang had never seen him so listless and dejected, as if he had lost interest in everything, even the will to go on living.
She wanted to persuade him, but she didn’t know where to start.
Seeing that people had already entered the building to search, she had no time to think. She quickly took a puppet out of the Space.
When Jin saw this puppet, even his calm face flickered with a hint of surprise. At first glance it was almost indistinguishable from a real person; if not for the complete absence of any signs of life or energy fluctuations, even standing this close one would have thought it was alive.
And its figure was extremely similar to Shen Tang’s.
Shen Tang quickly threw a cloak over the puppet and infused it with a strand of spiritual power.
The next second, something miraculous happened.
The puppet suddenly seemed to come alive. It could move on its own and could even briefly "use" the superpower relayed from the original body. It smashed through the window and jumped out to flee.
"Look, someone’s running!"
"It’s that female!"
"After her! Catch her!"
A group of people immediately gave chase.
Right after that, Shen Tang quickly put on [Thousand Faces].
This High-level item produced by the System could not only change one’s face, but also alter one’s body shape to a certain extent!
It did have its limits, though. The longer you wore it, the more likely it would burn your skin. Changing body shape caused the bones and muscles to stretch painfully—the longer it lasted, the stronger the pain and the shorter the duration—far less convenient than just changing one’s face, so she rarely altered her figure before.
But this time, Shen Tang directly used it to adjust her body shape.
Her body visibly stretched taller, becoming as tall and strongly built as a male, and her face shifted as well, turning into Jin’s!
With the cloak draped over her, she looked almost indistinguishable from the real person.
"I’ll draw them away. You find a chance to run." Shen Tang didn’t have time to explain more. She shoved a Concealing Talisman into his hand, then left using an Instant Teleportation Talisman.
Jin stood there in a daze. A moment later, a commotion erupted outside.
"It’s that Mad Beast!"
"He finally showed up! Catch him!"
A large group of people all rushed after "him," even Shou He was fooled and joined the fight personally.
The reinforcements that had come were completely drawn away.
She... actually used herself as a target, drawing all the firepower, just to let him escape?
Jin watched the chaos outside, and it was as if a crack appeared on that face which had been cold and lifeless.
He clenched his fists, veins bulging along his arms, his breathing growing rapid as he almost rushed out. But in the next second, it was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, and he let out a bitter laugh.
She risked her life to save him still because of that "Beast Husband," right.
To stake her life over and over again—she really did love "him" down to her bones.
...
Shen Tang’s trick didn’t hold up for long.
The puppet hadn’t made it far before it was destroyed. Shou He led the Beastmen in surrounding her, sealing off all avenues of retreat.
Once they were close, Shou He suddenly sensed something was wrong. This "male" before him was identical to Jin in appearance and build, but the aura was completely off!
No, they’d been played—this wasn’t Jin at all!
"Who on earth are you!"
Shen Tang’s face had gone pale from pain. She immediately tore off the mask, her body swiftly shrinking back to its original shape, revealing her real appearance.
This sudden change left everyone present stunned. Even Shou He’s face flashed with both suspicion and rage.
Such an exquisite disguise had actually fooled even him.
After seeing Shen Tang’s face clearly, he narrowed his eyes, his voice icy cold. "You again!"
His words bristled with unmasked killing intent. "It’s you, this female, who has ruined my plans again and again! Today will be the day you die!"
A terrifying pressure burst out from him, like a thousand‑catty weight slamming down.
Shen Tang’s face turned deathly white in an instant. Her body trembled and burned, and she almost dropped to her knees on the spot. It felt like she’d been bound by invisible chains, so stiff she couldn’t move at all.
This was the power of Shou He, the Hunting Leopard Clan Family Head. She couldn’t beat him at her peak, let alone now.
The sky around them suddenly darkened, black clouds pressing low as superpower currents surged violently in the air. A blade of Thunder condensed out of thin air.
"Xiao Fu!" Yue Lin was so anxious he tried to rush forward to save her, but chains of ice and snow condensed out of nowhere and bound him tightly in place.
"You brat, don’t interfere! Don’t disgrace the Yue Family’s name!" Yue Zan barked.
Jiang Mu and the others had long reported to him that Yue Lin had taken a liking to this Foreign Clan commoner female and was clinging to her shamelessly—utterly humiliating!
He had already arranged Yue Lin’s marriage—either a union within the clan or with a major Foreign Clan. How could he possibly let a commoner female marry in? If that happened, where would the Yue Family’s face be?
Today, he had to crush that thought completely—the cleanest way was for this female to die!
"You can’t lay a hand on her... ugh!" Yue Lin didn’t finish speaking before he was knocked unconscious.
Yue Zan handed him over to Jiang Mu and ordered coldly, "Take the Young Master back to rest!"
The Yue Family absolutely wouldn’t get involved in today’s matter.
Normally, the Hunting Leopard Clan and the Moon Wolf Clan kept to their own territory, and the two Family Heads had no ties. Yue Zan should never have allowed Shou He to lead troops into the Royal City; this was tantamount to a provocation.
But this time was special—there was a ultimatum issued by the "Hand of Creation"!
Jiang Mu and the others looked anxiously toward Xun Fu. Yin Luo was so worried he was on the verge of tears, but he couldn’t defy the Family Head, nor could he save anyone. All he could do was first take the Young Master back.
Jin clutched the talisman in his hand, the cold indifference on his face long gone, staring blankly at Shen Tang, who had been driven into a corner, his fists clenched so tightly they went white.
She clearly had been scolded harshly by him, yet she still risked her life to save him... just because of this face?
He had personally said he wanted to sever their ties, to become strangers from then on, but when he saw she was about to die at Shou He’s hands, he still couldn’t stop himself from stepping in.
At the instant the Thunder Blade thrust toward her, Shen Tang’s heart tightened. Just as she was about to use her Space Ability to dodge, a black shadow reached her first, pulling her into his arms and instantly taking her out of danger.
Shou He looked toward the black‑haired youth in the distance and smiled. "You finally showed up. All my searching wasn’t in vain."