Chapter 80: Concealing One’s Aura?

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“He’s never killed anyone… Just like I once was, he’s a good person.” Inwardly, Xu Lu pondered, her gaze softening. After spending so long among the twisted members of the Black Scorpion Organization, encountering someone like Lin Dong felt like a breath of fresh air. He truly was different.

It was as if a chord in Xu Lu’s heart was plucked at that moment.

She had been running for her life in the apocalypse, enduring humiliation and surviving by any means necessary. Her spirit was utterly exhausted, yearning for a shoulder she could genuinely lean on.

All at once, Xu Lu was seized by a powerful obsession—she didn’t want Lin Dong to die. Perhaps she could let him join the organization for now, and later, when the chance arose… the two of them could escape together, side by side.

“If anything unexpected happens, you must listen to me,” she whispered. “It might be the only way you survive.”

“What could possibly go wrong?” Lin Dong smiled, his meaning clear: hunting these people down was all but a foregone conclusion.

The two of them arrived at a vast, empty hall.

The surroundings were pitch black. In the center, supplies were piled up—several crates of bottled water, instant noodles in cardboard boxes, and some canned food. All of these had been gathered by the Black Scorpion Organization.

“The supplies are here,” Xu Lu said.

“Hmm…” Lin Dong nodded, unimpressed by such meager rations. His real target had yet to reveal itself.

He silently attuned his senses to the environment; the psychic barrier around him grew denser. Clearly, many humans were lurking nearby.

Indeed, hidden in the darkness, pairs of eyes were intently watching him.

“Xu Lu actually led this big sucker here!”

“He’s really alone? This guy’s got guts.”

“Wait a second…” Suddenly, one of the young men furrowed his brow. He was a psychic-type awakened one, sensitive to disturbances, and he sensed something amiss.

“I can’t sense any living aura from him!”

“What?” The people around him were visibly startled.

“If he’s not human, what is he? Don’t tell me we’re dealing with a ghost?”

“A zombie? But do zombies act like this?”

“I think it’s probably his awakening ability—maybe he can mask his presence and interfere with our senses.”

“That’s possible?” The group murmured among themselves.

The middle-aged man leading them swept his sinister gaze across the room. He, too, could not sense Lin Dong’s aura, but seeing that he was alone, he wasn’t particularly worried. After all, they had the numbers.

And since they’d chosen to set a trap, there was no room for hesitation.

“Brothers, do it!”

“Yes!” The group responded, no longer bothering to keep themselves hidden. Their power began to surge, filling the air with a chilling energy.

Among them, two speed-type awakened ones shot out from the darkness like arrows, each wielding an alloy dagger, charging straight at their target with deadly intent.

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“Hm?” Lin Dong glanced around, instantly detecting more than a dozen presences—quite a crowd…

The two attackers were upon him in a flash, fierce as tigers, about to reach him in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, a girl darted in front of them.

“Stop!” Xu Lu spread her arms wide, shielding Lin Dong behind her. “Yan, don’t kill him yet!”

The two speed-awakened ones abruptly slowed, halting with obvious irritation.

“Hey! You little slut, what are you doing?”

“Don’t kill him yet!” Xu Lu’s tone was tense.

In the gloom, Feng Yan stepped out with the others.

“What’s going on?”

“No idea! This bitch suddenly blocked us and said not to kill him,” one of them snarled.

Feng Yan’s sinister gaze bore into Xu Lu, demanding an explanation.

Xu Lu forced herself to appear calm. “Yan, we talked just now. He also hates the so-called order and wants to join our organization.”

As she spoke, she shot Lin Dong a meaningful glance, reminding him to follow her lead.

“Oh, yes, I really don’t care for this so-called order,” Lin Dong nodded.

After all, his rules were the only rules.

The others studied him with suspicion and unease, their expressions mixed.

In this apocalyptic nightmare, the Black Scorpion Organization had never shied away from taking in more people.

The burly man with the bristling beard frowned and demanded, “Xu Lu, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for him?”

“I…” Xu Lu hesitated.

An adult’s silence is answer enough.

The bearded man scoffed. “Ha! Just yesterday you said I was the best, and by the next afternoon, you’re in love with someone else…”

“That’s enough!” Feng Yan cut them off. Joining the Black Scorpion Organization was no simple matter; you had to prove yourself.

“If you want to join us, you’ll have to kill a human first—preferably a survivor from the official shelter.”

After all, the shelter’s people symbolized adherence to order.

“After you kill, you’ll also need to pass our leader’s review. Can you do that?” Feng Yan asked.

“The leader?”

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Lin Dong murmured to himself. It seemed the Black Scorpion Organization had a strict hierarchy—there was even a leader…

“Who’s the leader?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Clearly, Feng Yan didn’t trust him yet and wouldn’t say more.

“Oh, right. What’s your awakened ability?” Feng Yan probed.

“My ability is to mask my presence. I can also help others conceal theirs,” Lin Dong replied casually.

“I knew it!” The group exclaimed in awe, exchanging glances. No wonder his presence had felt so strange earlier.

For the Black Scorpion Organization, always skulking about and dabbling in shady affairs, being able to hide one’s presence was a prized skill. With it, they’d never have to worry about being discovered.

Feng Yan, however, remained skeptical. “Can you really help others hide their presence? Show us.”

“Of course.” Lin Dong’s lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes drifting toward the bearded man as he strode over.

“I’ll use you for a demonstration—hope you don’t mind?”

“You… Fine! Bring it on! But if you try to trick us, I’ll tear you to pieces,” the burly man blustered. Though he felt a vague unease as Lin Dong approached, with so many people around, he doubted anything could go wrong, so he braced himself.

“Good luck…” Xu Lu clenched her fists anxiously. The plan had gone as she hoped so far. If Lin Dong could prove his worth, offer a token of loyalty, and then pass the leader’s review, he could join the Black Scorpion Organization.

So she prayed silently that Lin Dong’s ability to mask auras was real.

She hadn’t been this nervous since her college entrance exams…

At that moment, Lin Dong stood before the big man, his smile widening.

Before everyone’s eyes, he slowly raised his slender hand and, wielding the power of the Corpse Domain, thrust it directly into the man’s forehead.

“Uh…”

The man stared blankly, his eyes suddenly glazing over as a wave of deathly cold swept over him; dread gripped his heart.

In that instant, he realized what was happening and tried to resist—

But it was too late.

The next second, darkness swallowed him. He lost consciousness instantly.

As the bearded man's body collapsed, a crystal core appeared in Lin Dong’s hand.

“See? He has no aura left, does he?”

…