Chapter 360

Chapter 307: Corpse Transformation

In the southwestern region of Prite, under the boundless night sky, the steam train continued its journey amidst the constant hum. Inside the first-class carriage at the front end of the train, an eerie silence prevailed as almost all passengers were in a deep sleep. However, one carriage stood out with a lively scene.

At this moment, within the carriage belonging to Gregor, a close-quarters intense battle was taking place. The assassin disguised as a train attendant was attempting to assassinate Gregor who was “asleep,” but was met with a sudden counterattack from Dorothy. Using the puppet mark to manipulate Gregor’s body, she launched a surprise attack that caught the assassin off guard. As a result, the assassin missed their chance and was instead brutally beaten.

Leveraging Little Fox’s sleepwalking, Dorothy successfully placed a puppet mark on Gregor and then used it to control his sleeping form. The limit for controlling a corpse puppet is ten kilometers, but controlling a living puppet has no such restrictions. With the puppet mark serving as the interface for spiritual threads, manipulation can be performed regardless of distance.

Dorothy remotely controlled her brother’s body, pushing the attacking assassin against the wall of the compartment and delivering relentless punches. Relying on the element of surprise, Gregor delivered a powerful strike to the assassin’s groin at the first opportunity. The intense pain disoriented the assassin, preventing them from concentrating on the incoming attacks, leading to their being cornered and beaten up. Gregor’s fists continuously struck the assassin’s body and face, breaking noses and knocking out teeth.

In the dream realm, Gregor’s physical consciousness manifested as a black dog and Little Fox sat together, watching a large screen displaying live footage from the compartment. They observed the scene from Gregor’s perspective, watching Dorothy’s beatdown live. This new and exciting scenario made Little Fox wag her tail excitedly.

“Oh~ That punch was so powerful! Ugh~ Another kick! Hit him in the face! Hit him in the face! Hit him! Great~”

As she watched the thrilling fight live, she called out while occasionally extending her claws to mimic punching, much like an audience member cheering from below the ring. If she could stand upright, she would undoubtedly clap and cheer.

Compared to Little Fox, the expression on Gregor’s dog face was much more complex. As Gregor’s true self, witnessing his own body being controlled to fight others while watching the live stream was a peculiar experience.

This peculiar experience was not limited to just that. In the live stream, the face of the person being hit was identical to his own. Seeing the familiar face on the screen being deformed and bleeding made it hard for Gregor to describe his feelings.

‘I… I am seeing someone else use my body to hit my own face in my dream… There should be no one in history who has had the same experience as me…’

Gregor thought to himself, feeling extremely complicated. Watching his own face being beaten was a unique experience, especially when he saw the assassin, who had his own face, take a heavy blow to the groin. He felt a chill and a sense of surreal pain.

‘That devout follower of the divine existence Akka truly has a ruthless hand…’

Gregor thought, and the first-person fight in the live stream continued, nearing its conclusion.

The assassin disguised as a train attendant was a Shadow Faced Man, a Black Tier extraordinary being specializing in “Shadow” and assisting with “Cup.” They possessed second-tier “Shadow” and first-tier “Cup,” which should make them formidable in close combat. “Shadow” grants extraordinary reflexes and agility, along with enchanted abilities that enhance blade sharpness, plus enhanced physical capabilities from “Cup.”

As a Black Tier assassin, they had second-tier “Shadow” and first-tier “Cup,” whereas Gregor, as an apprentice, only had first-tier “Shadow.” Normally, these two would never win a direct confrontation.

However, the current situation was not normal. Dorothy transmitted the effects of the bl**d-Eating Sigil through spiritual threads, enhancing Gregor’s physical abilities and adding first-tier “Cup” effects. Therefore, the gap between Gregor and the assassin was reduced to just the difference in speed and agility provided by first-tier “Shadow.”

To utilize speed and agility effectively, ample space is required for maneuvering. But the current combat environment was confined to a small compartment, and they were cornered against the wall, leaving no room for movement. Additionally, they were hit by a preemptive strike to the groin, causing intense pain that prevented the assassin from focusing and only allowed them to endure the beating passively.

Thus, with the help of bl**d-Eating, the surprise attack, and the confined environment, Dorothy used Gregor’s apprentice body to brutally beat the Black Tier assassin, pinning them against the wall.

Finally, Dorothy seized an opportunity, manipulating her brother to disarm the nearly defenseless assassin, pressing the kn*fe into their heart. The assassin, dressed in train attendant attire, struggled briefly before falling silent, dying at Gregor’s hands.

Afterward, Dorothy made Gregor’s body slowly rise, looking down at the motionless corpse below. The face of the corpse began to wriggle and rapidly change, eventually revealing a face that was neither Gregor’s nor the previous train attendant’s, but a stranger’s man’s face.

In the dream, Gregor’s true self and Little Fox witnessed this through the live feed on the screen. Little Fox couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“That guy… is dead? And his face changed… Could this be the Shadow Faced Man grandfather talked about? An extraordinary being capable of altering others’ appearances through ‘Shadow’… Hey, Black Dog, how did you provoke such a thing?”

Little Fox asked Gregor, who sighed in relief and replied.

“Huh… I don’t know. I haven’t provoked such a person. Their reason for trying to k*ll me wasn’t due to enmity, but… because of my identity…”

Seeing the assassin dead, Gregor felt relieved, followed by thoughts about the assassin’s motives.

Previously, Gregor didn’t understand why he, a low-level apprentice with no confidential tasks or valuable cargo, was targeted. Now, it was clear. They were after his identity—his promotion from the peripheral regions to becoming a Hunter in the An Yin Bureau.

If they could eliminate him on the train and then change their appearance and clothing, they could easily replace him and infiltrate the bureau unnoticed. To the bureau, he was merely new personnel with paper records, making it easy to slip through unnoticed.

This was why they needed to m*rder him quietly. Only if his d*ath went unnoticed could their plan proceed smoothly.

“Huh? Your identity?” Little Fox said, puzzled. In response, text appeared in the Dream Space.

“Yes… Miss Fox might not know, but the face that changed just now belonged to Hunter. Perhaps they wanted to assassinate Hunter and then use his face and identity to infiltrate the An Yin Bureau.”

The text in the Dream Space read, and simultaneously, Gregor turned to look at the glass inside the compartment, observing the faint reflection. Little Fox could vaguely see that the reflected face resembled the assassin’s unaltered face.

“Oh… So that guy just changed into your face, Black Dog… Hmm… Can you come a bit closer? I can’t see clearly…”

Little Fox said curiously, and the dog-faced Gregor responded solemnly.

“Thank you for your assistance! I won’t forget your help. Although the crisis is over, the effects of the medicine are still strong, and my body cannot wake up on its own. Please hide this corpse in a cabinet or under the bed. Don’t let anyone else on the train see it and cause a commotion. Once I reach my destination, I will notify my colleagues to handle it. Someone will meet me at the station.”

Gregor thanked the mysterious Akka believer who helped him, and the other quickly responded, with new words gradually appearing in front of Gregor.

“Hide the corpse? Heh… Mr. Hunter, there’s no need for that trouble. This assassin should have prepared a way to dispose of the body, and it will be very convenient.”

“The convenient… method to dispose of the body?” Looking at the text, Gregor tilted his head in confusion. Meanwhile, Dorothy directly manipulated Gregor’s body in the carriage to squat down and begin searching the assassin’s body.