Chapter 263: A New Ability of the Magic Cube Space?

"Could someone who killed Shangguan Jun so easily pass out just because of oxygen deprivation? You must have quite a few secrets yourself, right? Do you know, Shangguan Jun was an important piece in Zhetian (Covering the Sky)?" Lin Yi mused aloud, cocking the gun pointed at Jing Shu's head, lost in thought.

Jing Shu's heart pounded in her chest. Could her luck get any worse? Wait, she still had some value, right? Surely, they could talk this out! Poor Jing Shu couldn’t make even the slightest reaction. If only her magic cube space and reality were completely synchronized, maybe she could manipulate a gun from her magic cube and shoot Lin Yi right now.

“Heh, guess she’s not faking it,” Lin Yi muttered. Something clicked in his mind, and he put the gun away. He crouched down, rolling Jing Shu over to examine her more closely.

Her face, covered in dried blood, looked even more battered than Su Mali’s. Lin Yi pressed his fingers against her neck and nostrils, checking her pulse and breathing. He even flipped open her eyelids for a more thorough inspection, frowning as he did.

It wasn’t oxygen deprivation after all!

“What’s wrong, boss? Want me to finish this one off?” Fatty asked eagerly, ready to kick Jing Shu again, but Lin Yi stopped him with a single look.

Lin Yi waved him off. "This woman... I still have use for her." He began searching Jing Shu’s body but only found knives, tools, and other survival items. His frown deepened. She didn’t have a gun? No lethal weapons? Strange. Had she lost them along the way?

Jing Shu exhaled softly in relief. Thankfully, she had developed the habit of keeping her valuables in the magic cube space. Whenever she needed something, she would make it appear as if she was pulling it from her pocket. Her phone, full of secrets, was also safely stored in the space. This habit of storing important items had become second nature.

Wait—Jing Shu should be thankful that she still had some value and wasn’t killed outright!

“Forget it. Chain them both here, and keep an eye on them. Also, get someone to clear the passage outside. We can’t have it affecting the next phase,” Lin Yi ordered, standing up and rubbing his chin. He added, “And be extra careful. That woman is the one who killed Shangguan Jun. You know who that is, don’t you?”

Fatty shuddered at the mention of Shangguan Jun. Of course, he knew!

“Don’t worry, boss! I’ll keep a close watch. I’ll make sure they can’t go anywhere,” Fatty assured him. But inwardly, he was already planning his next move. As soon as the boss left, he could do whatever he wanted, right?

Su Mali was off-limits as the primary hostage, but this smaller fish... Fatty grinned to himself, already imagining the "fun" he would have.

Lin Yi nodded and collected all the guns before leaving the underground passage. Just before exiting, he discreetly placed two miniature surveillance devices near the door, ensuring everything would be monitored.

“I wonder what secrets you’re hiding,” Lin Yi hummed to himself as he left, excited at the thought. His favorite game was always turning others' methods against them. If he hadn’t been so cautious—following a strict routine of constant surveillance—this woman might have already figured something out.

Lin Yi knew exactly what kind of man Fatty was. He had left Fatty behind on purpose, wanting to see how things would unfold. How would Jing Shu resist when all external help was cut off?

This would be interesting.

As Lin Yi left, Jing Shu, in her state of near "out-of-body" experience, clearly saw his every move. The overlap between her magic cube space and reality was giving her a new perspective, allowing her to see everything as if she were watching it from above.

Jing Shu found it increasingly incredible. Her vision extended to wherever her magic cube space expanded. Within this space, it seemed there were no blind spots.

Was this one of the new abilities from the seventh-tier upgrade of the magic cube space?

In this overlapping space, Jing Shu had what felt like an “omniscient perspective,” similar to how she controlled the cube space itself. She had complete control over her surroundings.

The “omniscient vision” was likely only the beginning of these new powers.

Just as in the magic cube space, the “omniscient vision” seemed to be an extension of its reflection into the real world. Therefore, what she was seeing wasn’t her soul leaving her body; rather, it was the projection of the magic cube space into her mind.

As the magic cube space grew larger, so did her view of the world around her.

Once Lin Yi left, Fatty brought a few henchmen to bind Su Mali and Jing Shu tightly in the underground passage. The floor was littered with debris, water puddles, and dark residue from previous activities. They were clearly plotting something down here.

To prevent their escape, Fatty secured them with chains around thick pillars. Rubbing his hands together gleefully, he muttered, “Just wait. I’ll be back after fixing the passage. Then we can have some real fun.”

He had considered touching Jing Shu’s face, but her filthy appearance made him recoil. Instead, he left to handle other tasks, leaving Jing Shu to sigh in relief once again.

Time passed slowly, and as it did, bugs attracted by the decay of Da Mao's corpse began to swarm. In less than two hours, his body had been reduced to a pile of bones, leaving nothing but a faint stain of blood.

Eventually, Jing Shu’s vision grew blurry. The magic cube space projection began to fragment and collapse, and she lost her sight and consciousness.

As her magic cube space continued to upgrade, new information flowed into her mind. Jing Shu finally realized that this new perspective was just one small branch of the magic cube space's evolving abilities.

...

“Man, today was exhausting,” Fatty grumbled, pleased with the loot he had collected. The crushed man’s Swiss watch had been a nice bonus, though it was a shame the guns had been destroyed too. Still, he felt good about the haul.

Strolling back to the two captives, he smirked and rubbed his hands together. “Hey there, baby. Miss me?”

Su Mali stirred awake, opening her eyes to see Fatty's grotesque face looming over her. She screamed.

“Ahh! Ahhh!” Su Mali’s shrieks jolted Jing Shu awake. As Jing Shu opened her eyes, she felt the pain and hunger coursing through her body—signs that the magic cube space upgrade had taken a toll on her energy.

At the same time, she saw Fatty’s face, and worse, his grimy hand reaching toward her.

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Author’s Note:

Starting on the 20th, there will be a chapter explosion to make up for the owed updates!