NovelOnline Chapter 344: Death by Fate
Chapter 344: Death by Fate
Lin Ye attempted to decipher the mannequins' ability to affect mental perception, but he soon discovered this wasn't something that could be solved quickly.The mannequins were different from the Skinner. The Skinner could lock onto prey with its ability, a power affecting Lin Ye's mind that happened to be countered by the deity prayer purification technique, which was why Lin Ye remained unaffected by the Skinner.
The mannequins' ability was the exact opposite. Their power acted upon themselves;it was a technique of using mental energy to conceal themselves, which was why Lin Ye couldn't sense their precise locations.
This concealment technique was exceptionally sophisticated. Even using the special mental perception method he learned from Victoria, Lin Ye couldn't pinpoint their exact positions.
'It's a shame I don't know the specific principles behind this technique. Otherwise, I could try to research how to use it.'
Lin Ye really wanted to learn this technique because it was truly perfect for ambushes and backstabs.
"Forget it, I still have matters to attend to. Since you won't come closer, I'll just have to wait until I finish my business before coming back to deal with you."
Lin Ye said casually.
He didn't plan to waste any more time here. He wanted to lure the other side into making a move. If they didn't act, then he would first take his people and leave, then try to deal with these mannequins outside the department store later.
The four began moving towards the northwest corner of the fourth floor, where the emergency stairwell leading out of the department store was located.
"Leaving already? I haven't properly entertained you all. Why not stay and have a simple meal?"
The Mannequin Leader closed the distance slightly with the other mannequins, but they still maintained a safe gap.
"If you really want us to stay, you'll need to come a bit closer. Otherwise, I'll think you're just being polite."
Lin Ye prepared himself to take action.
"Since you're all in such a hurry to leave, then I wish you a smooth journey."
The Mannequin Leader suddenly stopped, as if giving up.
"Oh, well then, goodbye."
Lin Ye focused his mind, locking onto every mannequin. He knew the other side was about to make its move.
Stopping was just to make them lower their guard.
Just as their attention was focused on their respective areas of responsibility and the mannequins in the distance, a mannequin sitting near them suddenly moved!
It was the Fixed Mannequin that closely resembled Ferrando!
Earlier, when the Mannequin Leader explained the types of mannequins to them, it had three purposes:
First, to make them wary of the Original Mannequins, forcing them to hesitate for fear of causing collateral damage.
Second, to reveal Ferrando's identity, damaging the relationships between them and making them suspicious of Ferrando.
Third, to conceal the abilities of the Fixed Mannequins.
Fixed Mannequins truly couldn't move, unless the Active Mannequin that replaced them approached the Fixed Mannequin again.
The Mannequin Leader had previously placed Ferrando's Fixed Mannequin on the path from the escalator to the northwest corner of the fourth floor. It clearly knew how Lin Ye and the others would pass through here.
The Fixed Mannequin wasn't blocking the middle of the path but was placed in a perfectly calculated position.
Being visible at first glance upon going upstairs was just the first layer. Its primary purpose was to ambush them as Lin Ye's group passed by.
The Fixed Mannequin instantly closed in beside the team. In just another half second, it would be able to touch Xiya, who was nearest to it.
And it wasn't afraid of being attacked by Lin Ye, because in this situation, it possessed the same characteristics as an Original Mannequin. Now, only one person could stop it, and that person just happened not to be looking in this direction.
The moment the Fixed Mannequin moved, all the mannequins on the fourth floor sprang into action. Original Mannequins rapidly approached from outside the four people's line of sight. Active Mannequins charged towards them, using Original Mannequins as shields while continuously hurling Original Mannequins at them.
Lin Ye had long noticed the Fixed Mannequin's position was a bit off. When it moved, he initially intended to throw a Salted Fish Thrust at it, but he saw Ferrando's action and withdrew the Salted Fish Thrust.
Before the Fixed Mannequin could touch Xiya, Ferrando pounced on it. He didn't know the Fixed Mannequin's function, but he had been keeping an eye on this mannequin that looked so much like him.
Action preceded thought. Only after he tackled the mannequin Ferrando did he realize what he had done.
'... This is fine too. If I really am a mannequin, then I'll just return this body to you. But before I turn back into a mannequin, I need to do one last thing for my companions.'
Ferrando desperately entangled the mannequin, not allowing it to move an inch. The surrounding chaos was irrelevant to him. He only watched the direction he was responsible for while calling out the positions of the Active Mannequins. As long as he was alive, no Original Mannequin would approach from that direction.
Xiya and Karan also didn't shift their gaze. Even though the Fixed Mannequin had been only half a meter from Xiya earlier, she hadn't moved a single step.
They quickly reported the positions and numbers of Active Mannequins in their respective directions of responsibility without the slightest error.
Lin Ye stared intently at every Active Mannequin that closed within a certain distance. Simultaneously, he grabbed Xiya and Karan, moving them around the fourth floor to dodge the hurled Original Mannequins. Under Lin Ye's control, the four could each watch a different direction, preventing nearby Original Mannequins from moving.
As for those Active Mannequins, once they got within a certain range, they would be stabbed to death by a Compressed Spiritual Energy Blade that suddenly appeared from various directions. They tried to use Original Mannequins to block, only to find that no matter how hard they tried, it was impossible.
It was as if this was their fate.
It was their destined death.
The movement trajectories of each part of the Active Mannequins, the trajectories of the Original Mannequins being carried along, the trajectories of the Compressed Spiritual Energy Blades, the trajectories of various surrounding objects, the trajectory of time's flow... All these trajectories combined and reconstructed in Lin Ye's mind, presenting another way of viewing this world. Each trajectory had multiple possible variations. Among these variations, there were certain inevitable points of intersection—these were the points of their death.
After obtaining the Fate Rule Fragment, this was the first time Lin Ye directly and intuitively felt the power of Fate.
Watching his companions die one by one, the Mannequin Leader halted its steps. It had a premonition that if it got within a certain distance, it would inevitably die here just as meaninglessly as those companions.
Even strapping more Original Mannequins to itself would be useless.
But only by getting close to Lin Ye could it throw an Original Mannequin onto him. It was confident it could hit Lin Ye, but not from this distance.
It could never get close enough.
The plan had failed. The Mannequin Leader could only retreat. But seeing its companions die miserable deaths one after another on the charge, it suddenly didn't want to retreat anymore.
Better to charge alongside its companions than to die fleeing. Either succeed or fail.
Retreat shouldn't be an option here.
The Mannequin Leader charged towards Lin Ye with the remaining Active Mannequins. One Original Mannequin after another was hurled at Lin Ye.
Its aim was truly accurate.