Sounds of movement came from outside the door. The acutely perceptive "Blind Detective" Bill was the first to notice the anomaly. With a snap, two pistols were pointed at the office entrance.

Although Suren's perception was slightly weaker, he had been on guard and was equally quick to draw his firearm.

He knew the problem wouldn't stem from himself, and a thought flashed through his mind: "Could this old fellow have lost control of his thoughts and conjured up another mutated monster?"

But clearly, this time it wasn't.

Just as that thought flitted by, a blue-skinned freak covered in golden runes appeared at the office doorway.

Not an image that a blind man's abstract senses could conjure; this freak was concrete, detailed.

It didn't seem alive, but it clearly possessed the aura of a living being. Not a mutated monster, but certainly not a normal human either.

"So fast! What on earth is that thing?"

Suren's expression changed abruptly as he stared at the blue-skinned freak.

He'd heard the noise downstairs just moments ago, and in the blink of an eye, it was already at the door, as if it had teleported.

Learning from past experiences, he didn't dare use his appraisal ability right away.

Just one glance at the golden runes on the monster's skin sent a wave of deadly crisis surging through his mind. Without hesitation, he began to recite the name he'd seen in the notebook: "Tielmido M. Qi..."

Bill's reaction was equally swift. Hearing the commotion at the door, his finger on the trigger of his pistol squeezed.

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. The muzzle flash from the pistol seemed to be erupting outwards in slow motion, yet the blue-skinned figure accelerated towards them.

Metal bullets struck its skin, creating momentary sparks, but failing to stop its momentum.

In that instant, the blue-skinned monster "flashed" in front of Suren and Bill, then simply raised a fist and slammed it into Bill's head.

"Bang!" Scarlet gore exploded.

The renowned master-level gunslinger didn't have a chance to retaliate, killed instantly in a single exchange!

Then, having killed one, the blue-skinned monster turned its head to look at Suren and threw another punch.

Looking at the approaching fist, Suren felt not only speed but also an incomprehensible level of power pressing down on him, making his scalp tingle as if his body was about to explode...

Fortunately, thanks to his foresight, he managed to utter the last syllable of the name he was reciting.

...

In an instant, the surrounding light and shadows shifted, and he was back in the basement at 88 Ginkgo Street.

"Huff... Ha..."

Suren gasped for breath, as if he'd just escaped from a mountain of overwhelming pressure, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

His eyes still gleamed with disbelief as he said, with lingering fear, "So strong! What level is that living corpse?!"

He hadn't even had time to appraise it. Just one glance had been enough to make him feel as if he'd glimpsed some unspeakable, forbidden horror, triggering an instinctive tremor of helplessness.

He felt that the blue-skinned monster was simply unmatched by any professional he'd ever encountered.

Now, upon careful reflection, he realized that he could have discerned the level of the runes from the complexity of their patterns. The blue-skinned monster's grade was absolutely terrifying.

To make an imperfect but illustrative comparison:

The common entry, intermediate, and advanced runes (Levels 1, 2, and 3) currently available on the market looked roughly like simplified Chinese characters: 一二三四 (one, two, three, four);

Whereas the golden runes on this monster's body were like this: 齉龘齉齾爩麤.

The mere luster of the runes created a sense of oppression. How strong must it be?

Usually, people in Old Lingdun refer to incomprehensible ancient knowledge as "transcendent knowledge." Clearly, the runes on this blue-skinned person had already far exceeded his understanding.

Suren immediately thought of the research notes in the diary and realized that the blue-skinned monster was a "living corpse"!

Just how strong were the ancient alchemists that they could create living corpses this ridiculously powerful?

...

"The 'Blind Detective' Bill was actually instantly killed by that monster..."

A grave look flashed in Suren's eyes.

This was the first time, even facing death on numerous occasions, that he'd felt such intense pressure.

"Good thing I didn't rashly go to the morgue. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have known how I died. The lower levels of that hospital probably contain more than just one blue-skinned monster..."

He looked at the empty basement, his face paling, and concluded, "Able to instantly kill a Tier 2 professional, this cursed space isn't some Red S-Class, but a 'Black T-Forbidden Class'!"

(Note: Cursed space levels are divided into T, S, A, B, C, and D according to danger level. S-Class: Can be explored by a team led by high-level professionals, with a high probability of injury or death; T-Forbidden Class: The tier gap is too large, no one survives, permanent sealing is recommended.)

Suren felt somewhat relieved, grateful that he'd learned how to break the space ahead of time with the Eye of Truth, and also that he'd found a temporary teammate who'd managed to find clues.

Otherwise, if he'd faced that monster alone, there would have been no chance of survival.

However, since the old cowboy was already dead, he didn't feel any guilt about having used his temporary teammate.

In fact...

At the moment Bill's head exploded, he'd even managed to absorb the dissipating "gray mist" from the corpse.

[Obtained 'Bill Strauss' memory fragments *4]

[You have obtained some information: 'The Black Tower Academy's Vice Dean, Nikola J. Emerich, has defected. The organization's order is to find him. Finally, I've found some clues, tracing him to 88 Ginkgo Street. Unfortunately, it seems this is that fellow's trap...']

[You have obtained some auditory perception skills, you have comprehended [Sound Localization (Entry)]...]

[You have comprehended the mental perception ability [Malice Detection]...]

[You have comprehended the gun technique, [Multiple Overlapping Shots], Firearms experience +547]

[Mental Strength +1.19]

Now that the crisis was over, Suren had recovered from the intense tension, and his mind was working again.

"The space actually perfectly preserved Bill's soul?"

Suren was also amazed that he could reap so much, even though the guy had been dead for months.

He even thought that the next time he went in, he might still see the blind man.

Next time?

No, Suren was sure he wouldn't be going back.

Although he was curious about what kind of "cursed object" lay behind such a terrifying cursed space, suspecting it was another [Sealed Object]-level treasure.

But with the task being impossible, Suren immediately dismissed that unrealistic fantasy.

Looking back at his gains, he felt that life was worthwhile again.

Suren was very satisfied with the extra skills, his perception and combat power had instantly soared. Da Feng Novel Network

[Sound Localization] and [Malice Detection] were simply skills tailor-made for gunslingers. One was an auditory perception technique, and the other was a passive mental perception skill.

Having digested that cluster of memories, Suren felt as if a door to a new sensory world had opened.

He used to think the basement was quiet, but now it was filled with noise.

Listening carefully, he could even clearly distinguish the sounds of rats scurrying in the walls, the sounds of cockroaches crawling, and the sounds of air currents from those faint noises...

Suren had once again taken a shortcut.

This sound localization perception was something that ordinary people might never comprehend in their entire lives, because only blind people who'd been unable to see from childhood and relied on hearing to perceive the world could focus on developing their auditory abilities.

And that [Malice Detection] was the reason Suren had been shot when he'd tried to appraise Bill's state earlier.

With this, if he ever encountered enemies firing sneak attacks, he would immediately sense the malice.

A comprehensive offensive and defensive ability.

And that gun technique, [Art of Multiple Overlapping Shots], was a high-level gun technique that Suren had long heard of but had no way to learn, and his skills were still lacking.

Now, he had achieved it in one step, making Suren feel that he could now fire "two overlapping shots." In the future, as his strength increased, multiple overlapping shots would come naturally.

After today, he finally had a way to deal with thick-skinned targets.

Worthy of a "Firearms Master's" soul fragments.

...

However, after reviewing his skill gains, the message that popped into his mind made Suren frown.

"The Black Tower Academy's Vice Dean has defected? Bill was tracking him?"

Seeing the name "Nikola J. Emerich," Suren just so happened to have an impression of this vice dean in his memory. It seemed to have been extracted from the female assistant Rosa's memories. Big Wind Novel

However, in Rosa's memories, he was a kind, respected, and amiable elder.

Defected?

Suren found this word jarring.

The vast underground world consisted of just the city of Old Lingdun. Where could a Black Tower Academy vice dean, who lacked neither fame nor power, defect to?

Could it be another figure who'd failed in a power struggle?

However, Suren didn't dwell on the grudges and entanglements between the inner city's big shots. He was more concerned about something else.

"Judging from Bill's memories, he already suspected that he'd fallen into that vice dean's trap? Is 88 Ginkgo Street simply a 'trap'?"

A thought flashed through Suren's mind, and he suddenly felt uneasy, thinking of a possibility: If it was a trap, if prey fell into it, would a hunter come to check?

Like a spiderweb, there would always be a spider lurking in the shadows. Even if it wasn't the prey it was waiting for, any movement would prompt it to take a look.

As soon as the thought arose, a sense of crisis instantly overwhelmed him.

Without any hesitation, Suren grabbed the scythe in the corner, the one containing the Black Scythe, and rushed out of the house.

And facts proved that his intuition was correct!

ps. A very small number of readers should not always think it's a coincidence that every time he reaps the skills he wants. It is because of need that it is described in detail. A firearms master has at least hundreds of skills, can't I list them all before extracting them? Just like the spider blueprint, some people always think it's a coincidence, but ignore the fact that the protagonist went to the black market many times and couldn't find a suitable one. It's like you bought a suitable new piece of clothing, and you have to describe the ninety-nine pieces that you didn't choose first, so that it doesn't count as a coincidence?