Chapter Fifteen: The Black Trap

He shouted at Zhang Qing, “Wife, kill that man first! Keep the woman alive—we have all the time in the world to deal with her!”

Mu Chen desperately shook his head, trying to cast off the relentless and terrifying hallucinations swirling in his mind.

Everything in his vision was distorting, melting away.

Chen Jiahe’s face flickered—sometimes clear, sometimes dissolving into a blur of light and shadow.

All the surrounding sounds were muffled, as if filtered through a thick curtain of water—dull and distant.

What terrified him even more was the familiar system interface in his sight, now wildly flashing in a chaotic frenzy.

Lines upon lines, strings upon strings of indecipherable gibberish scrolled rapidly across the screen, jumping about and emitting shrill warning sounds.

“System… my system…” Mu Chen’s heart sank deeply.

Chen Jiahe stepped forward, shielding Mu Chen behind her. Swiftly, she drew a small, sharp dagger from the hidden compartment of her tactical boots, gripping it tightly.

“Don’t come any closer! I warn you, stay back!” Her voice trembled slightly, yet it carried an unyielding resolve.

“Heh, you?!” Zhang Qing sneered, eyeing Chen Jiahe with disdain, licking her lips maliciously. “A delicate campus belle, soft and tender—what use could you possibly be?”

Before the words had fully left her mouth, she suddenly surged forward with fierce aggression, the gleaming fruit knife in her hand aimed straight at Chen Jiahe’s face!

In the blink of an eye, Chen Jiahe twisted her body to the side, narrowly evading the vicious strike.

With a swift flick of her wrist, she used the dagger’s momentum to slash deeply across Zhang Qing’s armed arm.

Blood instantly gushed forth.

“Ah—!” Zhang Qing screamed in agony, her face contorted by the searing pain. She glared fiercely at Chen Jiahe.

“You filthy bitch! How dare you hurt me!”

At that moment, Wu Han seized the opening and launched a treacherous sneak attack from the other side, his heavy cleaver whistling through the air as it came crashing down towards Mu Chen’s head!

Chen Jiahe’s heart tightened. Without a moment’s hesitation, she spun around to defend, once again placing herself between Mu Chen and the threat.

She raised her dagger with all her strength to block the blow.

“Clang—!”

The dagger and cleaver collided violently, producing a piercing screech of metal scraping metal, sparks flying in all directions.

The tremendous counterforce jolted through the dagger into Chen Jiahe’s arm, numbing her hand and weakening her muscles.

“Mu Chen!” she cried out anxiously, voice trembling with tears. “You have to think of something—quick!”

Mu Chen’s mind was a chaotic blur, his vision distorted. Chen Jiahe transformed before his eyes into a dazzling, multicolored serpent flicking its tongue; Wu Han’s face contorted into a demonic visage; the entire living room—no, the whole world—was burning and collapsing around him!

“No… this can’t be real…”

No! Mu Chen bit down hard on his tongue, the searing pain like lightning jolting through him, forcing a sliver of clarity back into his consciousness!

In his vision, the wildly flashing system interface still displayed garbled text, but amidst the torrent of scrambled characters, he managed to catch a few barely recognizable words!

[Warning: Unknown toxin detected]

[Emergency purification program initiating…]

[Purification progress: 15%… 32%…]

There’s hope! The system is self-rescuing! As long as I hold on…

Mu Chen gritted his teeth until veins bulged on his forehead, pouring every ounce of strength into fighting the bone-deep pain and dizziness.

Meanwhile, Chen Jiahe had been driven into a corner, with no way to retreat.

Zhang Qing and Wu Han flanked her from left and right, their cruel, triumphant grins revealing their predatory delight.

Zhang Qing raised the fruit knife high, its blade gleaming with bloodthirsty intent.

“You little bitch, just die quietly! Following that useless bastard, dying would be better than this!”

The sharp blade was about to pierce Chen Jiahe’s chest when—Boom!

A brilliant, ethereal blue light suddenly exploded from Mu Chen’s body!

[Purification complete]

The garbled text on the system interface vanished instantly, replaced by a clear message.

[Superpower awakening program restarting]

[Congratulations, host has awakened superpower: Teleportation]

Mu Chen’s eyes turned a profound, deep blue in that instant.

In the next moment, his figure vanished abruptly from the spot!

“Where is he?!”

Zhang Qing and Wu Han froze mid-action, their triumphant smiles instantly wiped away, replaced by stunned disbelief.

Like a phantom, Mu Chen reappeared behind Zhang Qing, a massive hand clamping precisely around her slender neck!

His voice was icy and merciless, devoid of any emotion.

“Now, it’s your turn to taste despair.”

The blue light swirled rapidly around Mu Chen’s body, finally merging completely within him.

An unprecedented, overwhelming power surged through his limbs and bones!

Every cell, every pore greedily absorbed this newborn force, making his entire body tremble and pulse with exhilaration!

“Teleportation?” Mu Chen whispered, clenching his fists instinctively.

This sensation… is overwhelming!

The world before him had completely transformed in his perception.

Every object’s outline was tinged with a faint blue glow.

Space no longer seemed chaotic; countless minute coordinate points appeared clearly, interconnected to form an invisible vast net.

With just a flick of his will, his body could traverse this net at will!

“Huff… huff…”

Zhang Qing, with Mu Chen’s hand choking her throat, struggled helplessly, her legs kicking wildly in the air, face flushed purple as she gasped for breath.

Mu Chen slightly loosened his grip, allowing her to barely squeeze out a few words.

“Ho… how… how is this possible…” Zhang Qing’s eyes bulged almost out of their sockets, her voice hoarse and broken. “That… that poison fruit… it was supposed to…”

“Heh, you should thank me for your ‘special treatment,’” Mu Chen’s voice was ice-cold, but a mocking smirk curled his lips. “Who would’ve thought the poison you so painstakingly prepared would end up saving me?”

He flicked his arm casually.

“Bang!”

Zhang Qing was slammed hard onto the sofa, a dull thud echoing.

Only then did Mu Chen turn to Chen Jiahe, his tone softening somewhat.

“How are you? Are you hurt?”

Still in shock, Chen Jiahe shook her head blankly, staring at Mu Chen before finally finding her voice.

“What… what was that just now? How did you suddenly—”

“Teleportation,” Mu Chen said simply and decisively.

He spread his palm open, fingers flexing and relaxing as he felt the surging, boundless new power within his body.

“This is even more useful than I imagined.”

“Waaah—!”

At that moment, Zhang Qing, now limp on the sofa, suddenly erupted into a thunderous, earth-shaking wail.

She scrambled helplessly off the sofa, crawling desperately to Chen Jiahe’s feet, clutching her leg, tears and snot smeared across her face.

“Please! Please, spare me!”