In a quiet environment, the sound of footsteps was sharp and out of place.
Chen Feng's heart tightened, and he quickly turned his head to look.
On the asphalt road, a black mist three meters away was swirling like a vortex.
Through the clacking footsteps, a figure of a man awkwardly walked out.
He wore a tattered blue jacket and pants, his body covered in stains and what seemed to be dried blood.
The exposed skin on his neck was rotten, as if covered in pustules.
His entire face had no features, only a pale outline.
"What is this thing?!"
With an astonished look, Chen Feng felt like his vision was greatly impacted.
The faceless figure suddenly quickened its pace, its body slightly hunched, charging towards him like a beast.
A foul odor filled the air, and a strong chill rose from his heart.
Goosebumps formed on his skin, and Chen Feng quickly stepped aside.
The faceless figure missed, crashing into the apartment's iron railing.
Iron filings scattered, and the ground trembled slightly.
However, as if nothing had happened, the figure struggled to rise and charged at Chen Feng again.
Muttering a curse, Chen Feng roughly assessed the figure's strength and speed.
It was stronger than an average person, but not overwhelmingly so.
In other words, he might be able to handle it.
Without hesitation, Chen Feng dashed away.
The figure’s sudden appearance was too strange. He couldn’t be sure if it had other abilities, so he needed to test and observe.
Soon, their footsteps echoed on the street, and Chen Feng quickly reached the iron gate at the front of the house.
As if sensing his intent to enter, the faceless figure suddenly leaped forward, directly aiming for the entrance of the gate.
He hadn’t expected the figure to leap so far, blocking his way into the gate.
Chen Feng's face darkened, and he could only step back.
The faceless figure missed again, its head rotating 360 degrees with a clicking sound.
Its featureless pale face appeared again, and this strange scene made Chen Feng shiver.
The next second, the faceless figure’s body twisted violently, forcibly correcting its head.
Then, it pushed off the ground and charged forward again.
At the critical moment, Chen Feng stepped left and dodged, gripping his knuckle-duster tightly, feeling sweat forming in his palm.
He had a strong intuition.
He shouldn’t die in a dream, or something terrible might happen.
The faceless figure missed, stabilizing itself before charging again.
Seeing this, Chen Feng gritted his teeth.
The skills he had mastered in Sanda surged in his mind, and the dagger at his waist was his backup.
Since there was no way to avoid it, he would fight!
In an instant, the faceless figure closed the distance, and Chen Feng clearly saw it raise its arm to strangle his neck.
Instinctively, the Sanda techniques appeared in his mind.
He took a left sidestep, lowering his body slightly, and just narrowly avoided the hand reaching for him.
The pungent stench filled the air, and he could even see the dirt under its nails and the remnants of blood and flesh.
Chen Feng suppressed his disgust, his thoughts narrowing to just one goal.
All his strength gathered as he twisted his waist and clenched the knuckle-duster.
With a drop of his shoulder, his right arm swung forward like a cannonball.
The knuckle-duster hit the faceless figure’s featureless head without resistance.
There was the sound of bones cracking, and the faceless figure’s head tilted violently, forced back two steps by the powerful impact.
Seeing this, Chen Feng’s eyes lit up.
His confidence surged as he quickly stepped forward and threw another punch with his left hand.
A muffled sound echoed as it hit the faceless figure’s head squarely.
Blood seemed to spurt out, but unfortunately, this world was too dim to see clearly.
Then, in his line of sight.
He saw the faceless figure wobble, like a drunk man, stumbling back.
Chen Feng didn’t dare relax or hold back. The finishing move from his Sanda training was engraved in his mind.
His eyes sharp, Chen Feng stepped forward again, his five fingers gripping the knuckle-duster.
The faceless figure before him seemed like a punching bag, the world quiet, with only his piercing punch that was like a spear.
A muffled explosion rang out, and the faceless figure flew backward, collapsing to the ground.
Chen Feng’s gaze remained alert as he stepped forward, ready to land another blow.
However, the next second.
The bloodied flesh on the faceless figure’s neck suddenly squirmed, and a black beam, the thickness of a finger, shot out, flying toward him at high speed.
Goosebumps rose on Chen Feng’s skin, and he felt an intense chill.
He protected his face with his fists, sinking his weight and suddenly twisting his body.
The black beam pierced the air and narrowly missed him.
Upon closer inspection, the black beam seemed to consist of a swarm of tiny black insects, resembling ants, which crashed into the iron railing and brick pillar behind him.
A sizzling, decaying sound echoed, and the red bricks visibly sank, forming pits.
A nauseating gray smoke rose from the holes.
When Chen Feng focused again, the swarm of black ants had disappeared, leaving behind a pool of decaying black liquid.
"What the hell is that thing..."
His heart racing with confusion, Chen Feng warily turned to look at the faceless figure, now lying on the ground.
Contrary to his expectations, the faceless figure didn’t rise or struggle.
Instead, its body rapidly decayed, turning to ashes within moments, leaving only a gray light orb where it had fallen.
This scene was astonishing, and Chen Feng stared at the gray orb, uncertain.
Could it be another collectible light orb?
The sudden appearance of the black insects and the disappearance of the faceless figure's body was too bizarre.
Chen Feng's gaze flickered, concerned that if he approached, he might end up becoming a faceless monster too.
Just as he was hesitating and pondering, the light orb suddenly moved on its own.
Chen Feng was startled but realized he couldn't evade it. He could only watch as the gray orb merged into his body.
[You have acquired the Talent Orb: Perception!]
[The residual innate instinct of the faceless monster "The Faceless One"!]
[Talent fusion successful!]
[Your perception ability has increased! You can sense mental and spiritual remnants within a certain range and detect malice directed at you...]
[Talent growth condition: Kill more Faceless Ones and acquire new perception-based talent orbs!]
The text prompt appeared rapidly, and Chen Feng’s worries dissipated instantly.
"So it’s a Talent Orb?"
"So that monster was called the Faceless One?"
He raised an eyebrow, clearly feeling a new instinct emerge within him.
The street's stone brick patterns were clearer now, and he could easily spot the remnants of insect corpses and the pool of black liquid in the decayed brick pillar pit.
"So this is what enhanced perception feels like?"
Chen Feng squinted, instinctively turning to look at the apartment across the street, shrouded in black mist.
He had a strong feeling that there were other light orbs there, which meant more spiritual and mental remnants.
This was a sensation he hadn't experienced before and was clearly a result of the talent fusion.
As he was about to experiment further with this newfound ability, the world in front of him suddenly blurred, everything twisting and spinning.
Finally, the familiar ceiling appeared in his vision, and he was back in reality.
Read (MF) ahead on (pa treon. com/CinderTL) – Chapter 50.
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Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.