Chapter 1163: Liberation

Upon hearing Jiang Shi say "heart come," the people in the short building instantly formed a tight "supply chain."

Ma Shi'er activated "Nuoyi" to slightly shift Luo Shiwu's body with his belief power, bringing it into Officer Li's line of sight.

Officer Li immediately used "Tan Nang" to pull a fresh, blood-soaked heart from his pocket, then handed it back to Song Qi. Song Qi briefly touched it before passing it to Cui Shisi, who had "Chuan Suo."

Cui Shisi tossed the heart into the circle in front of him, which was directly connected to the circle in front of Jiang Shi.

Under the effect of "Chuan Suo," the heart leaped through to Jiang Shi's side, falling out of the ring and into his hand.

The entire process was completed in three seconds, and Xuanwu didn't notice any flaws.

However, Su Shan on the tall building stared wide-eyed, because in that instant, so many "ripples" had surged that the coordination was incredibly precise and skillful, leaving her dazzled.

"Xuanwu..." Jiang Shi said, "I'm just like you—I can take organs from others—but I'm also different from you."

"What...?"

"Why take out the heart just to crush it yourself...?" Jiang Shi asked.

"Then what would you do?"

"Thorn come." Jiang Shi held the heart up in the air.

The command "thorn come" left the people in the short building behind him completely baffled, as this plan clearly hadn't been discussed in advance.

"What the hell is 'thorn come'...?" Luo Shiyi asked. "Did we talk about this earlier?"

"Little Jiang Shi seems a bit overexcited..." Bai Jiu said. "Quick, find something thorny..."

The group exchanged glances. In this rundown old house, they might not even find scrap iron, let alone something thorny.

"I'll try...!" Liu Ershiyi stepped forward hurriedly and gave Ning Shiba a look. The two stood by the window.

Liu Ershiyi closed his eyes, and a moment later, a small cluster of swordgrass sprouted from the ground behind Jiang Shi.

The leaves of the swordgrass pointed upward, looking razor-sharp.

Ning Shiba then activated his belief power to make the leaves grow enormous. Ma Shi'er quickly used "Nuoyi" to control several leaves, sending them flying precisely into the heart in Jiang Shi's hand.

Jiang Shi's single command had everyone behind him scrambling, but he remained calm as he glanced at his hand.

"Yes, leaves come," he added.

Xuanwu stared at the scene in stunned silence for a long time, as from the aspect of "Ping Kong Yu Wu," the short figure in front of him was indeed more powerful.

"How does that saying go...?" Jiang Shi pondered for a moment, weighing the heart now pierced with swordgrass leaves in his hand, then nodded. "That's right, Xuanwu, look straight at this heart."

Before Xuanwu could understand, Jiang Shi threw the heart pierced with leaves toward him.

The heart twisted and heated up in midair, sparking flames, and Xuanwu instinctively blocked it with his remaining left hand.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion erupted, shattering the heart into pieces in the air.

Xuanwu slowly lifted his head, gazing at the thick smoke and fragments in the sky, remaining silent for a long time.

"Xuanwu, even after this, you still don't believe I can replace you?" Jiang Shi asked.

Xuanwu said nothing, just stared blankly.

"Fine... since you're still holding on..." Jiang Shi extended both hands. "Wind come!"

"Oh, it's my turn..." Qiu Ershi hurried forward and whipped up a moderate whirlwind around Jiang Shi, turning the fragments in the air into fine threads.

"Rain come!" Jiang Shi called out again.

Bai Jiu froze at the words and turned to ask, "Wait, is 'rain come' my job?"

"You're the one with 'Ye Hua,' Jiu Jie..." Luo Shiyi said. "Who else could it be?"

"But there's nothing here to 'Ye Hua'..." Bai Jiu said. "How can I make rain out of thin air?"

Ma Shi'er sighed. "Uh, I have a way, but it might mean disturbing Luo Shiwu's body again..."

"This..." Bai Jiu paused, understanding Ma Shi'er's meaning. "Well... alright. But I can't guarantee it won't be gruesome."

"Forget about that— we'll apologize to Xiao Shiwu next time!"

As Jiang Shi watched, Luo Shiwu's body slowly rose into the air. Before he could figure out what was happening, the body began to melt in midair.

A sparse rain of blood and flesh fell between the two, creating an eerie silence.

Qiu Ershi quickly added gusts of wind to spread the blood rain more evenly.

Xuanwu stared at the blood rain, falling into a long silence, as if his thoughts had drifted away.

"Xuanwu..." Jiang Shi stepped forward. "Do you believe it now?"

"I..."

"You don't have to suffer like this anymore," Jiang Shi said. "I'll take over the shift. I'll bear all the pain, uphold all the rules—you can go in peace."

"You..."

Though Xuanwu's body appeared as a vast starry sky, it was trembling slightly at that moment.

"Give me your eyes," Jiang Shi said. "That's something only you can 'Tan Nang.'"

"I... I can't..." Xuanwu hesitated, shaking as if enduring a great internal struggle.

From the tall building, Yun Shijiu frowned at the street below and blew a whistle.

All the "cats" looked up upon hearing the whistle, their expressions turning serious.

It was the signal for "enemy entering the array."

But who could possibly "enter the array" here?

"White Tiger is coming..." Song Qi frowned and turned back. "A few of you come with me to hold him off with our lives—the rest keep responding to Jiang Shi!"

"You're crazy..." Bai Jiu grabbed Song Qi. "Qi Ge, 'hold off White Tiger'? Do you think we have enough people?!"

"There's no choice!" Song Qi said. "Jiang Shi is about to convince Xuanwu—we can't mess this up now!"

With that, he led a few people out the window. But to everyone's surprise, when White Tiger saw Xuanwu from afar, he charged forward in a burst, instantly positioning himself between Xuanwu and Jiang Shi.

Song Qi shouted in alarm and rushed over with his group, blocking in front of Jiang Shi.

Xuanwu seemed unaware of the changes around him, simply reaching out to catch the blood rain.

White Tiger surveyed the dramatic scene but said nothing, his gaze fixed on Jiang Shi.

"White Tiger," Xuanwu murmured while catching the rain, "he says he's here to replace me... Is that true?"

White Tiger clearly stiffened at the words, turning to look at Xuanwu, then at Jiang Shi. His murky eyes gradually lost their anger, replaced by a complex mix of emotions.

"He says I can die in peace... Is that true?" Xuanwu asked.

White Tiger's dry lips trembled slightly, as if words were caught in his throat.

After a long pause, he rasped, "Wu Xuan, it's true. You're liberated."