Li Ang circled back to the hollow tree and nodded at his companions.

"You've finished so quickly?" Wanli Fengdao was somewhat surprised. Li Ang had just inquired about the location of the nearest malevolent spirit, convinced his teammates to "stay here and guard the Water Nightmare, preventing the spirit there from smelling us and escaping," and then gone off alone. It was truly a display of exceptional courage and skill, and he was back in only a few minutes.

"There was indeed a malevolent spirit over there, looking quite terrifying. However, its combat capability was just so-so, not very troublesome," Li Ang said. "And it seemed to have some issues with intelligence, only able to follow the trajectory dictated by urban legends. Not very smart."

He casually added, "It gave me about 150 Experience Points and 300 Game Coins. A few more like that, and it would be like the reward from a long script mission."

After learning from Liu Wu Dai that reaching level twenty as a player would trigger a qualitative change, Li Ang had become much more focused on acquiring Experience Points. A fly's leg is still meat, however small. He couldn't miss such a hard-earned opportunity to score points.

"Then let's act together, striking jointly whenever we encounter a malevolent spirit," Xing Hechou said helplessly. He didn't really want to prolong their stay in this forest, hoping instead to follow the guidance of his pocket watch, quickly leave the forest, and head to the next passageway. However, seeing Brother Li so enthusiastic about hunting down malevolent spirits, he couldn't bring himself to stop him. Hunting demons in the pitch-black forest during a torrential rain... that sort of thing could only be conceived by someone like him, with, uh, exceptional aspirations.

"No need, I can handle it myself. After all, it was my suggestion; the rest of you can just watch." Li Ang shook his head and signaled everyone to get in the car. He had Wanli Fengdao drive, following the path cleared with the help of the Worm.

He himself led the Water Nightmare by its chain, dashing rapidly through the woods and guiding the vehicle to one location after another.

Soon, they arrived at the next site.

"Am I beautiful?"

In the gloomy forest, a disheveled woman wearing a mask stopped in front of Li Ang, her body turned to the side. She wore a large coat and a red scarf, with long hair. Judging only from her exposed eyes and the bridge of her nose, she appeared to be a beautiful woman. In her hand, she held a pair of large surgical scissors from which fresh blood dripped continuously.

Sitting in the car, Wanli Fengdao immediately recognized the scenario. That's the Slit-Mouthed Woman from the legends of the Japan Islands! he thought, instinctively wanting to poke his head out the window and tell Li Ang the solution. According to the urban legend, when she asks if she's beautiful, you have to say 'So-so' and then escape while she's confused. Or, you can reply 'I am a friend of Tanaka,' and she'll let you go as well!

"Am I beautiful?" the masked woman asked again when Li Ang remained silent, unconsciously flexing the large scissors in her hand, making them go SNIP, SNIP.

"Hmm..." Li Ang first circled around the masked woman, observing her from all angles, before firmly saying, "Beautiful."

Just by her face and figure, she could be a model, Li Ang mused. If she learned some cutesy mannerisms, even with the mask, she could probably become a popular streamer.

The masked woman chuckled lightly, slowly removed her mask, and revealed lips split to her ears, asking hoarsely, "Do you find me beautiful this way?"

This is bad! the people in the car thought, their hearts sinking. According to the urban legend, if the Slit-Mouthed Woman gets to this question, there's no good outcome, no matter the answer. Say she's beautiful, and she'll use those huge scissors to cut your mouth just like hers. Say she's not, and the enraged creature will devour you on the spot!

The teammates instinctively moved to open the car doors, ready to get out and join the fight.

But then they heard Li Ang chuckle. His back to the vehicle, he slowly pulled down his hood, glaring at the masked woman and countered, "Am I beautiful?"

From the Slit-Mouthed Woman's perspective, Li Ang, having pulled down his hood, rapidly split his own lips, the gashes reaching nearly to below his ears, revealing a ghastly set of white teeth. He looked shockingly terrifying, like a malevolent spirit or a demon, almost as if he were cast from the same mold as her.

Li Ang's body had undergone enhancements and biomodification by the Origin of Life, making it flexible yet robust. Along with the fine vines implanted in his skin and muscles, he could alter the contours of his body to a certain extent.

Creating the appearance of a slit mouth was simply a breeze for him.

"Am I beautiful? Who is more beautiful, I or Xu Gong of Chengbei?" Li Ang asked, stepping forward with an eerie grin. His lips, split to his ears, flapped as he spoke, and combined with his wide, piercing eyes, he looked several times more terrifying than the woman before him.

The Slit-Mouthed Woman seemed utterly unprepared for this turn of events. She instinctively stepped back, holding her large scissors defensively towards Li Ang, unsure whether she should still advance and try to kill him.

After a moment, she made her decision. She threw her head back, causing her split lips to open even wider, gaping like a snake, and hissed, "You're imitating me!" as she lunged at Li Ang.

SWOOSH—

The Bronze Sickle cut through the air, slicing the Slit-Mouthed Woman in two along her already split lips. A white crystal body slowly formed in the recess at the end of the sickle's handle.

"I wasn't imitating you, oh no. This look is from the legendary Joker," Li Ang said to himself as he easily dispatched the malevolent entity. He retracted the sickle and picked up the white crystal body, allowing Miss Chai to absorb it entirely.

He donned his hood again and turned around, his previously split lips instantly returning to normal. Smiling at his teammates, who were still preparing to exit the vehicle, he said, "It's settled. Let's head to the next location."

Wanli Fengdao still held the car door open, nodding slowly. His mind, however, was still replaying the Slit-Mouthed Woman's words: "You're imitating me..."

"Big brother, have you seen my mom and dad?"

A little girl holding a cute dog, her voice tearful, stopped in front of Li Ang. Wiping away tears, she cried, "It seems like my mom and dad were eaten by the dog. Could you let the dog eat you too, and tell my parents I miss them so much...?"

"Don't call me big brother!" Li Ang roared with fury, and with a slash, he cut the rapidly swelling white canine creature to pieces.

"So delicious, truly delicious."

A middle-aged man, holding a plastic bag filled with steel razor blades, kept reaching in to stuff them into his mouth. Regardless of the cuts and tears in his mouth and throat, he chewed madly. "Young man, would you like some chips? They're spicy flavor."

"Sorry, only cucumber-flavored chips are the most delicious," Li Ang replied as he threw a punch, hitting the man in his midsection. The man flew backward like a broken kite, spraying razor blades from his mouth as his body slammed heavily against a tree trunk dozens of meters away.

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