Chapter 448 - Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Riot (1/2)

Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Riot

The reason Xiang Kun was able to find Brother Kui’s boat so quickly was mainly because he had successfully integrated the storm environment activated by the “Electric Mastery Flight” with the “Oxygen-saving Mode” in the water.

Underwater, Xiang Kun also used the “Super-connected Objects” to “activate” the environment for “Electric Mastery Flight,” which in turn gave him a more extensive range of perception and more control over the water.

In the storm that he triggered, the waves were as if Xiang Kun was stirring water in his own washbasin at home, giving him a great deal of control. He could make the waves rise or grow big at will.

The sky and the earth seemed to be linked by the storm because of the rainwater and enough water vapor. This allowed his strong perception of water under the “Oxygen-saving Mode” to spread from the seawater, enveloping everywhere the storm went.

Under such circumstances, the storm he initiated did not consume energy as quickly as during the “Electric Mastery Flight”. It lasted longer and moved quickly in a certain direction under his guidance, like his personal “territory” or “BUFF”. He could also greatly increase his speed underwater with it.

The storm that Brother Kui and others saw from a distance was the one Xiang Kun had initiated.

Upon discovering Brother Kui’s boat and preliminarily judging that he had found his target, Xiang Kun actively and quickly harnessed the energy from the storm, which is why when Brother Kui and his people saw the storm, it was full of thunder and lightning, appearing as if a terrifying violent storm was about to strike.

After expelling the remaining energy in a short time, the storm subsided, and Xiang Kun arrived underneath Brother Kui’s boat.

Xiang Kun did not immediately board the boat to eliminate everyone by force and rescue Xia Tianhuo.

He was fully capable of doing so, but if he had, there would be many unspeakable things afterward. After Xia Tianhuo returned, he might face many investigations and might get himself into trouble.

So the method Xiang Kun used was to treat this boat as a whole and set up dozens of “Super-connected Objects” spheres to guide the fear projection of the “Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Wood Carving” to affect the people on the boat, letting them “judge” themselves.

Xiang Kun was now very clear about how the fear projection works. It’s itself just a spark or a primer. Each person’s individual mental state, what they fear, and their attitude towards fear are the fuel.

How big the fire can eventually become and how it burns, or even whether it would explode, depends on the type and amount of fuel.

From his past experiences of deploying emotional projections, Xiang Kun knew that if he wanted the fear emotion to have a greater effect, he could generate the same type of emotion on the boat before the emotional projection.

So he first used his control over water to restrict the boat’s movement on the water surface. Then, using the influence of the “Super-connected Objects,” he turned off the boat’s engine, stopped the electricity, and made it fall into a bizarre state of stillness to first create a sense of fear of the unknown and strange among the people on the boat.

Next came the arrival of the fear projection from the “Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Wood Carving.”

The more a person has done wrong, the more deceptive they are and the more secrets they’re hiding, the bigger the impact of the fear projection.

Even some people who make ruthless decisions and show no guilt or unease about their wrongdoings, building a theory and an excuse to convince themselves, still have fear inside them, even if they don’t know it themselves.

Under the influence of the fear projection from the “Eight-armed, Eight-eyed Wood Carving”, the fear from deep within that comes to light is greater if it’s usually buried deeper. The shock when it’s triggered is greater, and all the reasons and understandings they use to convince themselves instantly crumble, forcing them to face feelings they usually refuse to acknowledge.

The massive “Eight-armed, Eight-eyed monster” illusion they see is the “battering ram” that breaks down their psychological defenses.

The most powerful aspect of emotional projection lies in its continuous emotional impact. Once the “fuel” is ignited, it continues to “burn”.

Of all the people, Brother Kui was obviously the most affected.

Being a relatively selfish and suspicious person, the current environment and the situation they encountered heightened his emotions.

Combined with the actions of others under the influence of emotional projection, this further reinforced his surprise, stimulated his emotions, and led to more aggressive behavior from him.

Then Xiang Kun opportunistically used the “Super-connected Objects” to give some guidance, such as discreetly turning on the radio.

As a result, the emotions of everyone on the boat, like a chemical booster, exploded entirely.

If Xiang Kun only wanted to deal with the people on this boat, he wouldn’t even have to board. He could continue to manipulate the situation through the “Super-connected Objects” orbs he placed on the boat until they finish “judging” themselves.

But his main purpose this time was to rescue Xia Tianhuo. Therefore, he had to board the boat to ensure that the people “ignited” by the “fear projection” wouldn’t harm Xia Tianhuo while acting impulsively.

He didn’t need to stand guard in the cabin where Xia Tianhuo was. As long as he was on the boat, he was confident he could prevent any threatening actions from others.

Just like in the scrapyard in Myitkyina, Xiang Kun was now again treating the situation like playing a complete map in a 2D game, except this time the map was on a ship.

What everyone is doing, their condition, their possible behavior trends, as well as the overall situation’s direction, are all within his perception and calculation.

…

After twenty minutes, Brother Kui, who had expended all the ammunition in his revolver, was crawling towards the stern of the ship, clutching his abdomen and dripping with cold sweat. A long trail of blood followed his path.

He had been stabbed a dozen times, bleeding continuously like a punctured water bag.

All these stab wounds were inflicted by the tall slim young man, Xiao Wu, who was now entangled with Scar face, their condition unknown.

Actually, in terms of skill, ruthlessness, and combat technique, Scar face was much superior to Xiao Wu. Even with Xiao Wu holding a knife, once entangled, Scar face would still have a chance to counterattack.

However, the issue was…

Scar face was shot once — and it was Brother Kui who fired the gun.

When the Burmese on the ship began to “rebel”, the remaining kidnapper on deck was quickly injured by three Burmese crew members. Brother Kui arrived gun in hand, a melee broke out, and he managed to kill the three Burmese with four shots. However, his shoulder was also grazed by a fire axe.

While checking on the Burmese, Brother Kui suddenly noticed Scar face making strange movements and lunging towards him. Subconsciously thinking that Scar face, a long-time subordinate, was trying to off him, flashes of past conflict with Scar face flooded his mind. Remembering Scar face’s sinister and fierce expressions, he raised his hand and shot at Scar face.

Once Scar face was shot, Brother Kui felt a numbness in his waist, and then realized he had been stabbed.

Xiao Wu, who had just been cursed and had his head bashed in the cockpit by Brother Kui, was holding a knife and furiously stabbing him in his stomach with a monstrous expression and in a state of madness.

He just then realized that Scar face was trying to stop Xiao Wu’s attack, not harm him.

However, the revolver only held five bullets which were all fired, so for a moment Brother Kui could only let Xiao Wu stab him while he screamed and struggled.

In the end, it was Scar face, even after being shot, who came over to engage Xiao Wu, allowing him the opportunity to escape.

Brother Kui, lying on the ground, was well aware that with the severity of his wounds, even with immediate medical attention and a rush to the ICU, his fate was sealed. Survival seemed impossible, especially considering their current circumstances at sea.

He was crawling, he was struggling, but it was only natural instinct to want to escape, to put more distance between himself and Xiao Wu, who wanted him dead.

In fact, he didn’t know where he was trying to crawl to.

Brother Kui was getting colder and weaker, the pain slowly subsiding, yet the revolver in his hand, devoid of bullets, remained tightly gripped.

Knowing that he was about to die, the fear, tension, and chaos in Brother Kui’s heart slowly dissipated, replaced by a replay of past memories in his mind.

These were not significant events. It wasn’t of the crimes he committed, the money he made, the people who flattered and complimented him, the number of subordinates who were loyal to him, the number of people he scared and terrified, but rather inconspicuous moments he wouldn’t have given a second thought to in the past.

Eating mixed noodles by the roadside in his hometown early in the morning, listening to the chatter of the neighbouring old man and woman, watching the hustle and bustle of commuters on their way to work or school;

Sitting in the backseat of a car driving along the Winding Mountain Road, opening the car window, and feeling the cool mountain breeze;

Punching the sandbag for more than ten minutes, panting like a bull, gulping down cooled boiled water;

Past three in the morning, exiting the door with a few brothers after a late-night snack, looking up at the stars and moon in the sky.

He used to think that if his life wasn’t full of vigor or feats of heroism, if he wasn’t driving the most luxurious cars, sleeping with the most beautiful women – then life meant nothing, it had no meaning. The world only valued results, not the means of achieving them.

But now he suddenly found that his past thoughts were just a joke. He had never truly discovered what he truly wanted.