Chapter 141: Because I Am Also One of the Seven Deadly Sins

Mu Lingxi looked up with an inexplicable smile. She rarely smiled, but when she did, she was exceptionally beautiful. Zhuang Qing, however, felt nothing but fear.

"You finally look the part of a law enforcer. All right, off you go. Remember what I said: stay calm, don't panic, and think carefully about the details of the dream. If you notice anything unusual, report it to me immediately."

With that, Mu Lingxi left.

Cold sweat soaked Zhuang Qing's back as waves of dizziness washed over him.

"Captain... why?" he asked, watching her walk away with sorrow in his eyes.

A moment later, he shook his head hard, his gaze hardening with resolve. "Pull yourself together, Zhuang Qing. No matter what, you have to get this information to Lord Sikong. The Seven Deadly Sins cannot be allowed to succeed!"

He turned down the dark corridor, the shadows gradually swallowing his figure like a lone hero.

Out on the streets, Zhuang Qing drove at top speed straight to Qian Zihao's estate. He guessed this was the most likely place to find Sikong Zhen.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the estate.

"Halt! Who are you?" Two bodyguards in black blocked his path.

Relief washed over Zhuang Qing when he saw them. These two were Sikong Zhen's subordinates—or more accurately, servants of the Sikong Family.

"I'm Zhuang Qing from the Law Enforcement Bureau. I came to Star City with Lord Sikong Zhen. We've met before! Here are my credentials—I have an urgent matter to report to him!" He pulled out his badge for their inspection and was quickly waved through.

Anxious, Zhuang Qing sprinted into the manor and found Sikong Zhen sitting on a sofa in the main hall.

Clad in gray sleepwear, Sikong Zhen looked at him with a cold expression. "This had better be important."

Ignoring the man's irritation, Zhuang Qing hurriedly blurted out everything he had seen, including his suspicion that Mu Lingxi was Envy of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Yet, after hearing such explosive news, Sikong Zhen's expression didn't even flicker. It was as though he had just been told the most trivial thing in the world.

"Lord Sikong Zhen?" Zhuang Qing prompted cautiously.

"You're saying Captain Mu is Envy of the Seven Deadly Sins?" Sikong Zhen asked coldly.

Zhuang Qing nodded frantically, terrified the man wouldn't believe him, and hurriedly explained. "Envy has short hair and white diamond-inlaid nails, and so does the captain! Their figures are practically identical, too! This absolutely isn't a coincidence. As much as I don't want to believe it, the facts tell me that the captain is Envy!"

"Mm," Sikong Zhen nodded. Then, he suddenly turned toward the nearby shadows and asked, "Captain Mu, what do you think of this?"

Captain... Mu!?

Zhuang Qing whipped his head around in disbelief. From a dark corner of the room, Mu Lingxi slowly stepped out, her expression perfectly calm.

He jolted!

Terrified, Zhuang Qing leaped clean off the sofa and scrambled backward.

"You! Y-you... Lord Sikong Zhen, arrest her! She's Envy!"

Neither Sikong Zhen nor Mu Lingxi moved a muscle. Both remained perfectly calm.

Mu Lingxi held up a hand and inspected her pretty nails, looking somewhat annoyed. "I shouldn't have gotten this manicure. I can't believe it actually gave me away."

"Lord Sikong Zhen, did you hear that? She just admitted it herself! She's Envy! Hurry up and arrest her!" Zhuang Qing was frantic, terrified that Mu Lingxi would suddenly attack him.

"Yes, I know she's from the Seven Deadly Sins," Sikong Zhen replied calmly.

Zhuang Qing stared at him in utter bewilderment. "Then why aren't you making a move..."

Suddenly, Sikong Zhen stood up. His towering frame exuded an imposing presence as he stared down at Zhuang Qing and enunciated every word, "Because... I am, too."

A thick tentacle extended from his body. Coiled at its tip was a Silver-White Mask bearing a Greedy Smiling Face, which it promptly fastened over Sikong Zhen's face.

Mu Lingxi smiled faintly and pulled out the Envy Mask, securing it over her own face.

The two masks stared dead at Zhuang Qing.

Fear! A tangible terror shot straight through his skull!

Zhuang Qing went rigid all over, his eyes splitting with rage. He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. Terror choked his throat, rendering him completely speechless.

"Envy, should we kill him?" Sikong Zhen asked.

Mu Lingxi shook her head. "Forget it. I actually quite like him; he's rather silly. Besides, a Bronze Tier 1 Transcendent from the weakest Sequence One isn't even qualified to be a sacrifice. Let him go."

"Let him go? Aren't you worried he'll talk?"

Mu Lingxi chuckled lightly. "I'm a captain from the General Law Enforcement Bureau. What is he?"

She didn't say anything further, but her silent contempt spoke volumes.

Zhuang Qing stumbled out of the estate in a daze. He had no memory of how he had left, nor did he know where he was going.

He let out a self-deprecating laugh. "Am I really not even worth killing?"

His fists clenched tightly as he spoke, veins bulging on his face. In that moment, he even wanted to rush back to the Imperial Capital and tell the General Law Enforcement Bureau and the Royal Family everything. But then, he remembered Mu Lingxi's words.

"I'm a captain from the General Law Enforcement Bureau. What is he?"

His fists unclenched powerlessly. "Yeah... what am I? What do I amount to? Who would believe me? Forget it. I'm tired. Let it all burn."

...

...

In the dream world, Su Mu sat upon the Immortal Emperor's Throne, frowning slightly as he looked at Zhuang Qing before him.

Zhuang Qing's eyes were squeezed shut. His expression shifted erratically between ferocity and sorrow, as if his mind were splitting apart.

"Sigh," he murmured. "Why would you come in here just to throw your life away?"

Su Mu couldn't help but marvel. He hadn't expected someone else to dare intrude on his dream. The last one to be this brave had been the Primal Angel.

He had sensed it the moment Zhuang Qing entered the dream, casually weaving a minor illusion for him. His original plan was to wait for Zhuang Qing to wake up from that illusion, then weave another one, and when he woke up again, weave yet another, repeating the cycle indefinitely.

In short, it was a dream within a dream. He would think he had woken up, only to find himself in a second layer of the dream. Waking from the second layer would plunge him into the third, trapping him in an infinite loop until a year had passed.

Because a year was the maximum duration of dream time he could control; extending it any further was impossible.

However, he hadn't expected Zhuang Qing to be so fragile. He had suffered a complete mental breakdown in just the second layer of the dream. This left Su Mu feeling rather dissatisfied; he hadn't even had his fill of fun yet.

"Forget it. This will do."

In the next instant, a massive wave of spiritual energy surged into Zhuang Qing's body, successfully hypnotizing him.

...

...

Inside Mu Lingxi's office, Zhuang Qing opened his eyes. He stretched lazily and called out toward the door, "Captain, I'm done."

A moment later, Mu Lingxi walked in. Looking at Zhuang Qing's lethargic expression, she frowned and sniffed the air in the room. Finding no strange smells, her expression finally softened a little.

"What do you mean you're 'done'? Don't say such ambiguous things next time."

Zhuang Qing's face fell. "Captain, aren't you being a bit too strict with me? I can't even say I'm done? What's ambiguous about that? You're the one whose mind went there..."

Mu Lingxi unclasped the holster at her waist, frightening Zhuang Qing into immediate silence.

"Did you find anything in Su Mu's dream?"

"No."