Devil's Eye Reborn - Shadow Angel Awakens - Chapter 42

Chapter 40：The trail leads to the orphanage.
 

“By the way, Zicheng, is your wife’s real name Dongcheng Wenzi?” I suddenly remembered the document.

“Yes! She changed her name to Zheng Ruoru after marrying me,” Zicheng looked at me in surprise.

“Prepare yourself,” I said solemnly, then took out the document from my pocket and handed it to him.

Zicheng looked at me in confusion, but as soon as he opened the document, tears began to flow down his face.

With each line he read, his tears intensified.

“Ruoru… your goal was just the necklace, why did you have to take her life…” Zicheng closed his eyes tightly, sobbing with his head down, fists trembling.

“Zicheng, why did you suddenly leave earlier?” I asked.

“Just after you left, a voice suddenly entered my ears, saying it was Li Hongwei. As soon as I heard his name, I immediately ran to the balcony. I saw a figure on the rooftop across the street waving at me, so I ran over,” Zicheng wiped his tears, his voice hoarse, “But when I reached the rooftop, the figure turned and fled. I chased him into an abandoned apartment building, where several men in black appeared, and the figure I was chasing vanished. They said they wanted to take my necklace, and that’s when I realized it was a trap.”

Rahab and I exchanged glances.

The person who lured Zicheng away must have used a secret sound transmission; otherwise, Yan’er wouldn’t have missed it.

If it really was Li Hongwei, his power is beyond estimation, as even I haven’t mastered secret sound transmission.

“They tried to kill me, but when they cut off my hand, I suddenly went berserk and accidentally killed a few of them,” Zicheng paused and continued, “The rest fled with the necklace. Rahab found me shortly after.”

I knew Zicheng’s sudden loss of control and killing the enemies was due to his power suddenly overwhelming his demonic energy.

In fact, Zicheng had experienced sudden bouts of violence and bloodlust in an empty mall in Hong Kong. This was similar to my own loss of sanity when I transformed into Satan, except my demonic energy was much stronger, making it harder to maintain my sanity.

“How many people were chasing you? Were they all demons?” I asked.

“Ten people, ten men in black with strange gear, but they weren’t demons,” Zicheng wiped his tears with his sleeve, “I think they were the demon-hunting squad you encountered before.”

“Yes, those people are indeed formidable. I also took two bullets from them last time. By the way, Zicheng, do you know why they wanted to take that cross necklace?”

“I don’t know. I always thought it was just an ordinary necklace,” Zicheng shook his head.

“Then who gave your wife that cross necklace?”

“The necklace… I think it was given to her by the director of the orphanage she used to live in.”

Another orphanage.

This trip to Italy turned out to be a loss. Not only did we fail to find Daji or Li Hongwei, but even Zicheng’s necklace was taken. A real loss.

However, thinking about the enemies’ strength being much higher than expected, a complex feeling of excitement and worry slowly seeped into my heart.

I always believed I was the reincarnation of Satan, even if Kong Ming claimed I had only a 1 in 411 chance. I still believed that the demon who would ultimately confront God would be me.

Kong Ming left, but he left behind a plethora of mysteries.

At night, on a flight to Japan.

I lay flat on the top of the plane, staring at the stars in a daze.

At thirty thousand feet, the sky was pitch black, the biting cold wind was relentless, the engines roared incessantly, and the temperature was so cold it was hard to breathe.

But this environment was perfect for clearing one’s mind.

And for training.

“Whatever happens, once we arrive in Kansai, we should first visit that orphanage,” I turned my head and shouted to Zicheng, who had been doing a one-handed handstand for three hours.

“But shouldn’t we look for Senior Daji first?” Zicheng asked, his expression calm.

“It’s not that we won’t look, but we have no leads and no way to start. We should check the orphanage first. Even if the Satanic Church gets there first, given the Iron Mask Man’s nature, he will leave clues,” I paused and continued, “Alright, now start walking from the nose to the tail of the plane while handstanding. When you can walk straight and fast, start doing flips.”

“Xiao Nuo, does this training really help?” Zicheng asked, doubtful.

“I assure you, if you can complete this special training, dancing on a steel wire will be a breeze for you,” I said with a smile.

Zicheng nodded and began to support himself with his hands, wobbling as he made his way towards the nose of the plane.

“Careful not to scare the pilot,” I called out with a laugh, and Zicheng waved in acknowledgment.

This special training was actually Zicheng’s idea, feeling that his strength was insufficient. However, the training methods naturally came from Rahab.

After three hours of training, Zicheng had gradually adapted to the harsh environment of low temperatures, lack of oxygen, and strong winds.

From initially turning pale and blue-lipped, nearly suffocating and falling off the plane, he now moved with a seemingly precarious but actually stable balance—a remarkable improvement.

As I watched Zicheng’s figure grow smaller, my thoughts began to settle once more. Suddenly, a small black shadow appeared out of nowhere on my stomach.

“Stupid cat, what are you doing up here?” I turned my head and asked coldly.

“Kid, are you still mad at me?” Rahab squinted his eyes and asked.

I turned my head back, glaring at him indifferently. But Rahab seemed oblivious, his expression still relaxed and carefree.

“Sigh, stupid cat, I really can’t figure out what you’re thinking. Given that you doubt my abilities, and Kong Ming has clearly said that my chances of becoming Satan are slim, why do you insist on sticking with me?” I sighed.

“Xiao Nuo, we’ve had four years together. I wouldn’t leave you so easily,” Rahab said with a sinister smile.

“Four years? You, a demon thousands of years old, care about these mere four years? I don’t believe it,” I scoffed.

Hearing my sarcasm, Rahab didn’t immediately retort. Instead, he looked up at the starry sky and said, “Actually, there’s another reason.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“Compared to the Iron Mask Man, your personality is more like his,” Rahab looked back at me, his eyes sincere.

“His? You mean Satan?” My curiosity was piqued.

Rahab nodded and said, “However, his personality was much more ruthless and eviller than yours now. Although he had moments of kindness, he was always inscrutable.”

“Ruthless and evil? Doesn’t that sound more like the Iron Mask Man?” I asked, puzzled.

“No, the leader of the Satanic Church is perverse and brutal, but Satan was not a bloodthirsty killer,” Rahab’s green eyes looked at me for a moment before continuing, “In fact, the you I met four years ago was more like him.”

“The me from four years ago? How am I different now?” I asked.

“Though not obvious, compared to before, you have become more cheerful and a bit more compassionate,” Rahab said seriously.

“Really? I don’t feel it myself.”

“When you followed your master and me to Egypt, you weren’t exactly silent, but your words and actions made it hard to read your thoughts. Now, you talk more and often have a smile on your face,” Rahab looked at me and said, “Remember the illusion you cast on Li Hongwei back then? You had no compassion in your heart at that time.”

“Could it be because I’ve grown up, understood more, and lived with you guys, so I’ve become more cheerful and kind?” I said, stroking my chin.

Rahab shook his head and said, “I don’t know, but Satan was an absolutely evil demon back then. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have led us in rebellion against the Almighty.”

“Hmm, maybe because I’m his reincarnation, I’ve inherited his power and the mark, but my personality has changed. Isn’t the Iron Mask Man also a reincarnation of Satan? His personality is different from what you described,” I said. “Or, when I can fully control the demonic energy within me and become the true Satan while retaining my sanity, my personality might revert to being cold and sinister.”

“I’ve considered that possibility, but it doesn’t explain why your personality was identical to Satan’s four years ago,” Rahab paused and continued, “Something must have happened in these four years that we haven’t noticed, causing your personality to change.”

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment, then said, “Well, next time we see Kong Ming, I’ll ask him.”