* Changed the name of the MC
The night wind stirred the leaves.
Ash drifted through the moonlight like black snow.
Su Chen sat atop a thick tree branch, one leg hanging lazily while his consciousness remained divided between his true body and the Phantom Echo he had deployed miles away.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
That only meant one thing.
"They've stopped chasing."
Su Chen smiled faintly.
"No... they've started thinking."
A reckless enemy was easy to defeat.
A patient enemy was dangerous.
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Far beyond the forest, inside Blackstone City's eastern manor...
The doors slowly opened.
An elderly man wearing dark blue robes stepped into the hall.
Unlike the furious commanders arguing around the map table, the old man spoke only one sentence.
"Everyone leave."
Silence.
Even the city captain hesitated before bowing and dismissing everyone else.
Only two people remained.
The old man...
And the commander whose forces had just suffered a disastrous defeat.
"You underestimated him."
The commander's fists tightened.
"He fights like a ghost."
"No."
The old man calmly shook his head.
"He fights like someone who already knows your decisions."
The commander froze.
"...Impossible."
"Nothing is impossible."
The old man's cloudy eyes narrowed.
"He attacks only where your weakest groups appear."
"He never wastes movement."
"He retreats before your encirclement closes."
"He behaves as though your entire operation is transparent."
A terrifying possibility appeared in both their minds.
"A spy?"
"No."
The old man slowly looked toward the dark forest.
"A pair of invisible eyes."
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Meanwhile...
Su Chen's Phantom Echo watched everything from the rooftop.
Every word.
Every expression.
Every plan.
A faint smile appeared on Su Chen's real body.
"So..."
"You've finally begun asking the right questions."
He dismissed the clone.
The vision dissolved instantly.
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Back in the forest...
Su Chen opened the System.
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Phantom Growth System
Host: Su Chen
Realm: Iron Body Stage III
Energy: 8,420
Available Upgrade: Unlocked
New Function Available: Echo Mark
Description:
Mark a target once observed. The System records their aura signature and can locate them within a limited distance.
Cost to unlock:
8,000 Energy
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Su Chen raised an eyebrow.
"So expensive?"
Normally he would hesitate.
But after tonight's harvest...
He no longer lacked resources.
"Unlock."
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Ding!
Echo Mark activated.
A warm current flowed through his body.
His senses sharpened.
For a brief moment, countless threads of light spread through the forest before fading away.
Su Chen instinctively understood the new ability.
Anyone he marked...
Would become almost impossible to lose.
Perfect for hunting.
Perfect for escaping.
Perfect for revenge.
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Just then—
A soft crunch echoed behind him.
Not an animal.
Not the patrols.
Someone else.
Su Chen slowly turned.
A young woman stood twenty meters away beneath the moonlight.
She wore a weathered traveler's cloak and carried no visible weapon.
Most importantly...
She had approached within twenty meters without triggering any of Su Chen's instincts.
That alone made her dangerous.
"I've been looking for you," she said calmly.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed.
"I don't know you."
"You don't."
She pulled out a broken bronze token engraved with an ancient crest.
"But someone who died... asked me to find you."
The forest fell silent once more.
For the first time since gaining the System...
Su Chen felt that events were moving beyond his expectations.
End of Chapter 61