Chapter Fifty-One: The Strongest Trio!

"Who are you? Where's Old Wang? Why do you look just like him?"
The free man staggered, peering behind Mu You. Near the angel mask stood a figure clad in familiar clothes, with a silhouette etched deep in memory. Yet that person's face seemed to have been sliced off by the sharpest blade, blue-black nerve endings twisted and rooted into flesh. The eyeballs had been entirely cut out, and blood spurted from the sockets, sizzling and congealing into a sticky mass that clogged the hollows. The severed nasal bones flared and fell as breath faded.
Old Wang had collapsed face-first onto the angel mask. The raw, exposed tissues of his face fit perfectly against the mask's contours. But alas, he would never rise again.
Witnessing this, the free man, trembling, aimed his water gun at Mu You's face and fired without hesitation.
Splat—
A corrosive hiss rang out. The skin of Old Wang, which had been draped over Mu You's face, shriveled and withered away under the acid, finally falling off in wrinkled tatters.
Before him stood a bald man, with demonic remnants, the 'Final Sentence' clamped around his neck. His left eye was a void, yet it gleamed with a blood-red light that seemed to ensnare the soul. Most striking was his left wing, which flashed and soared in the air with wild abandon, its howling audible in bursts.
"Heh heh... How could I possibly be such a lowly insect? You're hilarious."
White smoke rose from the acid-burned wound on Mu You's face, and his flesh swiftly regenerated, far faster than the free man could comprehend. Sensing disaster, the free man lunged, desperate to grab the demon mask. If only he could seize it, the match would end—this death row inmate was far too dangerous!
"Eh, I'm not giving it to you! Heh heh..."
The free man was quick, but Mu You was quicker. He snatched the mask and soared into the sky.
"Give it back, you animal! It's mine!"
Watching the cooked duck fly from his grasp, the free man erupted in rage, firing wildly at Mu You hovering overhead.
"Animal?!"
Mu You hovered in midair, laughing, as the jets of concentrated sulfuric acid evaporated before even reaching him, consumed by searing heat.
"You insects are always so fond of calling others animals. Why not let you all perish this time, as a lesson to those free men outside? The hosts of our Meridian Soul-Eating Worms are not yours to trifle with, insects! Am I right?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, madman? Die! Die!"
Already frustrated by the loss of his mask, the free man was infuriated by this string of insane remarks. He fired shot after shot of acid.
Is this how the Death Row Playground usually trains these beasts, to dare utter such arrogance? No matter how dangerous you are, a free man's authority is not to be insulted by livestock!
"I asked you a question. Yes! Or! No!"
Mu You's black left eye widened with each word, his tone intensifying.
Before the free man could react, his water gun melted in his hands. Then a searing heat enveloped him, inside and out, burning even through his core.
"You're... right! Ah! No—!"
Bang!
He tried to protest, but the overwhelming heat forced him to submit. He exploded before he could finish his words, reduced to a mist of gore.
Mu You descended slowly, spinning the angel and demon masks between his hands.
"Warning, warning! Dangerous death row inmate Mu You has again been detected using superpowers. Death sentence imminent. Countdown: ten... nine... three, two, one. Executing death sentence."
A syringe plunged into Mu You's neck—his third time now. Staring at the 'Final Sentence' reflected in the metallic demon mask, Mu You sneered, "A mere mid-level worker worm dares provoke me? Do you wish for death?"
No liquid flowed from the syringe. Instead, the needle retracted, and the red light on the 'Final Sentence' faded into nothingness.
With a scornful laugh, Mu You removed the ruined mask, revealing a handsome, resolute face, and donned the intact demon mask.
"Heh, now I am the demon. And a demon must slaughter all the angels. Let me see which angels still linger in this world—I will send you all to heaven myself."
With that, Mu You surveyed the entire Death Row Playground, finally locking his gaze on the last free man: Bai Zai, who was rushing toward the blast center!
"Heh heh, an upper-level worker worm, no less. Your host has talent! But alas, you are not a death row inmate—you are a free man, and my sworn enemy!"
...
Meanwhile, outside the blast zone, Bai Zai had met up with Hu Lei's group. The death row inmates of the twelfth floor no longer reacted in terror to the sight of the free man Bai Zai. Or perhaps, they had become numb to the sheer horror of Mu You.
Bai Zai, for his part, ignored them, scanning the crowd until he spotted Hu Lei and blocked his path.
"I heard my big brother told you twelfth-floor inmates to evacuate quickly. I don't know how you made peace with him, but I need to know where he is!"
Hu Lei, surprised by the address and Bai Zai's expression, asked, "You call him 'big brother'? Aren't you the boy who shot Mu You with an arrow at the start? He didn't kill you?!"
"Uh... no..."
"Same here..."
The two exchanged a glance, scratching their heads in embarrassment.
"He's actually a good guy. He just saved my daughter. Otherwise... I was ready to die with her."
"Yeah, me too." Bai Zai pursed his lips and nodded. "If it weren't for Big Brother Mu You, I'd never have broken free from my past darkness. That earth-shattering explosion just now—it must be connected to him. I'm worried."
"You're right. The power in that last attack was equal to all the dangerous inmates on this floor at their peak. How could he manage that alone? Something's off. We really should go check."
Hu Lei, deep in thought, agreed and prepared to return.
"No need to go back. He's not there."
Just as the group turned, a gentle yet resonant voice called out. An Ru Xiang appeared, leading the death row inmates of the first floor into view.
One of the top three most dangerous inmates was dead. The other two were now here, and with the thirteen-floor inmates who had evacuated with Hu Lei, nearly half of Block A's fighting force had gathered.
"An Ru Xiang? Of all people, you’re the last I expected to see here. What tricks are you playing?"
Hu Lei immediately positioned himself at the front, shielding the others against any sudden attack. Of all the dangerous inmates in Block A, aside from the widely acknowledged strongest—Zuo Ba of the thirteenth floor—this woman was the most unsettling.
Without using her powers, she could hold her own against any dangerous inmate. Her skill at winning hearts was unparalleled. Even a casual brush with her in daily life left Hu Lei with a lingering sense of danger. Unlike Zuo Ba's flamboyance, An Ru Xiang was reserved and unfathomable.
"Why not? If you two could survive in his hands, why wouldn't I want to join the fun? I have no time to mess with you now. The air here doesn't carry Little Brother Mu You's scent, but his condition is dire. Even his blood smells different—malevolent, supremely evil, surpassing us all."
She gave Hu Lei a long, meaningful look, then took a deep breath and shouted, "He's coming!"
"Heh heh, you little vixen—you have quite the nose!"
A shadow streaked down from the sky. The earth split open; blood-red light flashed amid swirling smoke. A figure emerged: bald, blood-winged, wearing the perfect demon mask.
The three most powerful figures of Block A now stood face to face.