Zhou Ziwei tilted his head and pondered the feasibility of this method for a moment, then shook his head and severely despised himself.
How indecisive! If your goal is to kill her, then... just kill her directly. Why do you have to find a reason or excuse to put your mind at ease? Isn't that just deceiving yourself?
Once Zhou Ziwei had made up his mind, he stopped being polite. After Ono Yuko finished bandaging her injured finger, he looked at her coldly and said, "Well? I told you before... your honey trap won't work on me. Now I'll give you one last chance. Tell me what I want, or—die."
The last word, "death," seemed to be forced out by Zhou Ziwei through gritted teeth, carrying a chilling and sinister feeling. This caused Ono Yuko, who was fiddling with her fingers, to suddenly stiffen. When she looked up at Zhou Ziwei, her eyes revealed a deep sense of panic and fear.
"You...you really...you really will kill me?" Ono Yuko looked at Zhou Ziwei pitifully, still somewhat doubtful.
Zhou Ziwei was not softened by Ono Yuko's pitiful appearance. He stared into her eyes without showing any weakness and said, "If you refuse to talk... then I will kill you. I mean what I say. I hope you will not have any more illusions."
Yuko Ono's expression froze for a moment; she opened her mouth, but no word came out.
She could clearly see that Zhou Ziwei wasn't joking with her. If she didn't satisfy Zhou Ziwei and reveal those secrets, this man... really would kill her.
After about ten minutes of silence, Ono Yuko sighed softly and said in a low voice, "I'm so sorry... I don't want to die, I really don't want to die. I would be happy to enjoy the beauty of this world even if I could live for just one more minute. But... I can't tell you anything... really, I really can't. If I tell you those things, then... my ending will be worse than death. So... please kill me, Mr. Zhou... I just hope you can let me die gracefully, please don't make me look bloody and disgusting, okay?"
Zhou Ziwei also remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly, extended a finger, and slowly reached towards Ono Yuko's brow...
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..." Just as Zhou Ziwei was trying to suppress the nerves in Ono Yuko's brain with his soul power, causing her to enter a state of brain death silently, the beautiful necklace on Ono Yuko's body suddenly exploded, and then a blue needle flew out from it, shooting towards Zhou Ziwei's neck like lightning at close range.
She's definitely not a woman who'll just sit and wait to die...
When Zhou Ziwei was preparing to kill, how could he be completely unprepared for Ono Yuko? Therefore, when he saw the murderous intent emanating from Ono Yuko's chest, he not only did not panic, but also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, he could do without finding an excuse or reason for himself, but to kill a woman who was powerless to fight back and was sitting there quietly waiting to die... it still left a bad taste in his mouth. However... since Ono Yuko had such a hidden ambush method, then it was different. Killing her under these circumstances would not leave Zhou Ziwei with any shadow or burden in his heart.
It was a very peculiar blue needle. The tip was only about half an inch long, but the blue glow emanated from it for more than an inch, making people's hearts tremble at the sight of it.
However, for Zhou Ziwei, who was prepared, this thing did not cause him too much trouble. The moment the necklace on Ono Yuko's chest exploded, Zhou Ziwei's soul power, which had been waiting for him, suddenly erupted from all parts of his body, instantly wrapping him up like a big rice dumpling, completely covering him inside and out, and the concentration of soul power was quite high, almost like a semi-fog and semi-liquid state.
As expected, the needle was launched like a butterfly dart, entirely controlled by Ono Yuko's soul power. However, as soon as the needle pierced Zhou Ziwei's protective layer of soul power, it immediately seemed to sink into a deep quagmire, and its rapid speed was immediately halted.
However, it's unclear whether this attack unleashed Ono Yuko's full potential or if the needle-like weapon was simply more potent. In any case, despite Zhou Ziwei's thick layer of soul power, the blue needle still managed to penetrate deep inside. It only ran out of strength when the ever-evolving blue light was about to pierce through Zhou Ziwei's alloy armor. Zhou Ziwei then forcefully severed the thin strand of soul power connecting Ono Yuko to the blue needle.
"Phew—" Zhou Ziwei breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, but at the same time felt a lingering fear. If he hadn't been prepared to deal with the sneak attack at any time, and had actually thought that Ono Yuko had completely given up resisting, then... he probably wouldn't even know how he died now.
This woman is truly a cunning fox... Zhou Ziwei really doesn't dare give this kind of woman any more chances, otherwise... it would be tantamount to courting death.
With a "pop," Zhou Ziwei stepped back half a step, grabbed an apple from the coffee table, and caught the blue needle. Then, his eyes turned cold, and he stepped closer again. Finally, amidst Ono Yuko's despairing gaze, the finger gently pressed against her snow-white forehead. A wisp of pure and powerful soul energy immediately invaded Ono Yuko's brain, and with a rough and ruthless breath, it severed all the nerves in her brain.
The brain was completely stripped of control over the body, and the heart's blood-pumping function also stopped abruptly. So, in no time, Ono Yuko's brain finally died completely due to extreme lack of oxygen.
Although the woman's final counterattack was somewhat insidious and ruthless, Zhou Ziwei still fulfilled her last request, letting her die beautifully, as if... she were asleep, without leaving a single drop of blood on her body.
A figure resembling a transparent Ono Yuko slowly rose from the corpse, looking slightly bewildered. After only a few seconds, she quickly regained her senses, glanced back at Zhou Ziwei, and revealed a hint of ferocity and hatred in her expression. However, her fear of Zhou Ziwei prevented the figure from getting too close to him. She then looked at the scorching sunlight outside the window and began to frantically search for a hiding place in the room.
Zhou Ziwei didn't delay any longer. Even if he had already killed the other person's physical body, what would it matter if he devoured another soul?
After the six-syllable mantra was finished, Zhou Ziwei watched as Ono Yuko's soul was peeled away layer by layer by the yellow halo, transforming into a flowing yellow energy stream, which he then absorbed into his sea of souls...
A moment later, Zhou Ziwei slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the blue needle still stuck in the apple, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.
The Azure Needle—who would have thought that this needle was Ono Yuko's true trump card? Zhou Ziwei had been cautious because the needle looked eerie and seemed dangerous, so he hadn't tried to catch it with his hands but instead used an apple.
If he had been even slightly careless and thought that the needle was no longer dangerous once it was out of Ono Yuko's control, then... he would probably be dead by now, or even die before Ono Yuko.
There is no information in Yuko Ono's memory about how the Azure Sea Needle was made, so it seems that Yuko Ono obviously did not make it herself.
However, the effects of the Azure Sea Needle are quite terrifying. It is a very scary and rare weapon that can directly harm a person's soul.
This needle is a disposable weapon, and its method of use is relatively simple. As long as it comes into contact with any part of a person's body, the Azure Sea Needle will quickly melt into the person's blood, and then the person will lose all vitality because of this needle. After death, even the soul will completely dissipate.
Zhou Ziwei was not afraid of physical death. He was confident that he could be reborn in another body. Therefore, for him, death in the common sense was just a change of skin.
However, if he had been pierced by that Azure Sea Needle, he might have truly died, his soul not even having a chance to escape his body before being destroyed along with it.
What a vicious hidden weapon! It was concealed in the necklace around Ono Yuko's neck, and the pendant of that necklace was a large sapphire. The needle was sandwiched in the middle of that sapphire, and the Azure Sea Needle was almost exactly the same color as the sapphire.
Even if Zhou Ziwei scanned the necklace with his soul power, unless someone carefully observed it, they probably wouldn't have discovered that there was such a powerful weapon inside.
Holding the apple with the Azure Sea Needle embedded in it, Zhou Ziwei was truly in a dilemma. What should he do with it? Such a powerful weapon was obviously a waste to throw away, but... carrying it around was really dangerous. What if... he accidentally touched the needle with his own body? Wouldn't it be too unjust to die?
Looking at the necklace that had exploded on Ono Yuko's chest, Zhou Ziwei pondered for a moment. He thought it best not to wear it on his person for the time being. He should do what Ono Yuko did and have a necklace or something made to carry it inside his body, so that his body would not accidentally bump into the needle.
But... wouldn't it be a bit too flashy for Zhou Ziwei, a grown man, to wear such a sapphire necklace around his neck all the time...?
Zhou Ziwei shook his head slightly, deciding not to think about the problem for now and to wait until the necklace was finished.
Zhou Ziwei then took the three butterfly darts out of the pocket of his alloy suit. These three butterfly darts were no longer as insidious as the Azure Sea Needle. Although the edges of these three butterflies were also very sharp, their only killing power was physical attack. They would only cut a person's skin and crush the flesh and bones of your target bit by bit through the force of rotation, but they had no other danger.
Unfortunately, Zhou Ziwei also knew nothing about how these butterfly darts were made. He only knew that Ono Yuko's three butterfly darts were no ordinary items, and that they seemed to be a treasure of her sect. Her sect was actually the Blood Blade School, a reclusive sect in Japan.
According to Yuko Ono's memories, the Blood Blade School is a sect with a long history, but it has never had many members. The members are mainly divided into two groups: strength warriors and spirit warriors.
A physical warrior is like the man in the green robe who used an ancient longsword yesterday. He has terrifying strength and mainly relies on his own strength to fight others. A spiritual warrior, on the other hand, is like Ono Yuko. He has limited physical strength but has mastered the secret of so-called "spiritual power" and can use it to control weapons made of special metals.
The spiritual power of a martial artist is not omnipotent; it cannot manipulate all matter at will. It can only be successfully integrated into certain special metallic materials and controlled with relative flexibility.
But if it's ordinary metal... then it has absolutely no effect.
Spirit warriors cultivate their own spiritual power. Ono Yuko has a very strange cultivation method. This method requires her to have sex with men constantly, and then go to a place with abundant yin energy to perform a special breathing exercise, which allows her spiritual power to slowly increase.
When Zhou Ziwei read these things in Ono Yuko's soul memories, he really didn't know whether he should cry or laugh.
It seems... that Ono Yuko wasn't necessarily born a lewd person. It turns out that the reason she had so many messy relationships with so many men, and even the rumor that she was once an AV actress in Japan, was because she was a spiritual warrior and wanted to cultivate spiritual power.
It makes sense... A woman with such abilities should be quite proud, so why would she do such a "selfless" job as an AV actress for no reason? But if it's for cultivating spiritual power, then it's easy to understand. To become stronger, she has every reason to let herself fall into depravity.
Or perhaps this isn't even a form of depravity; in fact, she might simply view having sex with men as a means of training, just like someone practicing martial arts.
And what could be more convenient than being an AV actress to constantly have sex with men? It really is a profession tailor-made for people like them…
Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate that he had the Six-Syllable Mantra to continuously and efficiently absorb a large amount of soul power from the outside world without needing to cultivate. Otherwise... if he wanted to increase his spiritual power, would he have to become an AV actor in Japan?
Zhou Ziwei didn't really care whether he was a male porn star or not, but he couldn't tolerate the women he had sex with being used by many men like they were in a public toilet. So... if the director could provide him with a fresh virgin every time, Zhou Ziwei would really be willing to try this loving profession.
Zhou Ziwei is now basically certain that Ono Yuko's spiritual power is similar to his own soul power. However, Ono Yuko's soul power is obviously far less flexible in its use than Zhou Ziwei's. It seems that apart from controlling the so-called spiritual artifacts made of special metal materials, it has no other use.
Or perhaps this isn't the case. Ono Yuko isn't the only spiritual warrior in this world. It's possible that Ono Yuko's spiritual power is too weak, which is why she doesn't have many other methods to utilize.
Zhou Ziwei roughly estimated that Ono Yuko's soul power at its peak would only be around three or four hundred. This pitiful soul power wouldn't even be enough to barely unleash a soul roar. So even if her sect had some spiritual martial arts techniques for controlling spiritual power, Ono Yuko's current strength would be completely useless for it.
However, Zhou Ziwei discovered that Ono Yuko's cultivation method was far less efficient than Zhou Ziwei's direct use of the Six-Syllable Mantra to devour the surrounding souls, but it had a benefit that Zhou Ziwei coveted: it could automatically regenerate.
In other words, Yuko Ono constantly engages in sexual intercourse with men and then goes to places with abundant yin energy to absorb yin spirit energy. Even if the spiritual power she painstakingly cultivates is exhausted in fights with people, it can slowly recover on its own.
For example, Yuko Ono had completely exhausted her spiritual power in the Shinda Chemical office building by using the Butterfly Dart, but after a period of time, she actually recovered about one-third of it.
During this time, Yuko Sōno neither had sex with anyone nor went to any places with strong yin energy to absorb yin spirit energy...
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 456: Telepathy
Zhou Ziwei's greatest reliance is his soul ability, and the foundation of every soul ability is soul power. Without soul power, Zhou Ziwei's strength would be reduced by at least half.
Although Zhou Ziwei still has hundreds of thousands of soul power, this soul power is depleted as soon as it is used up. Once it is gone, he will have to find a way to absorb new souls to replenish his soul power.
Zhou Ziwei can now absorb the soul energy of life forms other than humans, which gives him more opportunities to replenish his soul power. However, ordinary animals, probably due to their lack of intelligence, have pitifully little soul energy compared to humans. So even if he can replenish his soul energy from animals, it is unlikely that Zhou Ziwei will ever encounter a situation like in the pilot plane where he could replenish hundreds of thousands of soul power at once.
Unless... there is a third world war.
Zhou Ziwei is not a warmonger, nor would he hope for a global world war just to increase his strength. Therefore, unless he stops using his soul power for anything in the future, it is unlikely that he will be able to increase his soul power to one million and achieve another qualitative leap in his soul abilities.
However, Zhou Ziwei now sees hope in Ono Yuko. If he can master Ono Yuko's method of condensing and cultivating soul power, then... wouldn't it be possible that after his soul power is consumed, he won't need to devour soul bodies anymore and can slowly return to his original state?
This was a very tempting offer for Zhou Ziwei. Although Ono Yuko's method of cultivating soul power was so strange and hard for him to accept, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but be moved whenever he thought about the endless benefits it would bring.
However… Zhou Ziwei didn’t have the courage to go to Japan to become a male porn star. Although doing this kind of job might make it easier for him to cultivate, he was now the richest man in the country and also held a nominal position as a section chief in the military. He was a well-known figure. If his old superior found out that he was going to become a male porn star, he wondered if he would have someone shoot him on the spot to avoid bringing shame to the people of the whole country.
After pondering for a while, Zhou Ziwei put the matter aside for the time being. It was still unknown whether this method would be effective for him, and there was no point in thinking about it too much now.
They returned to the room where Kyzylmier had been staying, only to find him already fast asleep at the door.
Zhou Ziwei's face darkened, and he immediately understood what was going on. In fact, when Zhou Ziwei left Kyzylmer alone in this room, he had already used his mind to notify the little mosquito he had captured first. It was the only one among his current group of insect pets that possessed a poison that could instantly put people to sleep. Although this poison was very strong, it was not fatal. As long as the person was revived, it would not cause any harm to the human body.
Even now, Zhou Ziwei still can't understand how that little mosquito could have evolved such a venom.
After Zhou Ziwei notified the little mosquito with his soul consciousness, he gave it an order: if Kyzylmer tried to leave the room, he should immediately poison her until she passed out.
Kyzylmier has now fallen into a deep sleep right by the door, and the outcome is predictable.
Zhou Ziwei lifted Kyzylmer off the ground and then slapped her hard across the face, making her tremble and slowly wake up.
Normally, it wouldn't be easy to wake up after being poisoned by a mosquito, but Kyzylmier is no ordinary person and is skilled in mental abilities, so he has some resistance to the mosquito's venom.
While others might not wake up on their own for three days and three nights after being poisoned, Kyzylmier would likely regain consciousness in about a day.
That's why she woke up immediately after Zhou Ziwei slapped her.
"How...how did I suddenly fall asleep?"
After regaining consciousness, Kyzylmer was still somewhat dazed and had no idea that she had just been slapped by Zhou Ziwei. Her face was already slightly swollen.
“I told you… if you try to escape from here again, I won’t be as polite to you as I was last time.”
Zhou Ziwei snorted coldly, then swung his arm and threw Kyzylmer far away onto the large bed in the bedroom.
"Ah—" Although the bed was very soft, being thrown from such a distance still made Kyzylem feel as if all the bones in his body were about to be shattered.
"You...don't you have any gentlemanly manners at all!" Kyzylmer stared at Zhou Ziwei as he walked towards her, gritting her teeth and glaring at him with hatred, saying, "Is this how you treat a beautiful woman?"
Zhou Ziwei touched his nose and said, "I never said I wanted to be some kind of bullshit gentleman. Your so-called gentlemen are even worse than the gentlemen advocated by our ancient Chinese. They're just a bunch of pretentious, bored people who made up these ridiculous rules to fool people. I can't control whether others want to be gentlemen, but I have no interest in that... It seems you really didn't take my words to heart. Do you think that just because you're pretty, I can only drool over you and would never do anything to you? Is that it?"
As Zhou Ziwei spoke, he walked to the front of the large bed and looked at Kyzylem, who was curled up on the bed like a sexy little cat. He said, "The island woman who was with you just now had the same idea as you, but... her body should be getting cold by now. If you also want to treat me like a fool like she did... then I can only send you to keep her company."
"No... I've said everything I needed to say, what else do you want from me?"
When Kyzylem heard Zhou Ziwei say that he had killed the Japanese woman from earlier, she instinctively didn't believe it. Although she was confident in her beauty, she wasn't necessarily better than Ono Yuko. Moreover, Ono Yuko clearly possessed a unique charm that Eastern women had, which would likely make her more attractive to Eastern men. If Zhou Ziwei had said that he had just raped Ono Yuko, Kyzylem would have believed him without hesitation. But Zhou Ziwei said that he had killed that woman…
After staring into Zhou Ziwei's eyes for a few seconds, Kyzylmer had no choice but to believe Zhou Ziwei's words. Zhou Ziwei spoke without any affectation or threat, as if he were talking about something trivial, like... he had just killed a chicken.
Zhou Ziwei's expression startled Kizilmer, who realized with horror that her beautiful face, more beautiful than a flower, might not have any advantage in front of Zhou Ziwei! She hurriedly explained, "I... I just want to save my sister, so... so I want to leave here. Please... I've told you everything I can. If you don't let me go, I'm afraid... I'm afraid my sister... she might really die this time."
Zhou Ziwei frowned slightly and said, "Tell me slowly... Tell me what happened? Where is your sister now? Why is she doomed if you don't go? If you can tell the truth and make me believe you, then I might even consider helping you to rescue your sister."
Zhou Ziwei's words were not just perfunctory. He had left a backup plan in Anirias's chip. Moreover, that woman seemed much more naive than this Kyzylmer. Zhou Ziwei sometimes didn't dare to believe Kyzylmer's words, but for some reason, he was more inclined to believe Anirias.
Moreover, ever since she subdued Anirias at AFH, the woman has been extremely obedient. She even accompanied them flying over the snowy mountains half-naked. Even Zhou Ziwei had to admire her perseverance.
If possible, Zhou Ziwei wouldn't mind helping Anirias out.
Kyzylmer sat up halfway and stared into Zhou Ziwei's eyes for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. He said, "My sister was captured by the bandits. They sent me a message telling me to capture you or your wife, or at least one of them, so they could exchange her for my sister. Otherwise... they'll eat my sister alive... I really had no choice but to... I had to come here... But now I know I was wrong. The bandits are terrifying, but you... you're more like a devil than them. We weak women will never be able to escape your clutches."
"Who is Beard?" Zhou Ziwei asked, puzzled.