Liu Hui was utterly stunned when he heard the "Professor" analyze that Zhou Tengyun was not the Black Knight. For so long, he had firmly believed that Zhou Tengyun was merely posing as the masked hero.

Although Zhou Tengyun had admitted to being the Black Knight, Liu Hui caught something in the glance Zhou Tengyun had just given him—a certainty that Zhou Tengyun was absolutely not the real Black Knight. Zhou Tengyun thought he was the Black Knight, which is why he confessed to the identity; he was covering for himself. Yet, Liu Hui knew deep down that he himself was not the Black Knight either.

The first appearance of this Black Knight followed a conversation between the four sworn brothers. They had just watched a news report concerning the "Shaocheng Orphans" incident in the mainland. This event had caused a devastating ripple effect across society, yet, due to certain machinations, the mastermind behind the "Shaocheng Orphans" had faced no punishment whatsoever; he was even able to travel to Hong Kong on public funds.

This prompted Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun to wonder: why hadn't a hero emerged to uphold justice and punish the architect of the "Shaocheng Orphans" incident? As they talked, Liu Hui’s father, having just watched the old movie Black Knight, expressed great admiration for the cinematic hero, wishing that if a hero were to appear, he would be as formidable as the one in the film.

When the words "Black Knight" were uttered, Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them. The very next day, news broke that the Black Knight had suddenly appeared, beginning to mete out justice against wrongdoers. The mastermind of the "Shaocheng Orphans" was instantly eliminated. At the time, Liu Hui assumed Zhou Tengyun had acted, never imagining the reality was entirely different.

If Liu Hui was definitely not the Black Knight, and Zhou Tengyun wasn't either, then who truly was? Why would this Black Knight appear and act entirely according to Liu Hui’s own will, solving so many of his troubles? The Black Knight seemed to be operating precisely as Liu Hui intended. Thanks to the Black Knight’s protection, hardly anyone dared to cause trouble for the Starry Sky Group, as they knew the Black Knight was its guardian deity; to challenge him would be suicidal.

The identity of the Black Knight instantly became shrouded in impenetrable mystery. However, this was not the time to investigate. Liu Hui knew his wife and child were still in grave danger; he had to rescue them first before uncovering the Black Knight's true identity.

Utilizing the power of the Hongguang Armor to conceal his true strength, Liu Hui successfully deceived masters of the Divine Rank like Binar. They pushed Liu Hui toward the cluster of women. At this point, Liu Hui felt absolutely confident in his ability to eliminate these Divine Rank experts.

With his mind settled, Liu Hui prepared to rise, intending to showcase his overwhelming power by taking out Maeda Atsuko, who posed the greatest immediate threat as she was staring intently at the heavily wounded Zhou Tengyun.

Just as Liu Hui was about to stand, someone pulled him back from behind, preventing him from rising. Liu Hui instantly shrank back and saw someone else stand up behind him. That person spoke in a clear, ringing voice: “Since all you masterminds are finally gathered, I shall send you all to your doom together!”

The moment the words left their lips, the air filled with an intense spiritual energy fluctuation, the sheer magnitude of which made even Liu Hui’s heart pound with dread.

Liu Hui and the Divine Rank masters like Binar were jolted back in astonishment. Turning around, they immediately saw Hu Xian'er standing up from the crowd. She took a single stride, stepping out into the void, suspending herself in mid-air as if gravity did not apply. Hu Xian'er’s hair whipped around her, the ribbons on her clothing floated autonomously, and a sacred white light emanated from her face, illuminating her so that she appeared like an immortal maiden who had just descended to the mortal realm.

In her hand, Hu Xian'er now held a massive, luminous white broadsword that appeared out of nowhere. The sword shimmered with a terrifying edge—it was the Black Knight’s signature weapon. Liu Hui and Binar instantly sensed an overwhelmingly potent aura of terror radiating from it.

Hu Xian'er floated in the air, and the white broadsword in her grasp flashed like lightning, flipping once before stabbing precisely into the humanoid mecha of Maeda Atsuko, who had been monitoring them. Hu Xian'er’s wrist flickered incessantly, causing the white sword to slice rapidly inside the mecha, emitting a series of crisp sounds. The entire high-tech machine, like a perfectly carved piece of meat from a master butcher, was swiftly disassembled into component parts that clattered to the floor, revealing a stunned Maeda Atsuko hiding inside.

The entire process—from Hu Xian'er speaking, to levitating, to dissecting the high-tech armor—happened too rapidly for even Maeda Atsuko’s advanced mecha to react, let alone for Binar and the others standing nearby. In an instant, Maeda Atsuko’s most relied-upon protective suit had become a pile of scrap, leaving her completely exposed before everyone.

Hu Xian'er gave Maeda Atsuko no chance. With a swift pivot of the white broadsword, Maeda Atsuko’s head dropped to the floor. Even then, her eyes remained wide open; she could not believe she had died so swiftly, and that the high-tech armor she depended on had proven as fragile as paper, offering no sense of security.

Hu Xian'er instantly neutralized Maeda Atsuko, who possessed the strongest technological protection, thereby removing the threat to Liu Hui’s wife and child. This development stunned Liu Hui; he had never imagined his own wife was the Black Knight, much less one so terrifyingly skilled.

Binar’s faction was equally dumbfounded. They hadn't anticipated that the Black Knight would be Hu Xian'er, capable of killing a Divine Rank-equivalent combatant within a high-tech mecha in a single move.

Hu Xian'er hung in the air, her skirts billowing, her robes fluttering, gazing down upon the enemies below. She spoke coldly, “I spared your lives before only to set the stage for this day. I gave you the opportunity to gather all your masterminds here so I could eliminate you all in one sweep, saving me the trouble of hunting you across the globe. Did you truly think your so-called Divine Rank experts could escape my sword?”

Hu Xian'er exuded a sharp, heroic spirit, her aura strengthening to the point where it surpassed everyone present. Watching this overt display of dominance, Liu Hui was deeply shocked, murmuring, “Xian’er…”

Zhou Tengyun was equally horrified by this sudden turn of events. He had always assumed Liu Hui was the Black Knight, only to discover it was Hu Xian'er, so devastatingly powerful she could one-shot Divine Rank experts and treat them with utter disdain.

Though Hu Xian'er was not wearing the Black Knight’s characteristic dark attire, the giant white sword in her hand, her ability to hover in the air, and the overwhelming might she just used to destroy Maeda Atsuko left no room for doubt that she was the true Black Knight.

Those who had previously battled the Black Knight face-to-face, like Binar’s group, now felt a long-forgotten tremor of fear emanating from Hu Xian'er. They finally understood why the Black Knight had used vibrating air to speak to them—it was a brilliant tactic Hu Xian'er devised to conceal her identity. This clever deception had successfully focused their suspicions on Zhou Tengyun while they overlooked investigating the women surrounding Liu Hui.

Since ascending the "Starry Sky City," Yan Hongyu had been anticipating the Black Knight’s arrival, unable to believe the hero hadn't detected them. Now, she finally saw him appear.

Yan Hongyu stared blankly at the Black Knight. Long ago, after meeting the Black Knight’s gaze and fleeing, she had inexplicably fallen for him. Her own icy heart began to melt, and she even dreamt of physical intimacy with him. She desperately wanted to see the Black Knight again, even if only from afar; merely observing him was enough satisfaction. However, the Black Knight was her greatest enemy, the killer of her elder brother, Yan Hongye. She should not have been able to love him, yet she never suspected the Black Knight was a woman.

Yan Hongyu felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity. Her own close relative had loved her, yet she had fallen for her brother's killer, who now turned out to be a woman. Had her Yan family been cursed? Why else would they suffer from albinism, engage in taboo relationships between family members, fall for their clan’s nemesis, only for the whole scenario to culminate in a lesbian romance?

Yan Hongyu was deeply conflicted, feeling lost and bewildered. Meanwhile, the leader of the Maoshan Sect, seeing the Black Knight’s official debut, quickly produced a talisman and began merging with the Golden Zombie residing within the coffin behind him. He understood the Black Knight’s lethality better than anyone; even though the Black Knight was a woman, her destructive potential was undiminished, for he had already experienced that taste of utter despair once.

Binar, the "Professor," and Lucifer also experienced a brief lapse of concentration. They hadn't anticipated the Black Knight was hidden among these women. Their self-assurance had been entirely misplaced; they believed they controlled the situation, never realizing it was merely a ploy orchestrated by the Black Knight.

Hu Xian'er watched the Maoshan Sect Leader merge with the Golden Zombie without interference. Only after the fusion was complete did she speak calmly, “Maoshan Sect Leader, you managed to escape death once before; why return now only to seek it again? Your Maoshan Sect is supposed to be a renowned orthodox sect in this land; why aren't you focusing on your duty of capturing ghosts and demons? To involve yourselves in this mess is sheer idiocy. Did you think sheer numbers would allow you to swagger across the 'Starry Sky City'? Very well, since you have returned, I shall show you true despair!”

Hu Xian'er pointed, and the white broadsword hovering near her shot forward, aimed directly at the Golden Zombie formed by the Maoshan Sect Leader’s fusion. The Maoshan Sect Leader let out a soundless roar, instantly channeling the immensely vast energy stored within the Golden Zombie. The zombie’s physique swelled rapidly, its muscles knotting. It threw a punch at the incoming white broadsword.

Hu Xian'er pointed her hand again and commanded, “Swiftly!”

The white broadsword’s speed dramatically increased, slamming into the Golden Zombie’s fist. The zombie’s seemingly unbreakable fist was split in two by the blade, yet the sword’s momentum was undiminished, piercing straight through the Golden Zombie’s body. With a single move from Hu Xian'er, the broadsword swirled behind the zombie and returned to her side.

The Golden Zombie stood frozen, motionless. A gaping hole appeared where its heart should be; the core containing its massive energy source had been completely obliterated by the white sword. Deprived of its power source, the Golden Zombie began to deflate like a punctured balloon, rapidly shrinking before detaching from the Maoshan Sect Leader.

The Maoshan Sect Leader was violently ejected from the zombie’s collapsing form. A deep wound marred his chest where the heart was, from which thick blood now welled. The detached Golden Zombie began to decompose rapidly, melting into a pool of yellow liquid, releasing a foul stench into the warehouse. The Maoshan Sect’s treasured artifact, existing for untold years, was finally gone.

The Maoshan Sect Leader could not speak, lying motionless on the ground, watching the powerful Golden Zombie, passed down through generations, vanish before his eyes. With the zombie destroyed, his sect would truly fall into ruin. Two streams of cloudy, old tears tracked down his cheeks.

With her second move, Hu Xian'er had obliterated the seemingly invulnerable Golden Zombie. Its powerful defense and strength were nothing before her. Hu Xian'er’s simple strike completely annihilated the Golden Zombie, leaving the Maoshan Sect Leader barely clinging to life, facing imminent death.

The formidable power Hu Xian'er displayed horrified Binar and his group. If eliminating Maeda Atsuko was a surprise attack, then squarely defeating the Golden Zombie now was concrete proof of her staggering strength.

The Maoshan Sect Leader, fused with the Golden Zombie, was considered one of the absolute peak figures among the Divine Rank experts because the zombie seemed immune to all forms of attack. Yet, it was defeated in one move by Hu Xian'er. Just what level had Hu Xian'er attained? Had she surpassed the Divine Rank? And if so, what classification lay beyond it?

Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun were equally astonished. They could not fathom that Hu Xian'er was this mighty, dispatching two Divine Rank experts in just two moves without sustaining any injury herself.

Lucifer, witnessing two of his Divine Rank members instantly eliminated, showed no fear. He stood up. Sacred light wreathed his body, and faintly, angels could be heard singing hymns in the void.

Lucifer adopted an expression of pity and addressed Hu Xian'er: “Miss Hu Xian'er, I did not realize you were so inherently violent, resorting to killing at the drop of a hat. No wonder Mr. Liu Hui couldn't tolerate such a temperament and sought lovers elsewhere, even fathering children. And yet, you still protect him now—don't you find that strange?”

Lucifer’s voice was unsettlingly peculiar, both melodious and possessing a strange, seductive quality. His words began to enter Hu Xian'er’s ears at a unique frequency, targeting a specific region within her brain. Listening to Lucifer, coupled with the surrounding holy light and the angelic chorus in the void, Hu Xian'er’s expression immediately became hesitant, as if genuinely influenced by Lucifer’s enchantment, recalling the tragic trajectory of her own romantic life.

Lucifer continued, “Why don’t you take this unfaithful man’s head with your sword? With your skills, you could find any man in the world.”

Hu Xian'er’s face showed a flicker of contemplation after hearing Lucifer’s words, appearing swayed by his instigation.

The nearby Professor and Binar saw Hu Xian'er fall into a trance through some unknown means, realizing Lucifer’s spell of bewitchment was taking effect. They were unwilling to waste this rare opportunity. They exchanged a look, then both sprinted toward Hu Xian'er from opposite sides, intending to launch a surprise attack while she was vulnerable.

Liu Hui was bewildered by Hu Xian'er’s sudden trance, and as Binar and the "Professor" rushed in to ambush her, he prepared to intervene to save her. Instead, Hu Xian'er suddenly broke into a dazzling smile and struck out with her right palm, connecting squarely with Binar, sending him flying backward. While still airborne, Binar vomited a torrent of blood before collapsing onto the ground and rolling several times, lying completely still thereafter.

As Hu Xian'er swung her left palm toward the ambushing "Professor" from behind, she gasped in shock—she couldn't bring the strike down.

It turned out that Yan Hongyu, seeing Hu Xian'er fall into a state of confusion under Lucifer’s manipulative words while the "Professor" launched an attack, suddenly became frantic for some reason. She threw herself forward, using her own body to shield Hu Xian'er from the "Professor's" blow. The "Professor," realizing his sneak attack had hit Yan Hongyu and that Hu Xian'er had fully recovered and was clearly superior, immediately turned to flee.

Hu Xian'er’s shock quickly turned to fierce rage. The white broadsword hanging in the sky rotated and shot out, hitting the fleeing "Professor" squarely. Unable to evade in time, he was struck by the white sword, spraying a large cloud of blood into the air before falling far away on the ground, also unable to move.

After defeating the "Professor" in one strike, Hu Xian'er reached out and caught Yan Hongyu, who was drifting down from the air. Yan Hongyu slumped into Hu Xian'er’s embrace, her face pale, clearly near death, yet a look of deep satisfaction touched her lips.

Hu Xian'er frowned. “Why? Why did you save me?”

Yan Hongyu managed a weak smile. “Because… I… love… you…”

Hu Xian'er immediately recalled the scene from years ago when she was about to kill Yan Hongye. At that time, Yan Hongyu had also suddenly confessed her love. Hu Xian'er had dismissed it as a delaying tactic, which was precisely how Yan Hongye managed to escape. She never imagined Yan Hongyu truly loved her, willing to sacrifice herself to save the very person who murdered her brother. Although Hu Xian'er was never truly vulnerable to the "Professor's" sneak attack, making Yan Hongyu’s intervention redundant, in that moment, Hu Xian'er felt the depth of Yan Hongyu’s affection.

Yan Hongyu’s breath grew shallower. She managed to say, “Black Knight, can you kiss… kiss… me…” But she couldn't draw enough air to finish the sentence.

Hu Xian'er understood Yan Hongyu’s final wish. Looking at Yan Hongyu’s beginning-to-fade pupils, she sighed, lowered her head, and kissed Yan Hongyu on the lips. A look of pure contentment spread across Yan Hongyu’s mouth before her life faded away.

Liu Hui watched Yan Hongyu die tragically while saving Hu Xian'er, and then saw Hu Xian'er kiss this woman she had only just met. A strange sensation welled up within him.

Hu Xian'er gently placed Yan Hongyu’s lifeless body down, straightened her clothes, and then stood up. Her face cold, she moved with a mere flicker of motion, appearing instantly before the immobilized "Professor." She used her white broadsword to lift the hood covering his face, only to recoil in shock at the visage hidden beneath.

Hu Xian'er burst into sudden, unrestrained laughter, bending over double. She looked at the paralyzed Binar on the floor and scoffed, “Binar, for someone who was an i-special consultant, so adept at intelligence work, you certainly failed to realize who your supposed ally was.” She then lifted the "Professor," casually tearing off the black cloak and the gloves he wore.

Upon seeing the "Professor’s" true face, everyone in the room gasped in astonishment. The perpetually mysterious "Professor" was, in fact, an enormous, massive gorilla. Only then did they understand why he had always worn black robes, a cowl, and gloves, and why his voice modulation was so bizarre—because he was a great ape.

At this point, only Lucifer remained as a standing member of the Divine Rank group in the room. However, having just witnessed Hu Xian'er’s immense power and now feeling her divine consciousness firmly locked onto him, compounded by the failure of his prized enchantment technique, he had completely lost all confidence. He stood there motionless, waiting to see how Hu Xian'er intended to dispose of him.

Hu Xian'er carried the gorilla "Professor" back toward the others. As she passed Lucifer, she sneered, “You fraudulent charlatan, stop playing your games. Go back to the place you crawled out of!”

With Hu Xian'er's cold snort, the white holy light surrounding Lucifer and the angels in the void instantly vanished. Lucifer then began to bleed from all seven orifices, slowly collapsing to the ground before his breath finally ceased. It turned out Lucifer had been shaken to death by the sound of Hu Xian'er’s snort. All his life he had relied on seduction to deceive countless people, yet he died by someone's voice—a fitting end for evil deeds.

The contingent of God-level experts brought by Binar was now completely annihilated. However, he paid them no mind now. He lay on the ground, staring intently at the 'Professor' in Hu Xian'er's hand, his face etched with shock. He mumbled repeatedly, "How is this possible? How could the 'Professor' be a gorilla?"

Hu Xian'er walked over to Liu Hui, tossed the 'Professor' onto the ground, and said to Binar, "As for why it's a chimpanzee, you should ask it yourself."

Binar roared, "Professor, what in the world is going on?"

The 'Professor' finally managed to steady itself and coldly retorted, "What's so strange about that? Can't I be a chimpanzee?"

Binar suddenly sighed, "No wonder. You and your organization have always hidden so deeply. Besides secretly developing your power, you barely interacted with the outside world. Even when traces of your organization were leaked, you could immediately practice self-amputation, erasing any clues that could lead back to you. It was all to conceal your identity as a chimpanzee. Because if we knew you were a gorilla, human society would absolutely not tolerate you and would unite to completely wipe you and your organization out."

The 'Professor' snarled viciously, "So what if I’m a chimpanzee? I am proud of my simian heritage. In my view, all of you humans are trash and waste, utterly unworthy of ruling the Earth."

Liu Hui suddenly asked, "Professor, as far as I know, gorillas in nature cannot evolve into what you are now. How did you come to be?"

Hearing Liu Hui’s question, the 'Professor' seemed to drift into memory, slowly saying, "It's true that chimpanzees in the wild cannot evolve into my current state. But what about those chimpanzees in the laboratory? Could they evolve into my current state?"

Liu Hui exclaimed in surprise, "Are you saying you were once a laboratory chimpanzee?"

The 'Professor' replied, "That's right. I was originally a chimpanzee living in Africa, carefree at the time. But when I was one year old, you humans came looking for me, killed my parents, and captured me. They sold me, and after several transfers, I ended up in a secret laboratory in Europe."

"In that secret laboratory, I was subjected to all sorts of incredibly cruel animal testing. During the experiments, I was injected with numerous experimental drugs and exposed to various forms of radiation for observation. Perhaps those drugs caused genetic mutations in my body, or maybe those inexplicable rays initiated my physical transformation. After some time, I suddenly gained sentience. I learned to think independently and began to learn your human knowledge."

"My intelligence grew higher and higher, but I also knew that if I showed these anomalies, the owner of this laboratory would immediately kill me and dissect me to find the reason for my newfound intelligence. The tragic fate of the other gorillas in the same lab would soon become mine."

"So, I continued to feign ignorance while learning your human knowledge. Later, seizing a perfect opportunity, I killed the owner of that secret lab. The lab owner was tall, somewhat resembling me, so I began wearing his black robes and gloves, learning your human ways of living, and impersonating the laboratory owner to carry on. This lab owner was very reclusive and rarely associated with others. Furthermore, the research projects he conducted were so cruel that few people paid him any attention. Precisely because of this, no one discovered that I had killed him and begun posing as him. From then on, I became that Professor Lucerne. Of course, I prefer it when people call me 'Professor,' because with my intellect and the knowledge I possess, I am absolutely superior to your so-called professors—truly deserving of the title 'Professor.'"

Everyone listened to the 'Professor' slowly detailing his life story, completely dumbfounded. The (qí - strange/marvelous) nature of the 'Professor’s' experience was enough to rival the myths in One Thousand and One Nights. They had never imagined that a chimpanzee could possess intelligence far surpassing humans, live among them by impersonation, even create a mysterious organization, and ultimately become a God-level expert representing the pinnacle of human physical power.

The 'Professor' continued, "After I first realized my true nature, I developed an intense hatred for you humans. You humans are fundamentally useless, yet you rule the Earth and can casually subject us apes to all sorts of cruel experiments. Thus, I formed a conviction: I must rise up and revolt. I will overthrow your human rule, and I will make our ape race govern the Earth. You humans have made the Earth chaotic, but our ape race will surely build it well. We will make Earth a beautiful home where all races can live happily. There will be no exploitation, no deceit, no war; this will be a place of joy for all species. Of course, these species will absolutely not include you detestable humans."

Hearing the 'Professor's' conviction, the crowd felt a sense of absurdity. The ape race not only harbored the absurd ambition to rule the Earth but even intended to build a happy society of equality among all races—this was truly unbelievable. Only Liu Hui, at this moment, felt a degree of recognition for the 'Professor,' because the 'Professor's' ultimate goal was actually the same as his own. If there was any difference between them, it was that the 'Professor' had completely excluded the human race from his vision; he sought to be an enemy to all of humanity.

The 'Professor' ignored what these people were thinking and continued, "And to realize this great conviction of mine, I must rise up and revolt. I developed a detailed plan for myself. The first step was to completely eliminate all of you humans. However, current human military power is extraordinarily strong; our ape race has no way to kill all of you. Therefore, I turned my attention to the propagation of a deadly virus."

"I experimented repeatedly in the laboratory and finally succeeded in creating a virus specifically targeting human weaknesses. I couldn't wait to release this virus, hoping to cause the complete extinction of you humans."

Liu Hui's heart stirred, and he asked, "What virus did you release exactly?"

The 'Professor' smiled, "You should know that virus too—it is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)."

Liu Hui was greatly shocked and said, "It's the HIV virus? But this HIV virus didn't start spreading until the 1980s. How could you have created it? Have you been alive in this world for many years?"

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Thanks to the readers: №㊣ and ☆☆ for their respective two chapters of support! RO