Chapter 939: The Biggest Difference Is That I Don"t Dress as Nicely
After a series of exchanges filled with protests and insults such as "It"s not me," "You"ve got the wrong person," and "Are you blind, d.a.m.n it," Bohemia realized that not only her body but also her mental faculties were now imprisoned.
Of course, this shouldn"t have come as a surprise. Her Potential Growth Value had been damaged, and the attached conditions were contaminated, leaving her with little combat power to show off in the Astral Plane. When facing two opponents of considerable strength, she was naturally quickly subdued. The only person extremely dissatisfied with this outcome was Bohemia herself.
"Don"t you get tired of being so stupid?" She was currently caught between the pincers of a semi-transparent giant crab, unable to move. But even with just one head left, her mouth wouldn"t stop moving. "I"ve said it already, everyone calls me Bohemia! I"m not that old!"
Although her combat power had significantly diminished, the recent struggle had also exhausted the two men. The man with thick, black sideburns placed one hand on the semi- transparent crab, maintaining its form, and replied, panting, "Well... let"s accept our defeat. Pretending to be someone else wouldn"t be worthy of the t.i.tle "Magus.""
Bohemia sharply turned her head. If it weren"t for the pincers holding her back, she could almost bite off half of the black sideburns" face. "Is your brain filled with cement, or are your ears not working? Didn"t I say that I entered through the entrance guarded by Octo just a few minutes ago?"
The man with thick, black sideburns glanced at her but didn"t answer. On the winding path ahead, a burst of red starlight quickly approached and transformed into the young man with red hair, landing on the ground with a "thud."
"How did it go?"
"I asked Octo," his eyes gleamed, and he couldn"t help but smile. "He said that no one would enter the place he was guarding. He even scolded me angrily."
The man with thick, black sideburns exhaled and chuckled, shaking his head at Bohemia.
"Now, besides the hired individuals like us, there"s only you, Magus, as the target in this place." He spoke almost like comforting her. "You"re aware that we"ve already driven everyone else away... Besides, you should at least disguise yourself before claiming not to be yourself."
Attempting to disguise the form consolidated by her mental faculties might sound easy in theory, but it was actually quite difficult. Although it only took a moment, forcibly changing her appearance not only failed to deceive experienced posthumans but also caused continuous consumption of her own energy. Therefore, it seemed neither of them found it surprising that their target appeared in her "original form."
In the time it took for him to say those two sentences, Bohemia rolled her eyes at least five times.
"Take me to see Octo," even though she was restrained and couldn"t move, her tone was far from meek. "Wearing women"s clothing and losing your b.a.l.l.s, let me tell you, he just doesn"t dare to admit that I sneaked in!"
"Hopefully, you understand," the man with thick, black sideburns twitched his face twice. "Magus, we mean no harm to you. We are merely earning our livelihood, doing what is expected of loyal people..."
"If I were your employer, I"d chop you up and use you as seasoning," Bohemia would have lunged forward and bitten someone if her neck were long enough. "After all, you"re useless for anything else!"
Her self-esteem wouldn"t allow her to say the words, "If I were Magus, would you still catch me?" However, perhaps her agitation was too intense, and it didn"t resemble the demeanor and grace of the legendary Magus. Both men hesitated slightly.
"Let"s take her to Octo," the redhead leaned closer, his eyes s.h.i.+mmering with the cunning radiance typical of schemers. "He has more experience than us, and if he confirms this woman is Magus, it"ll be safer for us to hand her over."
He quickly corrected himself, but Black Whiskers and Bohemia understood his meaning. If they presented her to Octo and it turned out to be a case of mistaken ident.i.ty, the responsibility would fall on Octo rather than the two of them. Bohemia immediately nodded vigorously, causing her head to spin a bit. "Yes, yes, let"s do that!"
As the trio and the large crab reached the end of the corridor, Octo was pacing back and forth like a trapped wolf, clearly agitated. When he turned around and saw Bohemia trapped in the claws, his eyes, lined with thick black lashes, widened.
"Octo!" Bohemia immediately called out, struggling fiercely within the claws. Unfortunately, the translucent crab was attached to Black Whiskers, and no matter how much she kicked, she couldn"t break free. "Tell them I"m not Magus! How the h.e.l.l was I supposed to know you were looking for her? I"m looking for her myself! Speak up! If you don"t, I"ll tear off all your hair next time!"
"She says she"s not," Black Whiskers cautiously observed Octo"s expression. "Have you seen Magus? Tell us, is she the one?"
Octo locked eyes with Bohemia, remaining silent for a moment. Only a few veins protruded on his forehead, gradually becoming more prominent.
Perhaps unable to bear the potential consequences, he abruptly closed his eyes and asked in a low voice, "...Why are you also looking for her?"
As soon as he said that, it was as if he admitted that she wasn"t Magus. Bohemia instantly felt triumphant and didn"t wait for an answer. She turned to Black Whiskers and ordered, "Release me if you know you got the wrong person!"
He glanced at Bohemia but simply averted his gaze without saying a word. The young man with red hair sighed. Octo vigorously wiped the powder off his nose with a handkerchief, seemingly suppressing his emotions. Bohemia scrutinized the group, growing suspicious. "Why are you all standing still?"
"Bohemia," Octo finally spoke, his lips, covered in faded rose-colored lipstick, trembling slightly. "You"ve suffered severe damage in battle. How can you still act recklessly as before? This time, you"ve learned a lesson."
"What do you mean?" Bohemia"s expression and breath froze simultaneously.
"You probably will never learn your lesson in this lifetime," Octo sighed. "The only one, and the last one."
Bohemia suddenly understood what they were planning to do and screamed angrily, "Why?"
"Because you found out about our objective," the young man with red hair whispered. "We can"t let the secret get out."
"This is unfair—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Bohemia, just like Lin Sanjiu, used her Higher Consciousness as a powerful fist, slamming it hard on the claws. The claws opened slightly, and Black Whiskers cursed while the young man with red hair quickly raised his right hand. In the chaos of the moment, she inadvertently looked up and happened to see Octo"s thin, pale face.
He slightly opened his mouth, but his gaze wasn"t fixed on any of the people in the midst of the chaos. Instead, it pa.s.sed over Bohemia"s shoulder and focused on a figure in the distance—a graceful silhouette with a wide-brimmed hat resting on her head, steadily approaching them.