Chapter 224: Searching for Shadow General Partners
John stared wide-eyed, looking at Mike in shock.
"I'm not lying to you. I was hiding at the back of the battlefield looking for an opportunity to take down Kezli in one hit, and I saw it very clearly." Mike flicked the ash from his cigarette. He really wanted to know the connection between these black tattoos.
John withdrew his gaze and reached out to touch the tattoo on his waist. "Captain, do you think I can also summon... the Shadow Corps?"
"The Shadow Corps? Is that what those black monsters are called? How do you know that?" Mike intended to reorganize the clues.
"A memory—a memory from deep within my heart. Beyond that, I don't know anything else." John wasn't lying; he truly only knew that much.
Mike nodded, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and placed his left hand on John's tattoo. "You can try to do it."
"But I don't know how to try," John shook his head. He wanted to attempt it, but he had no idea where to start.
Mike placed both hands on John's shoulders and stared into his eyes. "Close your eyes, feel the power within your heart, and then follow its response."
"Feel the power within?" John whispered. He closed his eyes, relaxing as much as possible to empty his mind.
Mike carefully withdrew his hands, stood up quietly, and crept out of the vehicle, making sure not to make a sound.
"Feel it well, John," Mike muttered to himself.
Abandoned Factory
"Damn it! Why did her Shadow Ninja become so huge!" Enraged, Kezli punched the wall.
Cracks spider-webbed out from his fist, leaving a deep impression in the concrete. He pulled his hand back; the skin on his knuckles was torn and bleeding, but he didn't care. A Squid Ninja stepped forward to bandage his wound.
The bodies of Shadow Generals are physically superior to average humans, but in other aspects, they are still human. They bleed and feel pain. Only after obtaining the true power of a Shadow General will their bodies transform into magical constructs like the Shadow Corps itself.
At that point, a Shadow General is considered "successfully cultivated," gaining an immortal body and the ability to summon infinite soldiers. Furthermore, they inherit the specific abilities of their subordinates. For example, a Shadow-Eater General would be able to grow stronger by consuming shadows personally.
"I need more power." The more Shadow General power Kezli obtained, the more he understood his nature. He now knew other Shadow Generals existed, and he needed allies.
He had already made mortal enemies of that little girl and Lieutenant John. He had to find others who had received the power of a Shadow General to form an alliance.
"Relying solely on my Shadow Corps isn't enough." Kezli recognized the strength of the Shadow-Eater Corps—the more they ate, the more formidable they became. Fortunately, their numbers were limited.
While most Shadow Corps are infinite, a Shadow-Eater General can only summon a maximum of twenty at once. Regular Shadow Ninjas have no upper limit; as long as the General isn't too exhausted, they can call as many as they want. The total number depends on the General's internal shadow energy—except for the Shadow-Eaters.
"From this day on, this will be the exclusive territory of Kezli." He commanded his ninjas to begin cleaning the abandoned factory, turning it into his private base.
Night in the Suburbs
"Mmm~ let's rest here for today." Ben Parker drove the car off the main road onto an open grassy plain. They had eaten a simple lunch in the car, and now it was time for dinner. Ben didn't want to drive at night; for safety's sake, he chose to sleep here.
"Ben, will there be wolves?" Aunt May asked, a bit worried. This area was practically no-man's-land.
"Don't worry, May. Besides, we have a gun, and two strong young men." Ben Parker glanced back at the Parker brothers.
Peter was behind Silas, aiming his camera at the high-hanging moon to take photos. "The moon is so beautiful," Peter remarked. The moon in the plains looked completely different than it did in the city.
"If you like it, once the Shadow Kingdom is fixed, we can come here anytime," Silas whispered in Peter's ear.
"That's a great idea!" Peter smiled, then looked dejected. "I just don't know if the Shadow Kingdom is okay yet, or if the 'Cannibal' has been handled by the police."
"Don't worry, Peter. The police aren't useless," Silas comforted him.
Knowing the truth, Silas knew exactly how badly the police had been beaten. In fact, both of the other Shadow Generals had been bullied by Kezli initially. It was only because Little Five sneaked off to eat the shadows of the fallen officers that they managed to repel Kezli.
"Hmm..." Peter suddenly remembered something. The Cannibal could summon black monsters; that ability was quite similar to Silas's...
"Come over, Silas, Peter! Time for dinner. Grab whatever you want." Ben Parker had set up the grill and was taking food out of the trunk.
"Coming!" Silas pulled Peter over to Ben's side.
Even though Peter had many questions for Silas, he could only keep them in his heart for now, waiting for a better opportunity to ask. Silas glanced at Peter; he could tell Peter had something on his mind.
A few minutes later, the meat was grilled. After eating, Ben and Aunt May sat on the grass a bit further away from the brothers, chatting quietly.
"Silas, I have a question for you." After hesitating for a while, Peter decided to take this chance to ask.
"What is it? Ask away," Silas said, taking a bite of grilled meat.
"The radio said the Cannibal can summon black monsters... and there was that huge black monster that appeared before..." Peter began to explain all his doubts to Silas.
The "huge black monster" referred to the news report about Little Seven being caught on surveillance during Jenny's previous outing (though her face wasn't seen). Peter felt all of these were extremely similar to the Shadow Ninjas—especially the Shadow-Eater, which looked identical.
Silas nodded. He prepared to... explain it to Peter.
"Peter, actually, our power comes from another dimension. It seems we were chosen by an existence from that dimension, and He bestowed power upon us."
"This power is known as the Shadow Corps. Each Corps has its own Shadow General, and every General's army is unique."
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