The two operational abilities of Nowhere to Return From Shadows:
Taking away shadows and controlling actions through commands is called the Puppet Manipulation Technique.
Invading and controlling the target's body through Soul Invasion is called the Mind Decapitation Technique.
Morrow's line of reasoning was correct.
While Luyuan was using the Mind Decapitation Technique, any damage inflicted on the controlled body would directly synchronize to Luyuan himself, including death.
That was why Luyuan reacted so strongly to Morrow's probing attack, immediately deactivating his ability and thus losing any subsequent opportunities.
Recalling his hasty actions earlier, Luyuan couldn't help but feel regret.
He carefully reviewed the situation; if he had remained calm, he would have noticed that the trajectory of the Nen sphere was slightly off.
Had he kept his composure and maintained the facade, he might have achieved his goal.
But now, it was too late for regrets.
Though it failed...
Luyuan lowered his gaze, his right thumb rubbing the hilt of his blade as he thought about Morrow's deliberately misaimed Nen sphere.
This could be exploited.
Luyuan suppressed his regret.
Even if the nature of his ability might have been exposed, there was still room for manipulation.
With this in mind, Luyuan's aura surged as he stepped into the pitch-black shadow before him, sinking into it and vanishing without a trace.
His Shadow Stream Technique allowed him to move freely within the shadows of ordinary people within a certain range, but this ability could not coexist with the Puppet Manipulation Technique.
Because those controlled by the Puppet Manipulation Technique had no shadows.
Similarly, when he deactivated the Mind Decapitation Technique, the controlled person would die instantly, losing the shadow necessary for his Shadow Stream Technique.
This was precisely why someone had been tied to a chair in the room earlier.
Diving into the shadows, Luyuan used the Shadow Stream Technique to select his next target for the Mind Decapitation Technique:
A security officer on the airship!
—--
At that moment, in the airship's surveillance room, a security officer was nervously watching the numerous surveillance feeds, clutching a walkie-talkie as he urgently relayed updates to his colleagues.
But suddenly, the officer's expression, along with his mouth and limb movements, froze completely.
Luyuan had invaded his body using the Mind Decapitation Technique.
Click.
Luyuan turned off the walkie-talkie and switched on the broadcast microphone.
"Attention, all passengers. Attention, all passengers. The airship is currently under attack by hostile forces, but our security team has the situation under control. Please remain calm."
"To further ensure your safety, we request all passengers to proceed to the upper deck's cockpit immediately. I repeat, please proceed to the upper deck's cockpit at once!"
Using the officer's body, Luyuan broadcast the announcement to the entire airship before turning off the microphone. He then glanced up at the surveillance screen displaying the cockpit.
So far, he had planted control triggers in over fifty people.
Unless activated, these individuals remained unaffected by any abilities, serving as potential anchors for his Shadow Stream Technique.
With this broadcast, Luyuan had solved the problem of how to deliver these people straight to Morrow, along with the passengers he hadn't yet gained control over.
It was predictable: a large group of passengers would soon flood into the cockpit.
In this chaos, he could maximize the use of potential puppets.
This was an almost unsolvable move against Morrow.
Unless Morrow gave in to his bloodlust and killed all passengers and staff to eliminate potential threats.
You rushed to the cockpit first to make the airship land...
I won't let you succeed. Now, let's see how you handle this... Hmm?
As he watched the screen, Luyuan suddenly saw Morrow look directly at the camera.
For a fleeting moment, Luyuan felt their gazes meet.
He noticed...
Luyuan snapped back to reality, his eyes sharpening, only to see the surveillance feed shake violently before turning to static.
Morrow had destroyed the cockpit's camera.
...
Luyuan frowned.
Though he believed his move was nearly flawless, he couldn't shake the feeling things wouldn't be that simple.
—--
Inside the cockpit, Morrow didn't pay much attention to the earlier broadcast.
How strange.
What intrigued him more was the obvious targeting.
To go to such lengths just to prevent him from interfering with the airship's navigation?
With such an ability, wouldn't it be better to use it against Kanzai?
Hmm?
Wait...
Something's off.
Morrow looked up at the destroyed camera.
The initial aura fluctuation and the approximate direction of the loud noise suggested someone had attacked the client under Kanzai's protection.
That was Kanzai of the Zodiac Twelve...
To divert power when dealing with a Hunter bodyguard of that caliber?
And such a significant diversion at that!
This suddenly made Morrow realize that whoever controlled the captain and issued the broadcast might not be after Kanzai's client at all.
So:
They were targeting me from the start!?
Almost got misled.
Morrow's expression shifted slightly.
If the bodyguard Hunter hadn't been Kanzai, he wouldn't have been so certain.
Realizing this, Morrow turned his gaze to the controlled captain and co-pilot.
He had already examined them carefully.
Their control was a command-based Manipulation-type ability.
This kind of control usually only appears on puppets.
The captain and co-pilot before him were already dead.
Until the Manipulator gave them new commands, they would only follow their current instructions without any other actions.
This made Morrow abandon the idea of safely landing the airship for now, and he no longer intended to stay in the cockpit.
Originally, he had planned to use delaying tactics here against the Manipulator.
What prompted this decision was his belief that the Manipulator's ability system had some flaws.
While overly diversified abilities could raise the ceiling of application methods, they inevitably came with corresponding multiple limitations.
Two control modes, plus benefits in "control quantity"...
Based on this, Morrow concluded that the Manipulator employing this ability must bear the cost of exponentially increased Nen output.
If Luyuan could witness all of Morrow's deductions about the current situation from start to finish, he would undoubtedly feel a chill run down his spine.
Because he was in the shadows, while Morrow stood in the light.
The information they received was unequal, yet Morrow could still discern the truth amidst what could be called chaotic circumstances.
Thud.
Having changed his mind, Morrow pushed open the door and strode out of the cockpit before the passengers could swarm in.
Then, while expanding his En, he headed toward the location where the earlier aura fluctuations had occurred.
He needed to confirm Kanzai's situation to decide his next move based on how things developed.
And, considering the worst-case scenario, he had to mentally prepare for the possibility of the "airship crashing."
As Morrow moved closer to Kanzai's position, his extended En suddenly registered contact with Nen.
Hmm?
Morrow sharply turned his gaze toward the observation deck outside.
About ten meters away on the deck's floor, there was a series of obscure symbols emitting an aura sheen.
"Divine Script?"
Morrow didn't understand Divine Script at all, but he could vaguely recognize it, likely one of the advantages of being a transmigrator.
Why... was there Divine Script here?