The moment the leader finally realized who was breathing behind his neck, he jumped.
Like he stepped on a snake — yeah, no, wrong reference. Nobody's scared of snakes anymore. Whatever. He jumped.
Then he screamed the magic word, "Surround him! SURROUND!!"
Beautiful.
All five idiots scrambled at once — arms flailing, feet slipping — and somehow managed to form a perfect circle around me.
A perfect circle.
Like they practiced it every night before bed.
Left foot… right foot… then suddenly they were all moving together.
They moved fast.
Too fast for idiots.
Like they'd been practicing this exact moment in their dorm rooms every night.
One second they were scattered—
next second they snapped into position around me.
Weapons up.
Faces tense.
Breathing all synced like they'd rehearsed it before a big school play.
I blinked slowly.
"…Okay. Wow. You guys actually trained for this?"
"Did the FRPC teach this? Or did you guys rehearse in your bathroom mirror?"
The guy on my left puffed out his chest like a pigeon.
"Shut up! You're trapped!"
Someone behind me added, "No escape! We trained for this!"
I nodded slowly — impressed in the same way you're impressed when a dog learns one trick by accident.
"Yeah, yeah. I can see that. Very symmetrical. If you guys hold hands, I bet you summon Captain Planet."
Their expressions all jerked at the same time.
I didn't even need to look — Predator Sense just fed it into my head like, "Yep, all five idiots panicked together."
Honestly… what a team.
The leader thrust his spear at me with full confidence — chin high, chest higher — like he'd already killed me in his head.
"Look closely," he said, smirking like a discount villain,
"this is where your story ends. F-2 trash dies here."
The guy on my right snapped his sword up in one smooth motion, swagger overflowing.
I was like bro, what are you even doing?
"We're five elites," he declared, like the universe needed to hear it.
"You're alone. One swing is all it takes. Don't even bother begging."
Another one stepped forward a bit, cracking his knuckles like he was posing for a recruitment poster.
"Consider yourself lucky," he said. "Most trash doesn't even get a proper execution squad."
These idiots actually believed it. Every breath they took said 'yeah we're main characters,' like killing me would earn them free wives and a statue. Delusional.
Perfect.
I love overconfidence. It makes the fall so much funnier.
Another genius stepped forward like he was entering a tournament finals.
"We're five," he said proudly, lifting his sword like a trophy. "You're one. Simple math. Even a dog knows when it's cornered."
I tilted my head slightly.
"…Funny. Because I'm not the one barking."
His face tightened just a little, but he kept the arrogance up — these guys were professionals at being stupid.
Then the next one spoke up, chest puffed like he trained in front of a mirror.
"Don't try acting smart, Shen Yan," he snapped. "We'll kill you right here. Nice and clean. And nobody will ever know."
I blinked slowly, almost impressed.
"Wow," I said. "Look at you guys. So confident. So proud. So… optimistic."
They all glared, ready to prove they were tomorrow's headline heroes.
I smiled.
"You really think five is enough?"
I slowly turned, looking at each of their serious, dramatic faces.
I sighed.
"Wow. You five really practiced this, huh?
Circle formation, chest out, pride up… it's cute.
Looks like a school play where everyone wants to be the villain."
I sighed.
"Congratulations," I said. "This is the cleanest little execution circle I've ever seen.
Nice spacing, nice pose. You guys look like yoga rejects trying to do assassination class.
Shame you idiots built it around the wrong guy."
I didn't even finish the sentence properly before I heard it —
one of them let out this wet, ugly sound.
I blinked once.
"Wow," I whispered. "Did you just choke on fear? Impressive timing."
That's when the leader completely lost it.
"SHUT UP!! ATTACK ON THREE!! ONE—"
I lifted a hand and they all froze.
Like someone hit pause on five idiots at once.
I blinked at them.
"…Wow. You actually stopped? Seriously?"
I lifted a hand, waving it a little.
"Guys, come on. At least pretend you're here to kill me. Have some dignity. Don't just freeze because I said one sentence."
They stared at me, confused.
"…what?" the leader croaked.
I'd had enough of their barking.
I sighed, then smiled. "Watch closely"
So I exhaled once…
and tapped my feet on the ground.
At first nothing happened.
Then something thin and grey slipped out from under my shoe — slow, quiet, like a crack spreading across glass.
It kept widening.
A neat little ring circling my feet, like the ground was drawing around me on its own.
My skin tingled.
The color got weird. Grass looked sick. Leaves looked like someone drained the life out of them with a straw.
Even the air felt… drained.
Why everything turning grey like a broken TV?
The ring lifted — smooth, steady — rising around me like an invisible dome was being pulled up from the ground.
A grey bubble thing dropped over us like someone slapped a filter on reality.
I could still see everything, but it all looked blurry at the edges, like I was staring through dirty glass.
Then the dome pressed down on them.
I saw their legs wobble, spines fold a bit… yeah, pressure landed. Hard. Like the dome was politely reminding them they weren't main characters today.
And then the sound vanished.
All of it.
The idiots were still waving weapons.
Their lips were still moving.
But there was nothing in my ears.
No breath.
No footsteps.
No rustling leaves.
No wind.
It was like the world shut its mouth.
For a second, I thought my ears quit their job.
I opened my mouth to say something, just to check…
and even that didn't come out.
I laughed — or at least, I felt myself laugh.
No clue what it sounded like.
Great.
A silent bubble.
Fantastic upgrade.
One meditation session in here and I'd probably grow ten new bloodlines and accidentally blow up a mountain like those cultivation clowns.
Cultivation main characters really don't know how easy they have it.
I raised an eyebrow, looking at my own hands.
"…So this is Abyssal Silence," I thought.
"Yeah… dramatic. Fits me way too well, actually."
I stood there in the center of the mute world, watching them panic in slow motion.
And honestly? …yeah. That felt good. Too good.