A burst of energy appeared out of nowhere within the lamp base. The bronze figurine gradually began to melt, and scalding, brilliant molten bronze streamed down from the infected woman's fingers, instantly burning her hands until the flesh split open.
Yet she seemed completely incapable of feeling pain. Even when her finger bones had separated from the charred flesh, she still did not discard the melting lamp base in her hands.
Finally, after the figurine had almost completely melted, an irregular, murky Crystalline Body appeared before everyone. Its shape resembled a dried, shriveled heart, and its surface even bore vein-like details similar to coronary arteries.
A dim fluorescent glow radiated from within the Crystalline Body. The light pulsed between bright and dark like a breathing light... much like the rhythm of a beating heart.
"A heart?" Sun Hang muttered quietly.
He could sense that this Crystalline Body emitted meme fluctuations even stronger than those of the Everburning Lamp... Clearly, the extinguishing of the flame had not meant its demise. It had merely concealed its presence in a manner akin to "playing dead."
The infected woman's entire body trembled, and meaningless sounds came from her throat—her vocal system had completely mutated, making normal human speech impossible. Yet Sun Hang could still hear unmistakable joy in those strange noises.
Holding the faintly glowing Crystalline Body in both hands, she slowly brought it closer to her chest.
Only from this angle could Sun Hang see the obvious surgical incision on the left side of the infected woman's chest. Though the wound had long since healed, the stitching scars clung to the surface of her body like a fleshy centipede.
"She seems to want to... shove that crystal into her chest," Wang Xiyi said.
It was not just Old Wang. Everyone present could see