Collective Shedding Skin

"Is this the side effect of Extreme Sensitivity?"

All the way, Xiao Xiao was trying to adapt to this unusual perception.

He knew he needed to learn to control it, or he would be like the woman in the video camera, constantly anxious and paranoid.

But it was probably because of the recent enhancement; he would get used to it after a while.

After arriving at the dock, perhaps because he was in a familiar environment, the feeling of being watched finally slowly disappeared.

But Xiao Xiao could also feel that the expressions of the surrounding workers towards him were a little strange, flickering, occasionally stealing glances, and when his gaze caught them, they would only show an awkward and ingratiating smile. He quickly understood that this was because he had had a bit of a conflict with Huang Mao and the others yesterday. The workers were now a little disapproving of him, and also a little afraid.

He didn't care about these things. He prepared to change into his work clothes and start working, but he didn't expect the Foreman to find him with a heavy face.

"You fought with Huang Mao yesterday?"

"..."

"Yes."

Xiao Xiao nodded, frankly saying, "He brought people to block me outside, so we had a fight."

"You... sigh."

The Foreman seemed to want to say something, his brows furrowed into a knot, but in the end, he just patted Xiao Xiao's shoulder with concern:

"Next time, come to me first for this kind of thing. Why risk your life with those lowlifes?"

"Xiao Xiao, from the moment you arrived, I knew you were different from us. I don't know what you've been through these past few years, but you don't look like someone who relies on physical labor for a living. If you're short on money, work hard, save up some tuition, go back to school, find a good job, marry a wife and live a stable life. This dock is full of roughnecks; it's not suitable for a refined person like you to keep working here..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao looked at the earnest Foreman and felt a slight warmth in his heart. He could tell that the Foreman was sincerely saying these things to him. It was hard to believe that this burly man, who would ask about someone's family after only three sentences, had such kindness.

Honestly, this was something he had once longed for in his heart.

But could he really hope to live that kind of life now?

He just smiled and agreed, then went to change into his work clothes, preparing to complete his work properly. Unlike others who dawdled, Xiao Xiao changed his clothes in less than two minutes. When he came out, he saw the Foreman still looking at the dispatch sheet at the door.

Xiao Xiao walked past him, and suddenly saw the Foreman turn around abruptly, his expression grim:

"I heard you fought with Huang Mao yesterday?"

Xiao Xiao's heart skipped a beat, feeling a little strange. He didn't answer.

Hadn't they just talked about this?

Seeing that he didn't answer, the Foreman suddenly raised his voice: "I'm asking you, did you fight with Huang Mao yesterday?"

Xiao Xiao felt an extremely strange sensation, and after a long while, slowly nodded.

"You're really something..."

The Foreman immediately sneered, his face cold: "Then do you know that the dock has a rule that anyone who fights will be fired?"

"..."

For a moment, extreme astonishment filled Xiao Xiao's heart.

In just a fleeting moment, the Foreman seemed to have completely changed.

How could he suddenly turn hostile?

Xiao Xiao couldn't even tell if Extreme Sensitivity was causing him to hallucinate, or if this was really happening.

He didn't answer, just looked at the Foreman quietly, trying to figure out what was going on.

The Foreman looked at Xiao Xiao's silent appearance and became even more angry, coldly snorting: "Don't look at me like that. We all have our own loyalties. You've only been here for a few days, and you're already relying on your strength to beat people? Heh, don't think that I'm always scolding Huang Mao. He's also my little brother, and maybe he'll even be my godson in the future. You hit him, that's disrespecting me, are you trying to make it clear that you want to be at odds with me?"

As he spoke, he gnashed his teeth, and it seemed that flames of malice were rising in his eyes.

The eerie feeling in Xiao Xiao's heart grew heavier, the expression on his face gradually disappeared, and his mind began to work rapidly.

His voice sounded very calm: "So, what do you want to do?"

"What do I want to do?"

The Foreman's anger seemed to rise with a whoosh, and his palm suddenly tightened, making the dispatch sheet rustle.

"You even have the nerve to ask me what I want to do?"

"If I don't teach you a lesson, who else on this dock will listen to me in the future?"

"..."

"Swish!"

Xiao Xiao took a step back, his eyes fixed on the Foreman.

He didn't know why this was happening, but he obviously wouldn't stand there and take it.

"You dare to dodge?"

The Foreman's expression was sinister as he stepped forward, his eyes becoming increasingly red, almost bleeding:

"On this dock, I'm the boss."

"Anyone who dares to provoke the people I protect, I'll make them regret it..."

"..."

"Foreman, what's going on?"

At this moment, the surrounding workers also noticed that the atmosphere here was not right and hurriedly ran over, seemingly to try and dissuade them. But somehow, when he approached, his eyes also turned faintly red, and he sneered, "Is it about yesterday? Heh, I saw how viciously he hit people, and he's not even afraid of pain. How can that be normal? He's just a lunatic!"

"Who wouldn't be scared working with a lunatic every day?"

"Kick him out!"

"Kick him out?"

Another worker crowded over, his red eyes staring fixedly at Xiao Xiao. "It's not going to be that easy."

"How much work has this kid stolen from us since he came?"

"The main thing is, we're all doing hard labor at the docks, why does he have to be so good-looking?"

"..."

More people gathered around the Foreman, staring at Xiao Xiao viciously. "Exactly, I've always disliked this kid..."

"I'm so afraid of him, afraid he'll suddenly go crazy and kill us..."

"He dared to hit Huang Mao yesterday, he'll dare to hit us tomorrow. Lunatics aren't punished for murder..."

"So, should we kill him first?"

"Yeah, first disfigure him, why does he have to be so handsome?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao watched as more and more people piled up in front of him, their faces bearing strange smiles, as if they were all cast from the same mold.

Their eyes were wide, as if bulging out of their sockets. The corners of their mouths were pulled back harshly, revealing dark red gums and yellowish-black tooth roots. Their smiles seemed stiff and bizarre, yet full of excitement and anticipation, staring fixedly at him.

The pungent smell of blood assaulted his nostrils, as if he were standing before the gates of a bloody hell.

Xiao Xiao realized that something was definitely wrong, but at this moment, he had already entered a Mind Burst state, and his face was instead expressionless.

He suddenly withdrew his gaze, took out his phone, and dialed Yang Jia's number.

Now that he was sure that something was wrong, he naturally didn't plan to deal with it alone and immediately sought help.

But he didn't expect that after trying several times, no one answered the phone.

Xiao Xiao's face became even more silent, and he dialed Ruan Ruan's number, but still no one answered.

Gradually feeling that something was wrong, Xiao Xiao gripped his phone and raised his head again.

Something must be wrong, but he couldn't determine the reason.

Was it the malice of the city attacking?

It shouldn't be, he clearly still had so many Points, which was a thick buffer against the city's malice.

Then, was it man-made?

Why would the Foreman and these workers suddenly turn on him? Was some kind of will twisting their minds, or amplifying the malice in their hearts? Was there something guiding their hatred, focusing it on him at the same time?

As he thought, a warning suddenly rose in his heart again.

From the moment he left home this morning, he had felt some kind of malicious gaze staring at him.

At first, he thought it was just a side effect of Extreme Sensitivity, but at this moment, he could be sure:

That wasn't an illusion.

He could even be sure that there was definitely some source existing around him, staring at him since morning. It was also this source that was influencing these familiar workers, causing them to suddenly undergo this twisted and vicious change.

No, not just these workers, but also Huang Mao.

Xiao Xiao suddenly remembered that when Huang Mao had rushed over to find him yesterday, he also carried this strange hatred.

But at that time, he hadn't strengthened himself yet and couldn't distinguish it.

Only at this moment, seeing the Foreman and others' strange behavior, did it remind him of Huang Mao's abnormality yesterday.

So, something had been acting up since yesterday?

Then, where was the source?

Xiao Xiao tried hard to find it, but only saw strange faces, countless malicious gazes like overwhelming waves.

It was even very close to him, but Xiao Xiao could feel it, but he was not yet able to find it from so much intense hatred.

"He's still on the phone..."

And more and more workers were gathering around, everyone's eyes turning blood red.

Countless voices, as if filled with anger and repression, roared out from their mouths:

"Does he want to call the police?"

"Do it, do it! The thought of killing someone excites me..."

"Shouldn't we disfigure him first? Go get sulfuric acid from the warehouse, why can he be so handsome?"

"..."

More of the workers crowded around, and more voices rose up, sounding vicious and even more malicious.

Xiao Xiao felt the malice radiating from them growing exponentially.

He saw the skin of these workers, so familiar to him in normal times, beginning to split open in cracks, tearing their faces into several parts, revealing the writhing tentacles inside their bodies, crowding, probing, reaching out towards him.

"Cracking up, huh..."

Even knowing they were under some kind of influence, listening to their undisguised, malicious words, and seeing their aggressive demeanor, a faint anger had been building up in Xiao Xiao's heart. Finally, the tension on his face broke, revealing a relieved smile:

"I've got experience with this. Killing you guys is all it takes. You'll just respawn anyway..."

At the same time, on the other side of the city, Ruan Ruan was dialing Yang Jia's number:

"Jiajia-jie, something's weird. Xiao-gege just called me, but when I answered, he didn't say anything."

"I received one too."

Yang Jia said in a low voice, "When I answered, all I could hear was arguing. When I tried to call back later, there was no answer."

"Something might have happened."

"I've already sent Little Four over there. He's the closest and the fastest. We need to get over there too, now!"