Cannon Fodder NPCs Won't Receive Urgent Missions

The Black Hands moved with incredible speed, almost in the blink of an eye. Coupled with the suddenness of the attack, even Bella couldn't dodge.

The Witch's feet and arms were immediately seized tightly by the first Black Hands to arrive. That wasn't all; more Black Hands followed, reaching for Bella's head, face, waist, and other parts of her body.

"What is this!?" Bella cried out in shock and fear. It was the first time she had felt a physical sensation in her soul form. Note: a physical sensation.

Yes, these Black Hands felt to Bella as if they were truly grabbing her physical body.

This was incredibly bizarre!

The soul was the most mysterious and unfathomable domain. Even Bella, who had the most research in this area, had only encountered magic that could attack or, more powerfully, destroy souls.

But one thing was certain: Bella had never encountered a power like this, one that didn't harm her soul at all but simply dragged it.

However, this was not what made Bella the most panicked.

What truly made Bella's expression change instantly was that the moment the Black Hands touched her, a cold, evil, ancient whisper, as if filled with countless negative emotions from the dark abyss, began to echo frantically in her mind, washing over her spirit.

"Shadow Wolf!"

Bella gritted her teeth. The Witch's powerful willpower prevented her from immediately succumbing to the chaotic whispers, allowing her to still cast magic to resist.

Two gray wolves were summoned. They loyally obeyed their master's command, fearless, and immediately lunged to tear at the two Black Hands gripping Bella.

However, these Shadow Wolves, which had given the second personality so much trouble before, had no effect on the Black Hands.

No, forget having an effect.

The moment they bit down on the Black Hands, as if sensing other life forms, the two Black Hands began to differentiate, spawning countless smaller hands that also tightly grasped the two Shadow Wolves.

Whimper...

Painful howls erupted from the two wolves. Then, the next change sent chills down everyone's spine.

The two Shadow Wolves writhed violently on the ground, their heads twisting wildly, their limbs contorting unnaturally, as if enduring immense pain.

Immediately after, with a "bang."

The heads of the two Shadow Wolves exploded.

Was this the end?

Far from it.

Liao Zixuan's wolf eyes stared intently at the headless corpses of the two Shadow Wolves.

In less than a few seconds.

As expected, the horrifying development, identical to what Liao Zixuan remembered from the "Abyss," occurred.

Splat!

The wolf legs of the two headless Shadow Wolf corpses suddenly lifted and then slammed heavily onto the ground, signifying the beginning of their resurrection.

Despite having no heads, the corpses seemed to come alive again. They began to writhe incessantly, moving closer to each other, and finally, they became entangled.

Like a stitched-together monster, a new body formed from the two headless Shadow Wolves, and it shakily stood up.

Then, from their empty neck sockets, like flesh buds, grew countless tiny Black Hands, so dense they could kill a trypophobe with a single glance.

These flesh bud-like Black Hands intertwined and tangled, gradually forming the outline of a new skull!

However, it was too late!

Boom!

I don't know if you've seen videos of burning cockroaches.

But it was pretty much like that now.

Fiercely burning black flames instantly ignited the Black Hands growing at the base of the stitched-together wolf's neck, which had already evolved from flesh buds into tumor-like growths.

Splat.

The corpses fell a second time, but this time, they truly fell and did not get up again.

"Run!"

Just as Liao Zixuan finished dealing with the Shadow Wolves corrupted by the Black Hands, Bella the Witch's weak, urgent voice came from the other side.

In just a short while, Bella's body was covered in Black Hands. They dragged Bella towards the Magic Tyrannosaurus at the center of the nest, beneath a mysterious ritual.

The Black Hands acted like blood vessels, connecting Bella to the Magic Tyrannosaurus, forcibly merging their powers.

The Magic Tyrannosaurus underwent the most significant change.

The beast's skin began to rapidly shed, revealing its raw red muscles. Then, these muscles began to rapidly wither and decay, until finally, only the skeleton remained.

However, this Magic Tyrannosaurus did not die. Or rather, it had died, but it was reborn in another form of life.

Freed from the constraints of flesh and blood, the skeleton began to expand and proliferate wildly. Sharp bone spurs covered its surface, and blade-like bone wings extended haphazardly from its back.

Level 20. Level 30. Level 40.

In the eyes of Liao Zixuan, who carried the game system, and the other players, the Magic Tyrannosaurus—no, the Corrupted Bone Dragon—its level skyrocketed like a rocket.

But why hadn't it moved yet?

The answer was that Bella, the new soul of the Corrupted Bone Dragon, had not yet fallen to the Black Hands and still retained a sliver of sanity.

Only a few wisps remained, of course.

"Damn it. Cough... I was ambushed by those guys."

"Hurry to Huodian City, take this, and quickly find the Fire God Cult, the Knight Order. This power does not... does not come from this world."

"This matter must be reported to the Fire God quickly."

A stream of light shot from Bella's soul form, landing at Vivian's feet. It was a small token, engraved with a complex flame emblem.

Although the Witch had always been at odds with the Nine Gods, the type to cause trouble for them whenever an opportunity arose.

She had to admit.

When facing a truly great crisis, the Nine Gods were far more reliable than anyone else.

"Go!!"

As if she had used her last ounce of strength, after Bella shouted those two words, her mouth was covered by the Black Hands. They even burrowed deep inside her throat, disgustingly, wrapping Bella from the inside out like a zongzi.

It seemed the corruption of Bella was finally complete.

This allowed the Black Hands to divert some of their power and turn their attention to the remaining few present.

Swish!

Two or three black palms, carrying an evil aura, began to rapidly snatch towards Vivian and the others.

"My other self."

Vivian didn't need to say anything. Her second personality, which had been sharing her vision in the mental space, instantly took over the girl's body.

She scooped up the Fire God Token from the ground, then performed a classic aerial backflip, easily dodging several of the Black Hands reaching for her.

Then, with one hand on each side, she grabbed the two outsiders beside her, the players, like she was picking up chicks.

Liao Zixuan jumped onto the girl's shoulder, looking back at the gradually receding Claw Nest.

The Black Hands seemed confined to the nest's area. Once Vivian left the cave, they stopped pursuing.

However, this evil, corrupted aura was not restricted and instead spread through the forest like a plague, originating from the Claw Nest.

This was bad.

As if to confirm Liao Zixuan's thought, two system notification sounds rang in his mind.

[Ding]

[Your current area has triggered an SS-Class Emergency Mission: Demon Tide Incoming. Please decide within 30 minutes whether to participate in defending Huodian City.]

[00:29:59]

[Ding]

[You have accepted the commission from the Witch Bella to deliver the news of a terrifying mutation occurring in the nest deep within the Claw Forest back to Huodian City.]

[Current remaining valid time: 24 hours]

[23:59:59]