Heart of Slaughter

Alarms jolted <Li Yèlái> awake from his groggy sleep.

He couldn't count how many alarms there were.

Thirty? Forty? Or more?

How many <Forbidden Item> had broken containment?

Among them, there were even Class B <Forbidden Item> from the lower levels. Had Captain and the others met with disaster?

The world had changed while he slept!

Was this reality, or a nightmare?

<Li Yèlái> sat bolt upright in bed, a chill immediately washing over him.

The cold air filled his nostrils, clearing his mind somewhat.

Suppressing his shock, he immediately asked, "What happened?"

At the same time, he reached out and fastened the buttons on <Cheese>'s pajamas, hiding the revealing glimpse of her chest.

<Cheese>, also realizing belatedly, blushed and immediately jumped off the bed barefoot.

"You were guided into a deep sleep by <Dream Eater>, and with the uncontrolled <Ice Witch>, the temperature in <Black Prison> has dropped to below minus ten degrees. It's very dangerous!" <Cheese> popped a saccharine tablet into her mouth and quickly explained, "When I saw the alarms and you didn't come out, I knew you'd been affected."

The rapidly dropping temperature caused her breath to mist as she spoke.

This made <Li Yèlái> feel a pang of fear.

<Dream Eater> was a living <Forbidden Item>. Its danger level was Class C.

When uncontrolled, it would plunge nearby humans into a deep sleep.

A single <Dream Eater> was easy to suppress, but combined with the ice demon from the lower levels, it formed a deadly duo.

Being forcibly put to sleep in a sub-zero environment, one could freeze to death at any moment.

If no one had noticed, <Li Yèlái> figured he would have slept to death in his room.

Moreover, if <Li Yèlái>, a second-awakened <Spirit Ability User>, could be affected without realizing it, how much worse would it be for the clerical staff?

"Quick, get dressed and grab your weapon. Hurry to the command center!" <Cheese> urged, tossing the clothes on the bedside table to <Li Yèlái>.

She herself had to rush back to her room to get dressed.

As soon as she realized something was wrong, she had immediately rushed out to alert people, not having had time to put on her gear.

However, before stepping out the door, she suddenly stopped, looking outside with a shocked expression.

<Li Yèlái>, who had just put on his clothes, looked at her strangely.

Following her gaze out the door, he saw an unfamiliar corridor and a containment cell that had been opened. The <Forbidden Item> was nowhere to be seen inside.

This... this was the containment unit on the upper level?

No, the lounge was in the rest area.

The containment unit should have been more than ten meters below.

Was it spatial distortion?

Or a ghost trap?

<Li Yèlái>, stunned, quickly put on his clothes.

He picked up his <Crimson Longsword> and summoning bell, and slung his jet axe onto his back.

"What's going on? A ghost trap?" <Li Yèlái> grabbed a thick coat he had brought and handed it to <Cheese>.

After putting on the coat, <Cheese> shivered slightly, "It's <Mobius Ring Diagram>, it broke containment too!"

Then, <Cheese> looked at <Li Yèlái>, "My communicator is in my room, you contact the command center."

Meanwhile, in the previously bustling plaza, many clerical staff were wearing thick coats, supporting each other as they moved.

Some collapsed in a deep sleep after only a few steps.

Others deliberately inflicted wounds on themselves, using pain to ward off drowsiness.

Still others, Iron Guards, were escorting the clerical staff, dragging them towards the warmth of bonfires.

And inside the command center, dozens of clerical staff had already succumbed to sleep, with only about ten remaining, struggling to keep their eyes open.

One bald man, holding a small knife, stabbed himself in the arm. The intense pain kept him alert.

He couldn't fall asleep; he had to hold on until the last moment, preparing for the worst!

Just then, a communication message came through.

The bald man glanced at it quickly; it showed <Night General>, and he immediately connected.

"<Night General>, are you alright?" the bald man asked.

"What's the situation now?" <Cheese>'s voice responded.

"<Cheese>? Are you together? That's great! A large number of <Forbidden Item> have broken containment. All forty-eight handlers, two hundred and seventy-three clerical staff, and three teams of Iron Guards on the upper level are missing. You're the only ones I can reach!"

The bald man quickly explained while bandaging his wound, "Because <Mobius Ring Diagram> also broke containment. The affected area has turned into a maze. Only the plaza and the black elevator on the upper level were not affected. Everywhere else has become a maze."

[Grade C <Forbidden Item>, <Mobius Ring Diagram>]

It possesses powerful reality-warping abilities. Once out of control, it will alter the surrounding space, causing spatial paradoxes.

Simply put, it's a ghost wall.

Inside the containment unit, the architecture had already become labyrinthine.

And the door to <Li Yèlái>'s lounge had also been pulled into the containment unit.

On the other end, <Li Yèlái> couldn't help but ask into the communicator, "Have you contacted the branch? Dispatch a team to support <Black Prison>."

The bald man on the other end gasped in pain, "Massive uncontrolled distortion phenomena have appeared within <Giant City>. That <Fantasy Band> is problematic; some kind of music they're playing is causing the audience to go mad and distort.

Truly beasts! That's tens of thousands of people! Distorting and losing control simultaneously!

Handlers from the major branches, even the headquarters, have almost been deployed en masse. It seems <Forbidden Item> noticed this, daring to break containment collectively! We can only hold the command center and the black elevator, unable to provide support, and we can't even find you."

<Fantasy Band>? Is that where <Starfire> and the others went? <Li Yèlái>'s heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, <Li Yúnyān> can't go out and is still in the family apartment; she should be safe.

"So, you're saying we have no reinforcements in the short term?" <Cheese> sighed, "We have to rely on ourselves."

"Unfortunately, that's exactly the case. I hope you can reunite with your teammates," the bald man replied. "If possible, please suppress <Mobius Ring Diagram> as quickly as you can. Once <Mobius Ring Diagram> affects the lower levels."

<Li Yèlái> responded with a deep voice, "I understand!"

He understood the gravity of the situation. The most dangerous thing wasn't the combination of <Dream Eater> and <Ice Witch>, but this <Mobius Ring Diagram>!

If its maze expanded to the deeper lower levels of <Black Prison>, then Grade B, or even Grade A <Forbidden Item> could break containment!

Damn it, this time, I might really have to make a deal with <Mr. Shadow>. <Li Yèlái> thought.

"Also, be careful of <Zhelan King's Banner>!" the bald man's voice was full of vigilance.

"<Zhelan King's Banner>, that speed-boosting <Forbidden Item>?" <Li Yèlái> inquired, "What happened to it?"

"Its danger level has increased. Avoid it." The bald man's voice became intermittent, and finally, only static filled the communicator.

It seemed the signal was completely lost.

After <Li Yèlái> ended the communication, he couldn't help but feel a weight in his heart.

At this moment, <Cheese> also put on the clothes and shoes <Li Yèlái> had brought.

Due to the height difference, they didn't fit well.

But the good news was that <Li Yèlái> had previously helped her carry a bag of saccharin, preventing her from being restricted from using her abilities.

<Cheese> picked up the saccharin and said in a calm tone, "Remember the <Forbidden Item> we saw before?"

"Of course," <Li Yèlái> nodded.

"Good, don't put pressure on yourself. When you encounter a <Forbidden Item>, proceed with suppression step by step," <Cheese> encouraged, a smile appearing on her slightly pale, delicate face. "You have me, your reliable support, to lean on!"

"Don't worry, I'm brave too!" <Li Yèlái> replied in a low voice, holding his long saber.

Both of them were lying. Facing this situation, neither <Cheese> nor <Li Yèlái> could feel confident.

They could only do their best.

Thus, the two walked out of the room and began to grope their way forward.

The ability of <Mobius Ring Diagram> was extremely bizarre; any intersection or gate could lead to any location.

When <Cheese> opened the door to a lounge, she found a containment room instead.

The <Forbidden Item> in the containment room had already escaped, and three mangled corpses of civilian staff lay on the ground.

The firearms in their hands had been emptied, their bodies seemingly trampled by some monstrous beast, blood splattered on the walls and floor.

They hadn't given up resisting until the very end, but the enemy was incredibly terrifying, and all resistance was futile.

Looking at their pained, enraged, and broken faces, <Li Yèlái>'s heart grew heavier.

<Cheese>, on the other hand, stepped forward, closed their eyes, and calmly examined their wounds.

"Bones crushed by hooves, they were trampled to death," <Cheese> frowned. "Which <Forbidden Item> could it be? Is there such a <Forbidden Item> on the upper level?"

As far as she recalled, the <East City Branch> didn't seem to have a <Forbidden Item> with such a killing method.

The Grade B centaur was a possibility; it had hooves. And it was a <Forbidden Item> from the lower levels.

Thinking of this, her expression grew grim.

"Could it be that <Mobius Ring Diagram> has already infiltrated the lower levels?" <Cheese>'s voice held a hint of despair.

This meant they were likely to encounter a Grade B <Forbidden Item> next.

In their squad, only the captain <Yáng Chén> and the elite Night Watch could contend with <Forbidden Item> of this level.

"No," <Li Yèlái> waved his hand. "Definitely not, otherwise, with my luck, I would have encountered a Grade B the moment I opened a door."

Indeed, if the lower levels were also trapped in the maze.

With Li Yèlái's luck, the moment he opened the door, he might have been greeted by a Class B Forbidden Item saying 'hello' before being devoured whole.

"You haven't activated your abilities yet, so you won't run into that kind of trouble," Cheese managed a strained smile.

The next moment, they suddenly heard several gunshots and felt a slight tremor.

"It's a handgun!"

After exchanging a look, Li Yèlái and Cheese saw surprise in each other's eyes.

They immediately rushed out of the containment room and sprinted towards the direction of the gunshots.

Most Spirit Ability User didn't use guns. Those equipped with handguns in the Black Prison were generally administrative staff.

If necessary, they would use their handguns to try and suppress Forbidden Item, or to end it all.

Since they confirmed it was administrative staff, they had to rendezvous with them immediately!

Perhaps other handler colleagues would also be heading there.

But as they neared their destination, the previously dense and intense gunshots gradually thinned out.

Li Yèlái and Cheese's hearts sank, and they simultaneously prepared for combat.

And when they rounded the corner.

They saw an administrative staff member, covered in blood and bare-chested, chasing two other administrative staff members who were firing back.

Several other administrative staff lay on the ground near his feet, their conditions unknown.

At this moment, the man, with his back to Li Yèlái and Cheese, was rapidly approaching the two staff members in the distance.

What was going on? Administrative staff attacking administrative staff?

Seeing this, Cheese's expression changed. Without time to ask for details, she said sternly, "[Listen to me] Cardiac Arrest!"

The bare-chested man froze, then suddenly turned to face them.

This allowed them to see a crimson heart attached to his chest, its red veins merging into his skin, the crimson heart beating violently.

Class C Forbidden Item, Heart of Slaughter!

When carried, physical strength would be continuously enhanced. The longer it was carried, the greater the physical enhancement.

But the price was the growth of greed in the heart. The holder would crave more power, unwilling to give up the heart. Just a little stronger, just a little more.

Ultimately, they would lose their reason and become a killing machine!

Therefore, the authorities were very cautious about the use of this Forbidden Item. If handlers wanted to enhance their physique through it, they not only had to pay merit points but also undergo the process under strict protection. It would be removed immediately when the time was up to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

But clearly, this administrative staff member had already been turned into a killing machine, madly slaughtering his colleagues.

"Can he still be saved?" Li Yèlái held his blade forward.

"No, it's too late," Cheese said faintly.

"I understand," Li Yèlái exhaled. "I'll send him on his way!"

Meanwhile, upon spotting the two, the killing machine instantly changed its target. It quickly bent down, grabbed a fire axe from the ground, and charged towards them.

Its powerful physique rivaled a second-tier True Martial. The dozens of meters distance was closed in almost an instant.

The fire axe was raised high, as if to perform a 'Splitting Mountain' strike on Li Yèlái!

But at the same time, Cheese spoke, "[Listen to me] Close your eyes!"

The killing machine immediately closed its eyes, and the 'Splitting Mountain' strike went wide. When he opened his eyes again, all he saw was his own headless corpse falling powerlessly. In the instant he closed his eyes, Li Yèlái had swung his blade horizontally across his neck. Even his enhanced physique couldn't withstand the sharpness of the Psychic Weapon. Within the zero-point-something seconds of losing his vision, he was decapitated by Li Yèlái.

But a sudden change occurred! The moment the headless corpse fell, the Heart of Slaughter suddenly detached from the body and shot towards Li Yèlái at extreme speed.

Li Yèlái and Cheese were both horrified. This was an unprecedented phenomenon! Could it still go out of control after being suppressed? What kind of sit-up? Is this endless?

At such close range, Li Yèlái had no time to dodge. The Heart of Slaughter pierced through his psychic barrier and adhered to Li Yèlái's hand. The next moment, the Heart of Slaughter merged into his arm.

A chill rose from Li Yèlái's core. He immediately unbuttoned his shirt, tearing open the collar.

Then, he saw a crimson heart beating powerfully in the center of his chest.

Golden-red veins spread like a spiderweb, clinging to his skin.

At the same time, a potent force surged into his body, as if reawakening. His physique began to strengthen.

"Holy crap, this overwhelming fortune is too much for me to handle."

Book Recommendation: This World Truly Has No Supernatural Beings

He watched as his sister crawled onto the door on all fours, like Spider-Man, then scaled the ceiling. She then scurried over the heads of Fù Tiānqīng and the other person, heading towards her own bedroom.

Fù Tiānqīng turned back and shrugged at the terrified tenant, "She's just got really good athletic reflexes. There are no supernatural beings in this world, really."