Purge

The Baron, who had been cowering and trembling in the corner, seemed to have his spine ripped away the instant he saw that puddle of rotten flesh.

He dropped to his knees, clutching his hair with both hands. What streamed from the corners of his eyes were no longer tears of blood, but murky black slime.

"That was... that was Mother's vessel! The supreme glory that allowed our family to step onto the path of the extraordinary!"

The Baron suddenly raised his head. His eyeballs, corroded by Exorcism Powder until only the whites remained, locked onto Lu Yuan.

The skin across his body began to split apart inch by inch, countless tiny flesh buds growing wildly as his entire body swelled like an inflated balloon.

With the madness of someone determined to perish together, he roared and lunged at Lu Yuan.

[Directly viewing a high-ranking aberrant creature. Sanity check in progress... Check passed.]

And in that opening, Lu Yuan finished reloading his Revolver.

"It's all you! You caused all of this! I'll tear you to pieces! I'll sacrifice you to Mother!"

Faced with this desperate struggle of a trapped beast, Lu Yuan did not meet it head-on.

He calmly slid to the left while firing his Revolver again.

Bang! Bang!

The two bullets struck the Baron's knee joints with pinpoint accuracy.

Crack.

The charging Baron's body twisted, and he crashed heavily to the floor.

Yet he seemed unable to feel pain. He still clawed at the ground with both hands like a mad dog with a broken spine.

Dragging his mutilated body, he crawled inch by inch toward Lu Yuan, muttering indistinctly all the while:

"Mother... look at me... I am your most loyal child..."

Yet all that answered him was deathly silence.

No miracle descended, nor was any power bestowed upon him.

That puddle of rotten flesh still lay quietly on the bed, giving off a nauseating stench of raw fish.

The Baron's crawling gradually slowed.

He lay sprawled on the ground, stretching out a hand to touch that puddle of rotten flesh, but it ultimately stopped in midair.

"Why..."

The Baron's voice turned weak and trembling. Once the frenzy ebbed away, all that remained was endless emptiness and the despair of abandonment. "Why won't you save me... Why have you abandoned me..."

At last, he realized that in the eyes of his great "Mother," he was no different from that nephew—both were expendable materials that could be discarded at any time.

"Because you're useless now."

A cold voice sounded above his head.

The Baron's entire body stiffened.

He suddenly rolled over, attempting one final struggle. The hand that had already transformed into a claw slashed viciously at Lu Yuan's abdomen.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

A wisp of blue smoke rose from the scorching muzzle.

A bloody hole appeared between the Baron's brows, and that claw drooped limply just centimeters from Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan looked at the Baron's corpse, now completely devoid of life, and let out a long breath. His back had long since been soaked in cold sweat.

"Whew... Lucky."

Lu Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced fearfully at the Baron's mutated corpse.

If he had been at full strength, a high-ranking aberrant like this could still launch a counterattack even after being struck in a vital spot.

Thanks to Old Morgan's "Exorcism Gunpowder—Type 3," the high concentration of silver powder and intense light had practically crippled ninety percent of the Baron's combat ability, leaving him like a blind man who could only rage helplessly.

Otherwise, it was anyone's guess who would have lived or died tonight.

Lu Yuan crouched down and, suppressing his nausea, rummaged through the Baron's slime-covered formal suit.

To his surprise, he actually found a note.

The moment he pulled out the letter paper, that familiar stench of rotten fish rushed into his nostrils.

By the lingering firelight, Lu Yuan made out its contents:

"While the base is empty tonight, clean out those doctors. Also transfer the Hatchling to the dock warehouse. Mother is hungry."

There was no name beneath it, only the seal of an Emblem of Thorns and Tentacles.

Lu Yuan's gaze turned cold as he tucked the letter into his coat.

Was this what Old Morgan wanted?

In truth, Lu Yuan had realized it the moment he stepped into the manor.

The Night Watchers had cast him out like bait on a hook. After all, Thorn Manor's aberrant traits were far too obvious.

Unless the Night Watchers were all useless freeloaders, there was no way they could have failed to notice.

"But it doesn't matter. I don't have to pay back the points anyway, and I can squeeze a little something out of Old Morgan."

Just as Lu Yuan was thinking this, urgent whistles and footsteps sounded outside the window.

Hearing those footsteps, Lu Yuan could not help feeling both amused and exasperated. How long had they been lying in wait? The explosion had barely gone off, and they had arrived right after.

He would leave the rest to the professionals.

He holstered his gun and straightened the slightly disheveled collar of his trench coat. Looking at the corpses strewn across the floor, his eyes regained their calm.

A few seconds later, amid a burst of gunfire and strange howls, a team charged straight toward Lu Yuan's room.

Bang!

With a violent kick to the door—

The heavy oak door was kicked open and slammed into the wall with a thunderous crash.

The people who rushed in were not the chaotic, noisy ordinary patrol guards Lu Yuan had expected, but a well-equipped, disciplined mixed squad dressed in black uniforms.

Their movements were perfectly coordinated. In an instant, they occupied every tactical blind spot in the room, their Alchemy Crossbows and muskets trained tightly on Lu Yuan in the center.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a senior guard's uniform.

He had a thick beard and looked rough and rugged, but his hawk-sharp eyes held the seasoned killing intent of a veteran.

Lu Yuan keenly noticed that an Alchemy Grenade—one not issued to ordinary guards—hung from this "officer's" waist.

One of us?

Lu Yuan came to his conclusion.

The leader's gaze swept rapidly across the room.

When he saw the monster corpses all over the floor, corroded beyond recognition by silver powder, and the Baron with his head blown apart—

Then saw Lu Yuan standing unscathed by the window, his pupils narrowed slightly.

A trace of wariness flickered in his eyes.

Then that wariness turned into satisfaction.

The Bait Plan had been a resounding success.

Their gazes met, and in just one second, they reached a tacit understanding.

"Dammit! What kind of hell on earth is this?!"

The leader suddenly roared in fury, his voice making the windows hum. "The Baron was actually infected by heretics?! What the hell are those Empire people doing?! And you! You're carrying an Alchemy Weapon—take him away!"

"Take him away immediately! Interrogate him thoroughly!"

At the command, several ordinary guards behind him, unaware of the situation, immediately moved to rush forward and cuff Lu Yuan.

"Wait!"

The leader abruptly waved a hand, stopping those hotheaded fools.

He turned and assigned a young team member whose gaze was equally sharp and cold. Clearly, this was another one of their own.

"You, take a few men and escort him away! This guy is a suspect—don't let him run! Everyone else, seal off the scene! No one is to approach!"

"Yes!"

The young team member strode forward and stopped behind Lu Yuan.

He did not take out any shackles. He merely rested his hand lightly against Lu Yuan's shoulder, the gesture carrying even a trace of subtle courtesy.

"Let's go, Mr. Suspect."