The elderly and children were physically weaker.
Even if Bai Zuo controlled them, they had no ability to fight the supernatural beings and were easily injured.
Controlling so many people took a great deal of mental energy. Bai Zuo had only done it earlier because he needed to compete with the being calling itself Yama for the hostages.
Now Yama had appeared.
So Bai Zuo sent everyone who was of no use into the buildings, freeing up some of his mental energy.
Kong Yubo had been keeping an eye on the movements of those under control. Seeing that only some young and middle-aged adults remained at the scene while everyone else had taken shelter inside the buildings, he felt relieved.
When Yama saw Bai Zuo, old and new grudges surged up at once. It let out a distorted roar whose meaning was impossible to make out, and then its underlings began attacking Bai Zuo and the others.
Kong Yubo and the others struggled to dodge their attacks. They had no weapons capable of harming the supernatural beings, so all they could do was keep evading.
Within minutes, someone had already been injured.
Seeing one of his teammates hurt, Kong Yubo grew frantic, and his desire for power became even more urgent.
Just then, Bai Zuo's voice rang directly in his mind: [Do you long for power?]
[I can see how much you want to change things.]
Kong Yubo struggled with himself. Before Flying Bird A had appeared, he would have given himself up without hesitation, with no other choice.
Even if he became a puppet controlled by someone else, he wouldn't regret it as long as he could protect these people.
But Flying Bird A had appeared and guaranteed their safety. Did he still want to change things?
In Kong Yubo's field of vision, another teammate was caught off guard by the supernatural beings' attacks and slashed. The red blood blurred his vision for a moment.
Of course he wanted to change things!
So, deep inside, Kong Yubo shouted at Bai Zuo, who had seen through him so easily, like a devil: [I need power!]
Kong Yubo faintly heard the other man give a smug little laugh.
[Mind Control!]
Kong Yubo felt warmth spread through his chest, as if a spider were biting him. After a faint pang of pain, he felt his consciousness separate from his body.
Kong Yubo tried to move a finger, only to find his consciousness trapped inside his body. He could see and feel everything, yet couldn't move, as if wrapped in a cocoon.
He could feel the potential hidden within his body being unleashed, giving him strength beyond anything he could have imagined.
He was fast enough to shatter world records. One punch sent the concrete ground cracking apart. Could he really be wielding such incredible strength?
Kong Yubo stared in shock as his body, under someone else's control, rampaged through the supernatural beings without a trace of fear.
Because Bai Zuo used his mental power to control Kong Yubo's body, it had become imbued with the power of the Heart Gu. His fists and feet could now harm the supernatural beings.
One punch pierced a hole through a being that Kong Yubo could only have desperately dodged and fled from before.
The shock was impossible to put into words. So this was power!
Kong Yubo looked at his teammates again and saw that they, too, had quickly become strong and fast, just like him.
They were under Bai Zuo's control as well.
Kong Yubo could feel an invisible thread linking him to Bai Zuo. Unlike the people who were directly controlled, this thread seemed fragile, as if it could snap at any moment. But the contract sealed through words and intent made it incredibly strong.
Unless Bai Zuo released him, Kong Yubo would be nothing but a puppet beneath his web of silk for the rest of his life.
That was the Power of Contract. Kong Yubo had gained the power to defeat the supernatural beings, while Bai Zuo had gained ownership of his body.
Of course, if Kong Yubo could join the Aberration Association, successfully contract with a supernatural being, and become a Contract Anomalist, perhaps he could avoid being the other man's puppet forever, just like Xu Zhou.
Controlling so many people made Bai Zuo's mental energy drain rapidly. Beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, and his face had grown a little pale.
Bai Zuo pursed his lips in mild displeasure. "They're too weak. They still can't bring out the Heart Gu's true power."
If only he could get his hands on an exceptionally powerful body...
Flying Bird A noticed his gaze, gave a dashing little shake as if fluffing nonexistent feathers, and threatened him with a radiant smile. "Little Spider, you'd better not get any ideas about me. I might just twist that spider head right off your shoulders~"
Bai Zuo didn't answer. He only gave him a deep, lingering look, like an affliction that had sunk into the bone.
A spider would lay its web where the white bird couldn't see, patiently waiting for the bird soaring freely through the sky to fly right into its trap.
And even knowing the spider wanted to catch it, the proud white bird would still think the little spider was overestimating itself. How could a spider that could only jump around, with no feathers and no way to fly, ever catch a bird soaring high above the world?
Who would come out on top in the end remained to be seen!
Xu Zhou controlled Ghost Hand to help Kong Yubo and the others tear the supernatural beings apart. Ji Wu assisted them with his gun, neither of them noticing the undercurrents swirling between Bai Zuo and Flying Bird A.
Kong Yubo and the others, who didn't need their own consciousness to fight, had the time to pay attention to what was happening elsewhere.
They had heard the exchange between Bai Zuo and Flying Bird A.
They realized the conflict between the two might run much deeper than it seemed.
Did their organization allow its members to scheme against one another?
Or was this a personal feud between the two?
"Ding! Bai Zuo's Character Perfection increased by 5%!" "Ding! Flying Bird A's Character Perfection increased by 5%!"
Kong Yubo and the others quickly joined forces with Xu Zhou and cleared out the supernatural beings.
But when the beings were defeated, they turned into clouds of black mist and flowed back into Yama's body.
Sure enough, those supernatural beings had only been part of its power.
Even though Yama was only a Malignant Curse, any B-rank Contract Anomalist who faced it would probably have a hard time.
It could use large numbers of low-level supernatural beings to wear down a Contract Anomalist's strength and stamina bit by bit. By the time the exhausted Contract Anomalist faced it—the boss—there would be no strength left to defeat it.
Among Malignant Curses, Yama was one of the strongest.
Unfortunately for it, this time it had picked a fight with the wrong people.
The Aberration Association had sent two S-rank Contract Anomalists.
Seeing all its underlings defeated, Yama stood up, its head covered by the Goat Head Mask.
Yellow Spring Water came surging down.
A single wave knocked everyone to the ground.
The supernatural aura in the water was incredibly strong. On contact, it began to corrode their bodies. Only Contract Anomalists, who had contracted with supernatural beings, could resist it.
Kong Yubo's body was slammed against a utility pole by the wave, snapping it in half.
He slid to the ground, his throat feeling uncomfortable. At last, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Fortunately, Bai Zuo was controlling his body. The pain of his injuries couldn't affect Kong Yubo's imprisoned consciousness for the time being.
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