Scion (double-length chapter, with thanks to alliance leader Fanshen Fengniao)

On the other side.

Upon entering the ruins, the team members unconsciously dropped their earlier relaxed demeanor.

The gray fog has indeed dissipated.

The dark gray film that once covered the building's exterior walls had indeed disappeared with the receding fog, leaving no trace. What was now displayed before everyone was just a dilapidated urban ruin.

But the city did not come back to life despite the removal of assimilation.

On the contrary, it looks even stranger.

This isn't as simple as saying there's no one.

".

Cheng Xiu walked ahead, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the street. The buildings and residential buildings, no longer covered by the thin film, revealed their original reinforced concrete structures, but the overall appearance was an eerie, pale white.

The city has been abandoned for so long, yet not a single patch of green can be seen. Neither the former green belts nor the wild grass that would theoretically stubbornly peek out from the cracks in walls and along roadsides can be found. It's as if all life, including the buildings, was Plunder the moment the gray fog cleared.

Although it was foreseeable that after being occupied and assimilated for so long, there couldn't possibly be any life in this place, the true nature of it...

Being in such an environment still sends chills down one's spine.

"This place feels really strange."

Wei Yidong looked around and couldn't help but shudder.

He was dressed in heavy Nergigante Set, making him look like he was trapped in a metal can. Logically, he should have felt very safe, but as he walked through this empty city ruin, he felt like something was watching him.

It was so quiet.

Especially after penetrating deeper into the city, all you could hear were the footsteps of the crowd and the faint metallic sound of armor rubbing together.

"That's normal, since there wasn't a trace of any living creature."

Cheng Xiu withdrew his gaze from the surrounding area and replied, "When a city is abandoned, vegetation will sprout from every crack and crevice, wild animals will come looking for it, not to mention cockroaches and rats, which are things that can never be eradicated. But right now, there isn't even an ant here."

Although we know this is related to the assimilation mechanism, we still feel uncomfortable subconsciously. Before, when we were on the front lines, although all we saw were gray fog and monsters, we could at least feel the frenzied and twisted life force—but now we can't sense anything at all.

How can this not be strange?

"Eek—it really is."

Wei Yidong looked around again and shuddered once more.

Indeed, there was no living thing to be seen, let alone any living things—not even the smell of decaying organic matter.

No wonder it was so strange.

"But."

Wei Yidong withdrew his gaze, glanced down at his equipment, and quickly regained his composure. He chuckled and said, "Now that I have this divine gear, it's okay if the environment is a bit scary. As long as a monster dares to jump out, I'll give it a good shot the moment it appears!"

By the way, Cheng Xiu, did you just see that? Countless players on the defensive line were staring at me, their eyes practically glued to me. They must think my gear is awesome!

Looking at Wei Yidong's carefree attitude, Cheng Xiu shook his head speechlessly, feeling that talking to this idiot was a waste of breath.

He ignored Wei Yidong and instead looked at Lu Xiu, who was walking at the front of the group.

The surrounding environment was so eerie, and the invisible psychological pressure was so great that he felt uneasy. He wondered if the girl would be afraid in the face of such a strange scene.

Come to think of it, she hasn't even turned Nineteen yet, has she?

It's really putting her in a difficult position.

Why don't you go talk to her yourself and take the lead?

After all, she has two eyes, while I only have one, so I can see less and should be more suited to this environment.

Thinking and thinking.

Cheng Xiu suddenly felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

He frowned, turned to Wei Yidong beside him, and said, "Take your third hand away, or I'll chop it off."

o

Upon hearing this, Wei Yidong chuckled again, "Alright, alright, I'll take it back. You're so stingy. I was just scared, wasn't I?"

He looked at Cheng Xiu, whose face had one eye and one mouth, and retracted the third hand that had extended from his shoulder blade.

Cheng Xiu shook his head again, and at the same time raised his hand, subconsciously wanting to touch his nose, which suddenly felt itchy.

But soon, his movements stopped.

What is a nose again?

At the same time.

A figure in the group suddenly quickened his pace and jogged over to Lu Xiu, who was walking at the front.

It's Ah Yi.

The round-faced girl was also wearing the costume that Lu Xiu had hastily made for her, the Odogaron Set." Although it wasn't as good as Jian Li's and Shen Nian's costumes, it was still quite pretty.

"That one— Lu Xiu."

Ah Yi leaned closer, her round face showing a hint of nervousness, and said, "Thank you."

Lu Xiu was looking at an unfinished building not far away when she heard this. She turned her head and asked with some confusion, "What are you thanking me for?"

to be honest.

She also felt a little creeped out.

After all, she's not a superhero; in such an environment, it's natural for a human to feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, for some reason, Shen Nian and Jian Li suddenly fell a few steps behind her and remained silent.

It did feel strange for her to walk ahead alone in such an environment.

It's good that someone is speaking up for us now.

"Thank you for the equipment."

Ah Yi scratched his head and then said, "Exploring the Assimilation Zone at the front lines is what we're supposed to do, but you've given us such top-notch equipment. We definitely have to thank you for that."

"Just something I did."

Lu Xiu casually replied, "Besides, the assimilation mechanism on the front lines was dispelled too strangely. Nobody knows what exactly was hatched inside. I brought you guys here so that we could have more people to look after each other. It's better for you guys to be better equipped and stronger than for me to face this complicated situation alone."

"Um!"

Upon hearing this, Ah Yi's round face immediately broke into a bright smile, and he nodded vigorously. "Then don't worry, even if we encounter some monstrous monster, we'll hold the line and buy you time to retreat!"

"There's no need to be so pessimistic, and to make it sound so tragic—"

Lu Xiu found it somewhat amusing to look at her, who seemed ready to sacrifice herself at any moment.

Ah Yi scratched his head sheepishly, then suddenly asked, "By the way, Miss Lu Xiu, are the eyes on the equipment you made just decorations?"

"Eye?"

Lu Xiu withdrew her gaze and continued forward, casually asking, "What eyes?"

"It's the eyes."

Ah Yi said matter-of-factly, "I think Wei Yidong and Cheng Xiu's equipment has a lot of eyes on it. When I ran over to find you from behind, those eyes on their equipment kept following my movements and staring at me."

That brings us to this.

Ah Yi seemed to remember something again, and reached out to tug at her equipment with some distress. "Also, Miss Lu Xiu, the equipment is really good, but there's one thing I think is poorly designed—why are there only two holes for the arms to stick out? Shouldn't there be three?"

"With only two holes, it's really difficult to stick out a third hand to move around. We can only squeeze it out through the gaps in the nail plate, and it hurts so much."

66

Lu Xiu's steps suddenly stopped.

The abandoned buildings around her, which had seemed to have lost some kind of vitality, suddenly came alive and all looked at her.

She slowly turned her head and looked at Ah Yi standing beside her.

Ah Yi stopped and looked up at Lu Xiu with a smile, "So, can it be changed, Sister Lu?"

Although she wore a mask that Odogaron Set covered her face, you could still see a bright and genuine smile in her eyes.

He was laughing very happily.

It wasn't just her human eyes, located beneath her eyebrows, that were smiling.

On her dark red mask, on the black and red armor clinging to her torso, and on the arm guards covering her arms—the countless eyes, densely packed together in a random pattern, were also smiling.

Some of them were a murky grayish-white, while others had scarlet streaks; some were large, and others were small.

Now, all those hundreds of eyes, following Ah Yi's emotions, showed smiles.

It seems to be saying...

Ah Yi is very happy now!

"Sister Lu, why aren't you saying anything?"

Ah Yi tilted her head and made a questioning sound. As she tilted her head, all the eyes on her body, big and small, turned their gazes and fixed on Lu Xiu's face, their eyes full of pure curiosity and innocence.

Lu Xiu:

The next moment.

Her figure vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving behind a whooshing sound.

When she reappeared, she was already standing in front of Jian Li and Shen Nian, who were a few steps behind, as if she had teleported.

Snap!

Lu Xiu grabbed their wrists, one on each side, to stop them, and then looked up at them.

Beneath their dark red Beast-Eared Hat, Jian Li and Shen Nian wore expressions of pain and struggle, their teeth clenched, their smooth foreheads covered in fine beads of cold sweat, and faint, life-like shadows had already crept up their fair necks, threatening to disappear between their brows.

Lu Xiu lowered her head slightly, and the shadows followed Shen Nian Jian Li Li's bodies downwards, as thin as spider silk, spreading along the ground all the way back.

She followed the shadow's path, then suddenly looked up. Her beautiful eyes slowly changed; a breathtaking crimson hue quietly spread across her originally dark and clear pupils, like rubies being ignited.

[Passive: Crimson King Eyes]

[When you possess this weapon (it also works when it's in your inventory), your pupils turn a translucent crimson. This state grants you an exceptionally keen sense of death, allowing you to see through any state of apparent death or parasitism, and also to perceive the weaknesses of the souls of all things.]

soon.

Lu Xiu's gaze passed over Jian Li and Shen Nian, past Cheng Xiu who was rubbing his forehead and Wei Yidong was grinning foolishly, and looked towards the back of the group.

On the once empty street, a huge, twisted shadow has appeared at some unknown time.

In the shadows, countless tentacles waved wildly, as if savoring the taste of the air.

With each wave of its tentacles, delicate shadow threads extended from their ends, wrapping around each member of the team, making the members of the Strategy Group look more and more like puppets connected by strings.

The last person in the group was completely shrouded in shadow, with even smaller tentacles sprouting from their equipment, flailing wildly.

Lu Xiu released Jian Li and Shen Nian, then raised her right hand towards the massive shadow, her eyes blazing with crimson light, and at the same time, a tangible Mental Strength erupted from her body.

Click, click.

A sound like shattering glass rang out as Lu Xiu's long-cultivated Mental Strength relentlessly sliced through the surroundings.

Immediately afterwards.

Suddenly, the light disappeared.

The once brightly lit ruined streets were instantly swallowed up by what could only be described as thick darkness.

They weren't even walking on the street—they had unknowingly walked into the vast shadow's domain, now within its body.

They may even descend into madness without realizing it.

In the darkness.

I can't see anything.

But soon, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly brightened—

"Get out!!!"

Lu Xiu parted her red lips slightly, and her powerful Mental Strength instantly condensed into countless threads under her will. With a terrifying speed ten times faster than the shadow tentacles, they swept across and entangled a certain entity at the end of the shadow.

Next.

Call!

A loud bang ripped through the air.

That eerie shadow was violently flung away!

At the same time, the shadow threads wrapped around everyone were uprooted and roughly torn from the gaps in their armor, between their eyebrows, and along their spines, transforming into a wild, swirling expanse of black silk that flew backwards along with the massive shadowy body.

The next second.

The thick darkness crumbled instantly, like the receding tide, and the midday sun shone down once more.

Daylight reappeared.

Bang!!!

A deafening roar followed immediately.

The enormous shadow, enveloped by Lu Xiu's Mental Strength, crashed into an unfinished building next to the street.

The impact was so powerful that the walls of the unfinished building shattered, the internal steel bars twisted and broke like pretzels, and concrete blocks and powder flew outwards. The entire building shook violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

As the shadow was forcibly flung away, the intruding threads were pulled out.

The expressions on the faces of Ah Yi, who had been tilting his head with an innocent look, Cheng Xiu, who was rubbing his forehead, and Wei Yidong, who had just been chuckling foolishly, all froze.

The cloudiness in their eyes dissipated, the eyes on their equipment disappeared, the third hand vanished, and their facial features returned to normal.

The rationality and five senses that belong to normal human beings have returned.

They suddenly snapped back to reality, recalling how they had almost accepted the terrifying fact that they had grown a third hand and that humans only had one eye—

An unprecedented sense of horror and lingering fear, accompanied by a strong feeling of nausea, suddenly struck.

Everyone was drenched in cold sweat and knelt down, gagging and gasping for breath, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

"What the hell is that?!"

Two seconds later.

Wei Yidong was the first to react, drool dripping from his mouth, and shouted.

The others were still gagging, not just because they felt disgusted, but also because they had almost been parasitized.

Jian Li and Shen Nian's bodies went limp.

Lu Xiu opened her arms and caught them on her left and right.

The two leaned on Lu Xiu's shoulder, catching their breath for a while. Without even thanking her, they immediately used the support to sit up, took out their weapons from their backpacks, and turned to stare at the unfinished building with a dent in it.

The shadow that Lu Xiu had flung away was now lingering on the mottled exterior wall of the building.

It had transformed into something resembling an octopus, with countless nauseating tentacles flailing wildly in the air, each swing distorting the surrounding light.

This moment.

Everyone finally saw the strange name.

[King's Scion]

"Lu Xiu, what is this?"

Shen Nian, holding her nearly two-meter-long sword, looked at the indescribable creature perched atop the building, her delicate body trembling slightly. "What kind of monster is this?"

Meanwhile, Cheng Xiu, who was not far away, finally managed to suppress the churning in his stomach and barely recovered.

He looked up at Lu Xiu, the only one not infected and who had saved everyone, and roared, "Lu Xiu! I have an extra status bar! It's called Mental Pollution!"

Then other voices began to rang out.

"Mine too!"

"I have one too!"

"And the mental pollution bar has already risen to halfway!"

Lu Xiu: "--.--"

really.

She watched the shadow that was swelling and writhing on the ruins, and she roughly knew what was going on.

This is nothing like the kind of monsters you can kill with a blade like you would on the front lines.

But I just built Bloodborne Dungeon, and the system is already using mental pollution? Is this some kind of inhumane approach?

Or was this the work of some Xenogenic of the Deity?

I don't know.

But no matter who it is.

This is really troublesome.

"Cheng Xiu, contact the rear."

My thoughts have reached this point.

Lu Xiu, as if struck by a sudden thought, interrupted the crowd's lingering shock and said abruptly, "Tell Chen Fu to have the troops on the defensive line stop and retreat completely."

For ordinary players, let alone fighting, simply stepping into this area would likely contaminate them.

"----good."

Cheng Xiu wanted to ask why, but remembering what had just happened, he immediately shut up, enduring the sharp, stabbing pain deep in his brain, and brought up the communication panel.

At the same time.

The shadow bearing the title of "King's Scion" hovered atop the building, slowly rising to its feet. Its enormous body, shaped like an octopus, began to undulate violently, countless tentacles intertwining wildly in mid-air. In the center of the shadow, a narrow slit appeared.

It seemed to be enraged by Lu Xiu's earlier, brutal attack.

"Look down immediately! Don't look directly at it!"

Seeing this, Lu Xiu said again, "If the mental pollution level rises, then run!"

Almost at the same moment Lu Xiu finished speaking.

The narrow slit in mid-air opened completely, and a giant eye looked over.

And then this giant eye opened.

The dark gray assimilation film, which had dried up and disappeared, began to spread and proliferate again on the dilapidated buildings and street facades, as if time had reversed.

What was originally just a simple city ruin was transformed into a monster's lair in just a few seconds.

Immediately afterwards.

Huge lumps of flesh bulged up again on the exterior walls of those tall buildings. One after another, bizarre Mutation covered with pustules and bone spurs roared as they broke through the membranes and fell from mid-air like dumplings being dropped into a pot, landing on the surrounding streets.

Lu Xiu did not look at the Mutation species falling like a tide around her.

After confirming that the others were alright and could be dealt with, she tentatively locked eyes with King's Scion, who was entrenched on the building.

Nothing happened.

She even thought that big eye was kind of cute.

really.

Is this related to Mental Strength?

As Lu Xiu pondered this, she raised her right hand and clenched her fist tightly in the air.

Amidst the surging of qi and blood.

An arc of electricity leaped out and then condensed directly in her hand into a dazzling Lightning Spear.

Lu Xiu leaned back slightly and suddenly hurled the Lightning Spear in her hand.

Sizzle!

The Lightning Spear tore through the air, leaving a straight, azure trail, and slammed into the massive shadow on the building's exterior wall, unleashing a violent burst of lightning.

The shadow-formed body of the King's Scion was torn open with a huge gash, and countless fragments of dark matter and tentacles vanished in the lightning.

However, this visually striking blow did not seem to cause much actual damage.

Because very quickly.

The shadows began to converge on the torn opening, and in the blink of an eye, they filled the gap.

Does it not absorb pure physical and elemental damage?

So, only Mental Strength attacks are possible?

Lu Xiu frowned slightly.

On the other side.

The offspring perched atop the building slowly turned its giant eye, no longer paying attention to the members of the Strategy Group, but focusing its gaze entirely on Lu Xiu.

And a human-like look—doubt—was revealed in his eyes.

It seemed strange that Lu Xiu was unharmed, yet she brought him a sense of crisis.

Meanwhile...

Ground fighting has broken out in full force.

"Listen to Lu Xiu!!"

Cheng Xiu lowered his head and shouted, "Don't look up! Kill the Mutation creature in front of us first!"

"Damn! What is that?!"

Wei Yidong also kept his head down, pulled out his spear, and began cursing as he activated his domain.

The others also lowered their heads and drew their weapons.

As for Jian Li and Shen Nian, the two didn't stray far from Lu Xiu. Instead, they subtly formed a pincer movement, protecting Lu Xiu. Because of the bamboo hats they wore, their movements didn't need to be as small as the others.

The two of them simultaneously transformed into two dark red Afterimage, rushing towards the Mutation creature that was attacking Lu Xiu.

The agility boost from the master-level Odogaron Set makes their movements so fast that only Afterimage can be seen.

Swish!

Jian Li's figure suddenly crossed paths with a tall Mutation creature, instantly drawing and sheathing his sword.

Critical Draw! Forced Stun!

The tall, wolf-like Mutation suddenly froze, accompanied by a tearing sound of flesh and blood, as a cloud of blood mist exploded from its chest.

Jian Li stopped abruptly, and in the instant sheathed her sword, she swiftly sidestepped half a step, her short cloak billowing as she raised her left hand, which was not holding the sword.

A flash of silver light appeared at the edge of the jet-black arm armor, revealing the phantom of a dragon claw.

Jian Li pressed forward.

Pfft!

The phantom of the dragon claw pierced directly into the chest cavity of the wolf-type Mutation with overwhelming force, tearing out its heart.

The howling of the wolf-like Mutation suddenly stopped.

Jian Li remained expressionless, then suddenly crushed its heart, causing blood to spurt out.

The Mutation creature's enormous corpse collapsed with a crash.

On the other side.

Shen Nian also transformed into a dark red ghostly shadow and rushed in another direction, where she also met a Mutation monster that was attacking Lu Xiu.

The distance has been shortened.

Shen Nian held the nearly two-meter-long knife horizontally in front of her.

Left hand grips the sheath, right hand holds the hilt of the sword.

Clang!

The trembling sound of a sword being drawn rang out.

Shen Nian's pretty shoulder-length short hair swept back, and the moment the blade was drawn, a black line suddenly appeared.

The next moment.

The Mutation creature's forelimbs were split in two as it charged forward. Its massive body lurched forward with tremendous inertia, tumbling past Shen Nian.

"----Die, all of you!"

Behind Lu Xiu.

Wei Yidong released the area, and his body was engulfed in blazing crimson flames, which then coiled around the gun like fiery serpents.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, facing the Mutation head-on. Holding his gun, he thrust it forward with unstoppable momentum, piercing the Mutation creature charging towards him and impaling it.

Next.

His arms, veins bulging, swung the gun barrel violently, lifting the strung-up Mutation and flinging them away. "Get lost!"

Bang!

The burning Mutation was instantly sent flying and crashed into the building.

The others also displayed their unique skills, handling the situation with ease. As members of the Strategy Group, their combat prowess and basic attributes were already high.

Now, with the support of the set, their combat power has reached a new level. When facing Mutation, they no longer need to coordinate like on the front lines; it's a one-sided battle of cutting through monsters.

Lu Xiu caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of her eye and felt relieved.

The Mutation species on the ground are not a major problem.

but--

She looked again at [King's Scion] perched atop the high-rise building.

The offspring seemed to realize that the Mutation species couldn't do anything to these people, and the huge shadow that had been looming over the building suddenly contracted violently.

At the same time, the giant eye suddenly expanded to its limit.

The next moment.

Even though King's Scion did not emit any physical sound waves produced by vocal cord vibration, everyone present simultaneously heard a shriek!

The group, who had been rampaging through the monster horde like war gods, suddenly stopped in their tracks.

"Hiss----"

Ah Yi suddenly clutched his head, letting out a painful groan, and said with difficulty, "Miss Lu Xiu, it—it's screaming! My pollution bar is rising again!"

It wasn't just Ah Yi.

The others weren't much better off.

Jian Li and Shen Nian both swayed.

And this seems to be more than just a psychological attack—

The King's Scion shrieked.

Large swaths of shadow seeped out from the surrounding abandoned buildings, beginning to converge and solidify.

Then— the King's Scion appeared.

Including the initial ones, the four King's Scion formed a complete encirclement, occupying the high-rise buildings in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, looking down at Lu Xiu and the others below.

The mental pollution bar in front of everyone began to rise at a visible speed!

At the same time.

Sea City, the temporary command post of the Seventh Defense Line.

Yan Fushou grabbed Chen Fu by the collar. "What do you mean Lu Xiu told you not to go in?! She told you not to go! You..."

Are you really not going?

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Lu Xiu is still inside!!!"