Horror level

"Captain Meng, the detector is showing violent energy fluctuations coming from that cabin."

A researcher wearing glasses ran over, gave Xu Ye a grateful look, and immediately delivered his report.

"How strong?" Meng Chengfei's gaze was icy.

"Over 200 units, but below 300. It falls within the range of a second mutation."

"Based on our current information, he specializes in illusions. His specific means of attack are unknown."

"But be careful. We can tentatively confirm that he spreads pollution through missing person notices. Anyone who touches one has a chance of being polluted. We don't yet know of any other transmission methods," the researcher said.

"An infected person's thoughts and actions will be controlled by the pollution source, after which they will mutate."

"The danger rating for this incident has been raised to horror level."

Xu Ye's heart jolted.

He remembered the missing person notice "Li Kang" had produced in the Treatment Room. Luckily, he hadn't touched it then, only glanced at it.

As for the medical staff...

They should all have received professional training, wearing gloves to clean up the scene and following strict procedures.

"Recommendation?" Meng Chengfei wasted no words. He had been keeping [Demon Eye] active, so the influence of his second personality made his voice somewhat cold.

"We don't know what's happening inside the cabin yet."

"But considering that the pollution source has undergone a second mutation, we recommend blowing it up directly."

"Blow it up!"

Meng Chengfei didn't hesitate.

Receiving his old partner's signal, Zheng Chengdong grinned and had just taken out a grenade.

Just then, the clouds overhead scattered. Red moonlight spilled down like flowing water, falling over the mountainside and the somewhat dilapidated cabin.

Bang!

With a thunderous crash, the cabin burst apart.

Xu Ye's pupils contracted slightly.

Once the dust and smoke cleared, an old man in a black robe strolled out.

His entire face had sagged. His eyes sat at different heights, his nose had slipped down to where his mouth used to be, and while one ear remained in its original position, his left ear had dropped to his chin.

"Grandson, grandson, my dear grandson, where are you?"

"I want my grandson..."

The old man's facial skin had drooped all the way to his chest. His mouth looked like a slit cut into his chest cavity, making him especially horrifying.

His ten fingers grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. Like ten enormous vines, they slapped the ground over and over with muffled thuds.

"My grandson loves jumping rubber bands. Grandson, Grandpa made you some rubber bands. Come and jump."

"...The iris blooms at twenty-one, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty-one... hehehe..."

"Have you seen my grandson?"

The old man laughed and cried at once.

Many members of the Ninth Team fell silent.

Standing beside Xu Ye, Meng Chengfei said coldly, "You'll encounter plenty of things like this in the future. Aberrants first appeared a hundred years ago. Everyone who knows about them knows that most are mutated humans."

"We're only killing our own people."

"But we have no choice."

"A second-stage Aberrant isn't something you can handle. Stay out of the fight."

As Xu Ye watched, Meng Chengfei's demeanor changed slightly again. Beneath the coldness, a trace of hysteria flashed in his eyes. He was now using both personalities at once.

"Everyone else, fall back. Zheng, cover me."

"Quit yapping!"

Zheng Chengdong was kneeling on his right leg, his back curved like a bow, with roughly sixty degrees between his left and right legs. A large, heavy black gun rested on his shoulder.

Even as he spoke, his hands moved at incredible speed.

Feed, lock, fire, unlock, eject.

All in one fluid sequence.

Rat-tat.

A bullet struck the old man. Its tremendous force blasted scorching flames across his body, making him stagger and fall to the ground.

Rat-tat-tat!

The next instant, beneath the crimson moonlight, bullets poured out like a raging storm amid tongues of flame.

Head, eyes, Adam's apple, heart, kidneys...

In an instant, firepower erupted, black smoke billowed, and blasted dirt flew through the air.

"[Everything Within Range Is Truth]. Impressive, huh, kid? This is an E-Rank Taboo Object." Zheng Chengdong even had time to turn and lift his chin at Xu Ye.

But Xu Ye noticed blood beginning to seep from his ears, nose, and mouth.

Apparently, ordinary people paid a price for using Taboo Objects.

Whoosh!

The instant Zheng Chengdong's attack ended, Meng Chengfei moved.

He shifted to the old man's rear flank. A fierce silver light shone from his gloved fist, making it seem as hard as a block of iron.

Bang!

His punch slipped past the old man's ten fingers and struck him squarely in the side of his rib cage.

The crack of breaking bones rang out sharply in the night, but the old man seemed completely oblivious to pain. He turned his head mechanically and grinned at Zheng Chengdong.

He can't feel pain?

"Grandson, are you my grandson?"

"I'm your grandpa!" Meng Chengfei grinned savagely. Planting a palm on the old man's shoulder, he used it to pivot. His leg instantly became like a block of iron, compressing the air as he whipped it toward the old man's face.

Taking a direct hit from [Iron Block], the old man staggered back several heavy steps. His features became even more distorted, like the aftermath of a car crash. Every bone in his face shattered with a crack. He was clearly badly injured.

Yet he still let out a rattling laugh, his mouth full of gaps where teeth were missing.

"My dear grandson, you've come to see Grandpa! Grandpa is so happy!"

As he spoke, the old man spread his arms. His ten fingers, each more than ten meters long, swept toward Meng Chengfei in an embrace.

Meng Chengfei's expression shifted slightly.

Just then, Zheng Chengdong's covering fire arrived in time. A bullet struck the old man's knee, sending blood spraying.

Roar!

The old man roared in fury. In an instant, dark red energy spread outward from him in every direction.

The terrifying energy shock wave swept across an area hundreds of meters wide.

Every electrical device caught in the shock wave lost power immediately. Everyone stood frozen in place.

Xu Ye's pupils became crescents. The shock wave was essentially a mental attack, and it had no effect on him, since he possessed [Soul-Seizing].

Meng Chengfei's movements paused slightly, but after a few leaps, he landed steadily on the ground, his eyes now filled with gravity.

The others fared much worse. Blood streamed from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths, and their heads buzzed. For a moment, even their thoughts went numb, leaving them unable to move.

"Watch the ground!"

Xu Ye shouted as five pale, wrinkled fingers suddenly burst out of the soil. He leaped up, dodging one of them.

No, they weren't fingers!

The old man's ten fingers were still dancing through the air, circling his body.

These were his toes!

Four toes swept up four people, including Zhou Ye.

They were dragged into the air. Before they could cry for help, their necks began twisting bit by bit. They stared down at everyone at unnatural angles, their eyes bulging so badly they seemed about to burst from their sockets.

"Run! Hurry, run!"

"Don't worry about us!"

The hoarse voices of Zhou Ye and the others came from overhead.

"Xu Ye, go on ahead. Reinforcements won't arrive for another half hour or so."

Meng Chengfei fell back to Xu Ye's side. Staring ahead with a burning gaze, he gave a derisive laugh. "I can sense that his energy is fluctuating violently. I'm afraid he'll undergo a third mutation before long."

"Night Spirit City is the closest city to Sky City. Pollution incidents were never common here, and we haven't had a third-mutation disaster in two years."

"So what? Fuck him up!" Zheng Chengdong spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm, wiped away his sweat, and hoisted the large black gun onto his shoulder again.

"Captain Meng, Captain Zheng, what's the big deal? Let's all take him on!"

"We can't escape anymore anyway. His toes have already started splitting."

"I'm a researcher. I can't fight, but I can still shoot, and cheer you on while I'm at it. As for you, new Awakened kid, you'd better stay alive. Otherwise, our team won't have an Awakened anymore, and we'll be replaced."

One person after another stepped in front of Xu Ye, laughing and shouting.

Xu Ye stood behind them, silent for a long, long time.

It reminded him of his previous life. Every time he woke from unconsciousness, his parents had always been there in front of him, as though shielding him from death's scythe.

Heart Simulation. Seven uses left...

"Begin simulation."