Chapter 59.1 – Tongwan Hospital (13)
◎ Bad Seed ◎
There is a kind of person in this world, born in the dark and cramped slums, wandering in the dirty sewers. They envy others’ wealth and happiness, often cursing the unfairness of the heavens and harboring a deep resentment towards their own incompetence.
Wu Xianghai was one such individual.
He was a seasoned pickpocket, or rather, a thief, with a vile and shameless nature. He targeted the elderly, the weak, and women and took pride in it.
After the apocalypse, Wu Xianghai’s awakened abilities were related to this. Although it was only the lowest E-level, he could “steal” others’ abilities through theft and even level up using this stolen ability. The condition was that he had to personally kill the wielder of that ability to completely strip them of it.
The first person Wu Xianghai killed was a fragile female awakener. He relied on a sneak attack from behind. When he struck, he was trembling with fear, his heart pounding wildly. With an axe, he viciously smashed the back of her head. Blood sprayed out, and Wu Xianghai was both terrified and oddly exhilarated.
During the process of taking the ability, fragments of the woman’s consciousness entered Wu Xianghai’s brain. He saw her past—her gentle lover, caring parents, friends… Her happy upbringing remained untouched even by the apocalypse.
“Good.” Wu Xianghai licked his lips, a perverse sensation filling his mind, ‘Everything is mine now.’
Knowing that his true ability must remain hidden, Wu Xianghai used the stolen “Object Sewing” ability to register as an E-level awakener. Later, when he fled his homeland, he luckily encountered the Azure Phoenix team and others who were evacuating, and he was taken away as an awakener.
Wu Xianghai acted timidly and pretended to be a simple and honest person, successfully following them to District C72.
Ferrara, this free city, amplified his ambitions and malevolent thoughts completely.
The second person he killed was a carefully selected D-level awakener, possessing an aggressive dark-type ability. As usual, it was a sneak attack. Upon killing the person, Wu Xianghai learned from the fragments of consciousness that this individual intended to participate in the Throne Race Competition.
The countless points, Alliance coins, and the possibility of fulfilling desires… The enticing conditions and plentiful rewards further inflated Wu Xianghai’s desires. He firmly believed that he was like the protagonists in those leveling-up stories, rising from being a useless underdog, crushing everyone in his path, and couldn’t wait to obtain a powerful ability to trample everyone.
By stealing abilities, Wu Xianghai became a D-level awakener. He used the money and channels left by the deceased to buy a slot from the intermediary, replacing that person in the Throne Race Competition. However, the reality that followed was different from what he had imagined. In this world, there were far too many individuals stronger than him. On the night of the Mirror Lake competition, Wu Xianghai was in dire straits. He almost *capsized in the gutter, nearly sending himself to the underworld.
Wu Xianghai, who luckily advanced, felt a dark mood. No, he needed an even more powerful ability.
Later, he finally killed a C-level awakener. The person had an incredibly elusive ability called Black Hole Devour.
From this person’s memories, Wu Xianghai unexpectedly learned about the secret of Ferrara. The deceased belonged to a convoluted organization that claimed to be a resistance faction. Their goal was astonishingly to destroy all artificial intelligence!
Wu Xianghai realized he had gotten himself into serious trouble. He carefully destroyed the body and all evidence of this person’s existence.
But he never expected that in the round of 32, he would lose. Despite having acquired the ability of devouring, he could never fully integrate it. It was as if it was inherently rebellious and could not be completely controlled. The consequences of losing the match were dire. The intermediary interrogated him vehemently, but Wu Xianghai was no longer the initially obedient character. He had transformed from a thief to a butcher, his hands stained with blood. Wu Xianghai’s malevolent thoughts spiraled out of control. He picked up a stone from the ground and killed the defiant intermediary.
“What are you doing? You’ve killed someone!”
Wu Xianghai never expected that Maeda would witness the murderous scene.
The wrong person appeared at the wrong time and place, discovering his vile nature.
Wu Xianghai begged desperately, pleading for mercy. If his true ability was exposed, everything would be over.
But Maeda simply didn’t listen. He was stern and merciless, threatening to inform the patrol team.
Wu Xianghai knocked his head on the ground, looking at Maeda’s retreating heels through the cold gap. His eyes were gradually consumed by darkness.
“I gave you a chance. Since it’s come to this, then just die!”
Seizing the opportunity while the other was off guard, Wu Xianghai made another sneak attack, killing Maeda and stripping him of his ability.
Then he fled in a panic.
Back at his residence, Wu Xianghai was engulfed by immense panic. He anxiously bit his fingers, drawing blood.
What to do? What to do? The people from Azure Phoenix won’t let him off. Wu Juemin… thinking of the captain’s sharp eyes, Wu Xianghai couldn’t stop shivering, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
‘It’s okay, it’s okay,’ he consoled himself. He had escaped quickly, leaving no traces. Tonight’s power outage ensured that no one knew.
After the panic subsided, a familiar excitement gradually surged. Wu Xianghai moved his right hand gently, and an invisible air barrier appeared around him. It could spread out or change shape with his movements, wrapping around him like layered soft armor, its transparent surface indestructible.
As expected of Azure Phoenix team’s deputy captain, Wu Xianghai’s smile was greedy and cruel. This was the most practical ability he had ever seen.
The chaotic night passed without any incidents. There were no pursuers and no patrol teams. Wu Xianghai, who had been living in fear, slowly began to ease.
He had escaped, he was safe. In a few days, he would leave Ferrara and start anew somewhere else.
Wu Xianghai relaxed his mind, lying on the bed with his legs crossed, humming a pleasant tune. He flipped his palm back and forth, admiring his new ability.
A few fireflies drifted in from the window, their dim green light flickering and dotting his body.
Wu Xianghai reached out to shoo them away, but they didn’t budge.
The next moment, his movements abruptly stopped.
These weren’t fireflies at all; this was… psychic tracking, an awakener!
Wu Xianghai jumped up from the bed.
A poisoned dagger shattered the wall, a murderous aura surging as it pierced the gap between his legs. The venom spread, corroding the bed instantly. Thankfully, he moved quickly, or he would have lost his legs.
Wu Xianghai, like a mouse, lowered his head and darted into the corner, trying to escape through the hole.
Ethereal singing echoed, infiltrating his ears. His legs felt like they were filled with lead, making it difficult to even lift them. A strong debuff control ability.
More than one awakener had come!
Wu Xianghai frantically erected a defensive barrier, tightly wrapping himself up.
“Bang!” The door blew open, and a stern figure emerged against the dawn’s light.
Wu Xianghai turned his head in terror, saw the person clearly, and his eyes widened in despair.
Wu Juemin… it was Wu Juemin who had come personally to capture him.
“Captain… Wu…” he stammered.
Wu Juemin’s expression was icy, giving him no chance to speak. Quick and decisive, he vanished on the spot.
The person was an A-level speed-type awakener! Wu Xianghai’s awakened energy surged, exerting all his power to ensure the barrier covered his entire body without any gaps.
“Clang!”
A terrifying force struck the back of his head, causing the barrier there to teeter, a large crack forming.
Wu Xianghai hurriedly began repairing it in a fluster.
Wu Juemin reappeared from high-speed movement, his voice furious and shocked, “You… you’re using Maeda’s ability?!”
His gaze made Wu Xianghai tremble all over, as if he had fallen into an abyss.
“You killed Maeda and deprived him of his ability,” Wu Juemin said each word distinctly.
Under the terrifying pressure, Wu Xianghai struggled to form a coherent sentence.
It was already winter, and the biting cold wind blew in from outside, bringing with it two figures, a man and a woman.
There were three awakeners chasing him. Cold sweat dripped down Wu Xianghai’s forehead, and he felt trapped.
Wait, something’s wrong…
The air seemed to stop moving. A more domineering and overbearing pressure than Wu Juemin’s swept over, brushing against Wu Xianghai like a wild wind sweeping leaves. His whole body stood on end, paralyzed.
Behind Wu Juemin, another figure emerged, encased in frost.
The girl held a fierce Tang sword, stepping towards him, the tip of the blade exuding extreme killing intent.
Wu Xianghai knew her; this woman named Song Ke had terrifying combat power. In Mirror Lake, she could single-handedly kill mutant zombies and mutant water monsters, escaping unscathed from a hundred-person siege. Last night, she even decapitated the mechanical head, Sai Ang, with a single stroke.
Why would such a grim reaper appear here?
Wu Xianghai’s legs weakened, unable to withstand the dual pressure. Tears and mucus mixed together as he cried and begged, “Captain Wu, don’t kill me. I was wrong, I know I was wrong. Please, don’t kill me…”
“I beg you, I know many secrets! I’ll tell you everything, spare me, please…”
Wu Juemin coldly looked down at him, as if looking at a corpse.
Wu Xianghai cowered and turned towards Song Ke, trying to break through from her: “You… You’re participating in the Throne Race Competition, and you want to win, right? I know many secrets, the resistance faction, yes, I know their next plans. I’ll tell you everything, please don’t kill me.”
While begging for mercy, Wu Xianghai carefully observed their reactions and cautiously retreated.
Song Ke’s expression remained unchanged, her eyes locking onto him. “You, deserve to die.”
No matter what this person said, she wouldn’t spare him.
The blade turned, and without a second thought, it slashed at the air barrier, a sharp and grating sound filling the air.
Wu Xianghai was terrified, knowing there was no hope in pleading with this person. He turned towards Wu Juemin, shouting desperately.
“Captain Wu, Captain Wu! The key! I know where the key is, I’ve seen it!”
Wu Xianghai accessed the fragmented memories of Maeda Jiu, seeing the image of Xie Zuo and unexpectedly learning about Azure Phoenix’s mission.
This was his only bargaining chip at the moment.
Wu Juemin moved lightning-fast, blocking Song Ke’s attack with his black gloves.
Song Ke was stunned and turned to glare at him. Why was he still listening to him?
