After Yashan brought Su Hao to the northern part of the city, he whispered, “Boss Wei, he often appears around this area. Let’s search for him.”
Su Hao replied, “No need to look. I already know where he is!”
Yashan looked at Su Hao with envy but didn’t have the courage to say it out loud. Boss Wei had already helped him so much; what more could he ask for?
Once they turned into a street, Su Hao whispered, “Yashan, he’s in the alley ahead. Go and give it your all!”
Both of them were using the “Light Absorption” rune to hide their presence, making it difficult for anyone to detect them in the darkness.
Yashan nodded and took a deep breath. He drew his long knife with a determined and heroic expression, slowly advancing toward the alley.
In the same sequence, high-level mutants had a significant advantage over low-level mutants. Normally, a second-level [Rampager] would keep their distance from a third-level [Thorned Beast].
However, today, Yashan moved forward with the pressure urging every cell in his body to escape. He was resolute in his steps. He had to gain power to avenge his family, and that power was right in front of him, in the [Thorned Beast].
Just one bite…
When Yashan saw the [Thorned Beast], the [Thorned Beast] also noticed Yashan, concealed in the darkness. Before transformation, mutants couldn’t sense each other’s identities. After transforming, a mutant’s aura became quite distinct.
The [Thorned Beast] had a metallic-looking gray exoskeleton, a stark contrast to the [Rampager]. It was larger, with thick shoulder, chest, and head armor. The difference was like that between a van and a tank.
The exoskeleton was covered in sharp, several-centimeter-long spikes, making it impossible to land a punch. It was like the ancient bear-hunting armor.
To a discerning eye, it was clear that Yashan’s [Rampager] was no match.
When Yashan stood face to face with the [Thorned Beast], his heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran from his feet to his forehead. He questioned whether he could truly defeat this opponent.
But the moment he thought of the powerful bone man, he took another determined step forward. “It’s not a question of whether I can win or not; I must win! If I can’t even defeat the [Thorned Beast], how will I find the courage to face the [Bone Demon] in the future?”
The corners of the [Thorned Beast]’s mouth under its faceplate curled up, recognizing the dark figure in front of it. Wasn’t that the [Rampager]? Although it was pitch black and hard to see, its perception couldn’t go wrong. In the [Rampager], it sensed a weak and useless creature, utterly unappealing.
The [Thorned Beast] lightly swung the wolf tooth club and said mockingly, “You useless garbage. How do you have the courage to stand before me? Do you want to taste my flesh? Hehehe!”
Su Hao hid in the shadows, ready to intervene at any moment.
Although he could directly help Yashan kill the [Thorned Beast], Su Hao knew that doing so would only make Yashan dependent on him, ultimately rendering him useless and lacking the courage to face someone stronger, not to mention seeking revenge against the [Bone Demon].
Yashan had to face his own life. There were some things others couldn’t help with.
However, Su Hao still believed that Yashan could win. After all, he had engraved so many runes on him. As long as he activated the runes, even a weakling could put up a decent fight!
Yashan remained silent and began to apply the “Sharpness” and “Penetration” runes to his long knife and the “Hardness,” “Deflection,” and “Barrier” runes to his exoskeleton. The effects of the other runes were also on standby.
Yashan took a step forward, casting aside his doubts, and charged toward the [Thorned Beast].
The [Thorned Beast] also moved, swinging its wolf tooth club fiercely.
A moment later, the [Thorned Beast]’s club was severed, and both of its wrists fell to the ground.
Yashan’s knife slashed once more.
“Thud!”
The arm used to shield itself was cut off again, and the blade also cut through most of its neck, causing blood to gush.
Despite the severe injuries, the [Thorned Beast] was not dead. After regaining control of its body, it immediately retreated in fear, intending to escape. At the same time, the neck wound was healing rapidly.
Yashan was also exhausted, panting heavily, his body pierced by numerous spikes, and blood flowing steadily. He didn’t have the strength to pursue the [Thorned Beast.
However, before the [Thorned Beast] could get far, a flash of cold light severed its head. Its round eyes stared wide open, and it never understood what had happened.
At this point, Su Hao put away his long knife, collected some blood, and said to Yashan, “Yashan, the [Line Demon] is coming. Hurry, put on the severed hand, and let’s get out of here!”
Yashan immediately nodded, picking up a severed hand and following Su Hao as they quickly left. As they ran, the spikes in his body were pushed out and dropped to the ground.
In no time, Yashan had fully recovered. If it weren’t for the extensive bloodstains on his body, one wouldn’t know he had suffered such severe injuries.
Once Yashan had recovered, the two immediately changed direction and disappeared into the darkness.
The [Line Demon] arrived at the [Thorned Beast]’s corpse and widened its eyes. Excitedly, it said, “Night Demon, it must be the Night Demon! Where are you? Give me back my [Controller King] flesh!!”
However, the [Line Demon] had no way of finding anyone.
All it could do was go on a rampage in frustration. It had missed the opportunity for advancement, and the tremendous gap tormented it. One year ago, Sik’s illness had worsened, and without finding the Night Demon, he occasionally sought duels with Deli, thinking that Deli had taken away the other half of his [Controller King] flesh.
Deli was exasperated by the incessant disruptions. Inwardly, he felt relieved that Sik only had half of the [Controller King] flesh and couldn’t evolve; otherwise, he would have had to leave the city.
After two years, Sik also understood that he and Speed Demon, Flying Wheel, Deli had been manipulated. His psyche became extremely twisted. He realized that the opportunity had been right in front of him, but he hadn’t seized it.
The more he thought about it, the more he infuriated himself, beginning to recklessly vent his emotions.
Time passed.
One year later, Su Hao was nine years old.
His robust and powerful physique had caused him to grow rapidly, reaching a height of 1.8 meters. He had a well-proportioned and athletic body, and his facial features inherited the characteristics of the Crimson family, becoming more distinct and displaying a unique, elf-like aura.
He wore stylish silk clothes, giving him the appearance of a rich young man.
His body had long surpassed what it had been in his previous life, with an abundance of blood essence, almost reaching the pinnacle of a Grandmaster’s level. His sensory range now exceeded 3,500 meters, covering nearly half of the Temple Forest City.
As long as he stood in the city center, he could detect the stronger mutants throughout the city, leaving him safer than before. As long as he didn’t provoke the two Level 4 mutants, there wouldn’t be any problems.
Those two Level 4 mutants were Sik, the [Line Demon] from the [Silkweaver] sequence, and Deli, the [Bone Demon] from the [Armor] sequence.
A year ago, Sik’s illness had become even more severe. Unable to find the Night Demon, he would occasionally challenge Deli, believing that Deli had stolen the other half of his [Controller King] flesh.
Deli had become increasingly annoyed by Sik’s disturbances. However, deep down, he was grateful that Sik had only obtained half of the [Controller King] flesh and couldn’t evolve, as otherwise, he would have had to leave the city.
After two years, Sik had realized that he, Flying Wheel, Deli, and Speed Demon had all been manipulated. His psyche had become severely distorted. He realized that the opportunity had been right in front of him but he hadn’t seized it.
The more he thought about it, the more it infuriated him, leading to reckless emotional outbursts.
However, for Su Hao, he didn’t care about any of the Demons. He wasn’t concerned with who was right or wrong. He had a very straightforward plan. Tonight, he would kill the [Bone Demon] and the [Line Demon], and then he would find all the mutants in the city, beat them up, and keep everyone quiet so he could focus on his genetic research.
Su Hao decided to eliminate the [Bone Demon] and the [Line Demon] tonight for two reasons. One, it was a promise he had made two years ago to take Yashan for revenge. He couldn’t go back on his word. The other reason was that last night, the battle between the [Line Demon] and the [Bone Demon] had destroyed his small courtyard. If he hadn’t reacted quickly and evacuated with Yashan and Taini, Taini might have died at the hands of these two Demons.
Their residence had just been moved to a new house today. A year ago, the [Line Demon] and the [Bone Demon] had a fight and damaged Su Hao’s yard for the first time. Being unprepared, he had endured it. But today, he couldn’t bear it any longer. These two were wreaking havoc, relying on their brute strength and acting beyond the limits.
The various big and small battles of the past two years had left Su Hao greatly troubled. He couldn’t focus on his research, and the progress in genetic research wasn’t as smooth as he had hoped.
Moreover, over these two years, the number of people in the city had decreased every year. This wasn’t only due to those affected by injuries or deaths but more because people had left the city, settling in nearby cities. The direct result was a significant reduction in Su Hao’s quality of life and a decrease in research efficiency.
Therefore, since he had now made preparations, why not take action directly? Su Hao decided that from tonight onwards, he would clear the entire city, putting everyone in their place and allowing him to focus on genetic research. He was determined to become the master of this city.
(End of this chapter)
