"Many times, hiding under the bed during a crisis isn't a wise choice.
Lu Yan's life was dull, yet he found solace in watching horror movies unexpectedly. The situation of cannon fodder meeting their demise under the bed wasn't uncommon. :-)
However, the bed was the only cover in this bedroom. In terms of safety, it ranked higher than hiding in the closet.
He could have been reckless and confronted the nanny head-on, but his physical condition didn't allow it.
She wielded a huge axe, and with over 500 in spirit power threshold in his dreams plus a small dagger, he might not survive a couple of swings.
The axe shredded the door panel to bits. The nanny's hand reached in, unlocking the secured door.
The room lay empty, deathly quiet.
Advancing with the axe, the nanny's smile widened. 'Miss Lu, this time, sir took my advice and sealed the windows. You can't escape through them now.'
Her son, detecting the scent of a living person, extended a dark arm from his mother's apron, wildly dancing in the air.
'Let me guess, where are you?'
After turning into a pollutant, the nanny's weight seemed to have increased significantly. With each step, the floor trembled slightly.
This made Lu Yan doubt the combat plan he'd prepared... He had indeed undergone physical strengthening, but he had no clue if this plan would work.
All he could do was try anything and everything, otherwise, Lu Yan couldn't fathom how to survive.
With the axe in hand, the nanny entered the bathroom, revealing an empty scene. Lu Yan wasn't there.
Then, she approached the closet, her smile towering. Every time she opened or closed a door, it produced a loud noise. When she reached the final closet door, unable to hold back, the nanny thrust the large axe deeply into it.
'I despise you rich folks, a girl's bedroom is bigger than my entire home.'
'Miss Lu, have you ever been poor? Squeezed five family members into a 20-square-meter rental? My son's father fell ill, and my grandparents aren't well either. It's because of this that my son developed a habit of thievery, trying to ease our burdens.'
The nanny's tone grew increasingly manic, as if venting. She fiercely struck the closet a few more times. Fragments sprayed onto her face, but she didn't even blink.
Though the axe appeared rusty, it unexpectedly remained sharp.
'You might see him as a villain, but who made him this way? Mr. Lu is a good person, provided legal aid to my husband who had no recourse for debt. He even offered me a job. But... why should you enjoy all this, just because you were born lucky?'
With the axe in hand, the nanny slowly approached the princess bed in the corner of the bedroom.
Lu Yan could clearly see swollen feet heading towards him.
Gripping the chain tightly, his movements had been rehearsed in his mind a hundred times. Scenarios of how to act in different sudden situations...
But in his dreams, he only had one chance.
The nanny's figure kept drawing closer, her ankles looking particularly sturdy.
Calculating the distance in his mind, Lu Yan flung out a loop made of iron chains from under the bed. It ensnared one of the nanny's feet perfectly. The sudden movement left her momentarily perplexed.
Thanks to a mutation value that had surged to over 80 in his dreams, Lu Yan's reaction speed now surpassed when he first encountered the frog-like being. Like an arrow, he darted out from under the bed, reaching the other end of the room in mere moments.
Sensing the chain tightening, Lu Yan decisively pulled it towards himself.
Given her massive weight, the nanny lost balance unexpectedly. As she fell, the axe thudded onto the floor, emitting a dull, heavy sound.
The nanny, in pain, roared from her throat. Lu Yan, holding the dagger, glimpsed at the full appearance of this monster for the first time.
This was a two-meter-tall, obese female, covered entirely in thick layers of fat, her belly protruding high, resembling the size of a person contained within.
Lu Yan had no doubt that a single stab from him would only penetrate the surface layer of fat.
So, he had to alter the plan on the fly, opting to thrust the dagger towards the nanny's eye.
Though heavy and strong, the nanny seemed inexperienced in combat.
He knew it was either her or him, so he struck mercilessly. Even when the nanny gripped his neck, he didn't hesitate.
The sharp blade pierced her eyeball, and the long-rotted blood splattered all over Lu Yan's hands.
'Ah!!!'
The nanny covered her eyes, screaming in agony, not expecting Lu Yan to resist to this extent.
From her pouch, her two hands, guided by a mother's determination, viciously clutched Lu Yan's waist.
A bone-chilling, corpse-like aura invaded his body. In that moment, half of Lu Yan's body was paralyzed by the intense cold.
The kingfisher inside him had never been this active. A grim mouth split open in the palm of Lu Yan's hand, biting off the son's dried, blackened arm.
Another, entirely different, male scream echoed in the bedroom. The two arms retracted in pain.
The pollutant in the pouch, compared to its mother, appeared much more fragile. After all, it was still in the process of incubation and hadn't fully matured.
After a couple of bites, probably finding it distasteful, the pollutant spat out the emaciated hand.
It might have been an illusion, but Lu Yan even heard it 'gagging.'
'You damned wench!' The nanny grabbed the chain, furious, 'You've injured my son, I'm going to kill you!'"
Due to her son's injury, the nanny appeared noticeably weakened. In a split second, Lu Yan realized something: she was pregnant. In this state, there was no vulnerability more conspicuous than her belly. Lu Yan drew out a knife and thrust it towards her abdomen. The nanny instinctively tried to shield the child within her, but soon realized that dealing with Lu Yan was the key to better protect him. So, disregarding the potential harm to her son, she lunged directly towards Lu Yan, pinning him down.
Lu Yan darted out like a slippery fish, but before he could revel in his three-second escape, the nanny yanked him back with a chain.
Damn it… never thought my first instance of being dragged back by the ankle wouldn’t happen in bed.
This chain was unbreakable for Lu Yan, making them effectively tied together like grasshoppers on a string. While he had previously tripped the nanny, she now restrained him.
Frankly, this wasn't an ideal situation. Lu Yan couldn’t think of a second way to break free from this life-threatening predicament.
Too feeble. No strength.
Lu Yan deeply felt the helplessness within that phrase.
The nanny seized his neck, her blood-red eyes fixed on him, a crazed look enveloping her face. If his body hadn't been strengthened, Lu Yan suspected his neck might have snapped by now.
Gasping from the pain, the nanny's expression contorted grotesquely: "You little wretch. Finally caught you. Let’s see where you can run now!"
With one hand gripping Lu Yan's neck and the other reaching for a huge axe, at the moment the axe was about to fall, Lu Yan instinctively closed his eyes. It wasn’t fear, merely a reflexive bodily response.
Then, blood struck him in the face as the nanny’s head collided with his.
It hurt.
Lu Yan gradually recovered from the suffocation, coughing painfully a few times.
"Little girl, where’s your guardian?" Above him came a lazily curious inquiry.
Lu Yan sat up, glanced at the newcomer. He was tall. Even at 1.8 meters, the person before him was at least half a head taller. Normally, such height might suggest great strength, yet this person possessed a graceful elegance akin to an underwater prowling shark.
Adorned at his waist was a pitch-black long knife, complemented by excessively luminous golden eyes.
As he observed Tang Xunan, the latter was sizing him up as well.
Tang Xunan's earpiece relayed a data report: "Target contamination level 817."
Surprisingly, not a pollutant.
Tang Xunan referred to him as a little girl.
Lu Yan lowered his gaze, feeling uncertain about how his appearance, height, and the subtle curve at his hips might portray him as a girl from any angle. Considering his identity in this dream, Lu Yan reasonably deduced that in the eyes of others, this body of his appeared as a girl.
The kingfisher lurking silently beneath his skin suddenly stirred restlessly, emitting a clear sense of dread shared with Lu Yan. This unease had never surfaced even when facing Lu Jiahe.
Therefore, caution crept into Lu Yan's gaze.
Tang Xunan waited for a response from Lu Yan but received none. He glanced at the detector on Lu Yan's wrist, a sense of familiarity creeping in.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Hmm, colleague? How come I haven’t seen you before?"
By all accounts, anyone reaching this dream layer should have a decent level, even among colleagues. Yet, Tang Xunan scoured his memory and couldn’t recall anyone as distinctive as Lu Yan. According to Tang Xunan's aesthetics, the girl before him was rather attractive, reminiscent of the school beauty from the neighboring class during his high school days. Even if he had only seen photos, there should have been some recognition.
Lu Yan's hand subtly reached for the dagger behind him: "Who are you?"
Tang Xunan was taken aback: "Don’t you recognize me? Have I been working in vain all these years?"
Lu Yan pursed his lips. The contamination level displayed on his watch indicated a 98. Danger was imminent.
However, after a moment's consideration, realizing he hadn’t even confronted the nanny, and given that this person could easily end his life with a single strike, Lu Yan concluded that even if this person deteriorated into a pollutant, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Thus, he quickly dropped his guard.
He began tending to his injuries, mainly on his arm, which had been grazed by the axe and was still bleeding. His techniques were quite professional.
"Doesn't it hurt? I have military-grade tranquilizers here." Tang Xunan offered a slim cigarette, "No tar or nicotine, lychee-flavored. It looks like a cigarette for convenience, but it's not."
Lu Yan replied, "Not needed."
The young girl seemed cautious.
Recalling social news from occasional web surfing, Tang Xunan could understand her wariness.
After a moment's thought, he took out his own ID from his pocket. "Here, take a look. Where's yours?"
It was a work permit issued by the Contamination Disease Prevention Center.
Lu Yan glanced at it; there were only two lines.
Tang Xunan.
S-Class Harbinger.
Below were his ID number, fingerprint, and DNA code.
Lu Yan found his and handed it over.
"Only an F-Class, huh? Just started, I suppose, maybe skipped training even. No surprise you don't know me," Tang Xunan felt lighter inside, "Who took your ID photo? Terrible skill, looks like a guy."
Lu Yan hesitated to explain.
Not keen on elaborating, Tang Xunan added, "Although the issue seems resolved, I came here because I sensed the highest contamination levels."
He pointed at the upside-down caretaker on the ground, "I wouldn't even need a sword to kill that thing. I don't believe this is the final boss of the Wall of Resentment."
The Wall of Resentment...?
Lu Yan's attention shifted to the blood-stained wall, completely covered in blood and obscuring the initial two words, "Save me."
"I was on a mission with Lin Sinan, slept for a while, and woke up here. The highest pollutant here is..."
Before Lu Yan finished, Tang Xunan suddenly pressed a finger to his lips.
The temperature rose around them.
In Lu Yan's eyes, the world turned red.
This red light kept closing in.
The dark night resembled a shooting star illuminating the sky—no, not a shooting star, more like a meteorite.
But it wasn't a meteorite; it was a person burning in flames.
It lacked facial features, entirely charred, resembling the coal man seen on the roadside earlier.
As it neared, everything around gradually charred, akin to overcooked plants.
Only the white bone spurs growing from its blackened body made Lu Yan realize something: this was Lu Jiahe.
His brother.
Receiving a message, Lu Yan dared not pause for a moment.
But without Tang Xunan, he would have been late again. He would have lost his sister once more, just like many years ago.
In Lu Jiahe's chaotic mind, something seemed remembered but ungraspable. At this moment, he had only one thought.
The flames melted half of the wall directly; despite lacking facial features, Lu Yan sensed his brother's undeniable intent to kill, especially upon seeing the bloodstains on Lu Yan's body.
Throughout the city, except for Lu Yan's location, flames engulfed everywhere.
Lu Jiahe stared at Tang Xunan, voice menacing, "Did you hurt her?"
Tang Xunan squinted slightly, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, a thirst for battle.
Instinctively, he shielded Lu Yan and stood in front of the yellow dust, "Not me, but you have the right to make me draw my sword."
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