On the second floor of the castle, it was presumably the area where the original owner rested and entertained guests. The balcony garden, once adorned with various flowers, now lay withered, entwined by blood-red thorns. Despite the eerie oil paintings, statues shedding inexplicable tears of blood, blood handprints on the walls, unidentified white bones in the corners, and omnipresent octopus tentacle reliefs, the overall atmosphere was surprisingly safe.
This safety, however, meant overcoming fear and having sufficient food and water. Even an ordinary person could survive for a few years on the second floor, as there were no other minions in the mansion, all having been consumed.
[Except for these three bosses. There are no other grunts in the manor to gain experience from, as they've all been devoured.]
[Due to the influence of the black mist, few people visit here. Everyone ends up hungry, surviving on pollutants.]
[The last pollutant is a mutated rat. About thirty-seven years ago, the three bosses fought fiercely over who would get the fattest and tenderest part of the mutated rat. The doctor, being an outsider, ended up with a mixed doubles match against a merchant couple, and his brain ended up on the wall. He pondered for a long time.]
[It must be said that Uriel's body is remarkably well-preserved, truly a miracle.]
[Oh, of course, it could also be the result of the Truth Society's surgical modifications, making Uriel's corpse nauseating to smell.]
Between the second and third floors, there was a locked iron door in the stairwell. The lock on it had long rusted. Michael grabbed the door frame, shook it forcefully, and easily dismantled the rusty door.
The third floor was the castle's highest level. Moonlight seeped in from outside, allowing others to vaguely see the interior even without lights. It resembled a maternity ward with many baby cribs.
As Lu Yan entered, cries of babies echoed from all the cribs. Each crib was covered with a white cloth, and something seemed to be moving underneath. Deep and shallow bloodstains spread across the white cloth.
The temperature on the third floor was unusually cold, accompanied by the scent of formaldehyde and the stench of death.
[The doctor, preserving the brain, is indeed a pollutant,] the system highly praised the doctor's actions. [This horror effect is maxed out, isn't it?]
Yan Bei was somewhat scared, and the hair entwined around Lu Yan's arm tightened.
Lu Yan lowered his head and, unsurprisingly, saw a red mark circling his wrist where the hair had been.
Michael activated his talent, Holy Light. Within a three-meter radius centered on him, a warm yellow halo enveloped the area. The chilling sensation in the air immediately eased.
The coverage of Michael's Holy Light field was inversely proportional to the pollution level in the surroundings. As pollutants approached, the Holy Light would shrink, serving as a kind of warning.
Holding the red holy sword in his hand, Michael spoke cautiously, "Stick close and be careful."
After the battle, the degree of contamination could be reduced through daily rest and medication. However, a sudden increase was not good for the body and could easily leave behind aftereffects.
He used the sword to lift the white cloth on one of the baby cribs, revealing a plastic doll underneath. The blood-red doll had no eyeballs, only two dark holes in the eye sockets. When lifted, it emitted a giggling sound.
The laughter echoed in the empty hall, hitting the walls and creating an eerie resonance.
[This is a toy the lady of the house bought for the child about to be born. Since the wife didn't check the baby's gender, two baby rooms were prepared.]
[Behind the hall is the birthing room prepared by the merchant for his wife.]
The entrance to the entire birthing room was only a corridor, resembling a tunnel. The white walls in the hall had dried red bloodstains.
Yan Bei touched it with his fingers, wiped the red liquid on his fingertips, and sniffed it at his nose, saying, "Just mineral pigments."
The doctor seemed like a dedicated horror movie props master, and also like the owner of a haunted house, committed to making every visitor feel immersed.
If not for the constant chatter of the system, Lu Yan felt he might indeed be influenced by these small tricks.
Lu Yan whispered, "There are pollutants inside, and the expected pollution level is around 7000."
Almost as soon as he said this, a black shadow flashed through the birthing room. A sudden burst of intense pollution value erupted. The Holy Light flickered like a candle in the wind, constantly swaying.
Michael's expression became vigilant, "Wait here. I'll go check. If there's trouble, burn the feathers."
Without waiting for Lu Yan's reply, he spread his white wings and swiftly flew away.
Just as Michael entered, a heavy iron door suddenly fell at the entrance.
He turned his head in surprise, only to discover that he had been played by the pollutant, trapped in this tunnel-like corridor.
Michael swung his heavy sword backward, slashing at the door in front of him. A scar appeared on the door in an instant, spraying out fresh red blood.
However, soon after, the door seemed to have a life of its own and restored itself to its original state.
Despite being a prepared birthing room, the air inside felt unusually damp.
Michael continued to hack at the door, but it remained impervious. Due to excessive use of his talent, he grew a layer of white fluff on his abdomen.
"Lu Yan?! Can you hear me?"
No reply came from outside.
After a moment of contemplation, Michael tightened his grip on the heavy sword. Illuminating the Holy Light, he slowly walked deeper into the birthing room.
...
...
Outside the door, Yan Bei's expression froze due to the unexpected turn of events, seeking help with a gaze directed at Lu Yan.
[After all, it's giving birth to something strange. The Truth Society's preparations are quite sufficient; at least, they won't let the baby escape. This door is made of the distorted sperm whale's blubber. Many people died trying to kill that whale.]
Michael's spiritual power threshold is 8400, evidently the most formidable opponent among the three. Yan Bei has 6700 left, while Lu Yan hasn't reached 5100 yet.
Even pollutants understand that it's easier to deal with the weaker ones. An uneasy Yan Bei asks, "Lu Yan, what should we do now?"
Black flowers bloom on his head.
[System: Your companion is ready to start the hunting moment. He's been hungry for a long time, and the butcher's delivery person doesn't cover this area. Finally, a fresh meat pig has arrived. The doctor will probably arrive at the battlefield in about a minute.]
Lu Yan gestures for silence. He opens the study door, taking Yan Bei inside.
At least they shouldn't stay in the hall as sitting ducks. The windows are sealed shut. Inside the study, they can keep an eye on the entrance with some cover.
The air here is stale, filled with too much dust, somewhat suffocating. The study has been neglected for a long time, and the connected elevator stopped working.
It's apparent that the businessman had some peculiar habits while alive. The study is full of specimens soaked in formalin.
[These specimens were all dredged up from the sea. For example, the thing in front of you is the head of a distorted emperor belt fish.]
This fish has only a head, mouth wide open with numerous sharp teeth inside. There are also distorted seahorses, seven-gill eels, a mass that looks like a meatball with unknown fleshy tendrils—system says it's a sea urchin shell.
Lu Yan quickly finds a hiding spot.
This direction allows him to see the movements at the entrance without being completely exposed. Outside the door, heavy footsteps approach. The pollutant seems to enjoy the hunting process, intentionally walking around, dragging a sharp axe on the ground, creating a screeching metal sound.
Lu Yan plucks the small black flower on Yan Bei's head, comforting softly, "Don't be afraid; it's here to scare us."
He takes out Michael's feathers and places them in Yan Bei's hands. Despite Yan Bei having a spiritual power threshold over a thousand higher, Lu Yan is accustomed to the protector's role.
Besides, Yan Bei isn't a combat-oriented Harbinger. Even the Pope, with a spiritual power threshold of 8000, can't defeat a 6000-tier box jellyfish.
Yan Bei's hair, entwined around Lu Yan's wrist, loosens. He sits quietly, covering his mouth. However, a pair of legs begin to petrify, growing roots like a tree on one side.
These roots spread slowly, soon covering half of the wall like ivy. [Yan Bei has started to undergo plant transformation. His contamination level has risen to 73. In the plant state, Yan Bei will be particularly weak on the human side.]
Following these roots, Lu Yan comes to the top of a bookshelf, crouching down, and retrieves his bow.
Outside the door, the doctor's axe finally smashes onto the study's large door. Unable to bear the weight, the door slowly falls, emitting a muffled boom.
The doctor walks in from outside, and Lu Yan gets a clear view of the opponent.
Naked from the waist up, its surface resembling burns, lacking normal skin, only a fresh red fleshy layer.
Eyes grow on the doctor's back. From the seven orifices, red tendrils emerge. There's a crack on its head, sewn with crooked threads.
Its arms have completely mutated, resembling long, slender fingers like blood vessels, hanging down to the ground.
[Be careful of its hands.] The system reminds, [Piercing them will trigger the talent 'Slice.' Although you have regeneration, too much pain, and I'll be distressed.]
[The doctor's weak point is the brain. In reality, what controls his actions are the eyes on his back.]
Lu Yan doesn't understand the talent 'Slice,' but seeing the pollutant, Yan Bei's roots have already entwined like a fishing net.
Lu Yan seizes the opportunity, shoots an arrow. The arrowhead embeds on the firm flesh but fails to penetrate further.
The doctor merely spasms his muscles, causing the arrowhead to fall to the ground.
Obviously, after being strengthened by the kingfisher for so long, its body strength is not low.
What angers it even more is Yan Bei's roots entangling it. Tentacles clash against tentacles. Frustrated, the doctor roars, raising his thin fingers upward, piercing a hole through the roots.
Yan Bei's section of roots, like being cut by a knife, falls to the ground, a neat cross-section spraying transparent liquid.
Yan Bei's eyes moisten, unable to resist, he tightly grabs his hand, "It... no, it hurts... sob."
The system's tone is serious, [If you want to live, let Yan Bei attract firepower. When I say 'now,' you go in.]
At this moment, Lu Yan envies 01's teleportation talent.
He's like a cheetah ready to pounce, holding his breath, gripping the dagger tightly.
The doctor obviously notices Lu Yan on the bookshelf, but it doesn't think Lu Yan has the ability to hurt it.
So, after a brief contemplation, the doctor grins and walks towards Yan Bei.
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