Although Lu Yan had spent a long time in the mental space, in terms of real flowing time, it was just a momentary flash. But returning to reality still gave him a sense of immense change, like the shifting of tides.
Zong Yan saw him, and at the same time, he saw the sword coming at Lu Yan from behind. Without much thought, Zong Yan instinctively hugged Lu Yan, swiftly turning to shield him under his own wings. With a muffled groan, Zong Yan felt Michael's holy sword pierce through his butterfly bone, crimson blood gushing out like molten lava, emitting a faint orange glow. Instantly, flames erupted in this area, illuminating half the sky as bright as daylight. The intense blaze stung the eyes, causing even Zhou Qiming to shed tears despite covering his eyes.
The scorching flames didn't harm anyone, but they melted the arrows shot by Lu Yan. Each arrow's tail was inscribed with the name of Diteng. Half a minute later, the fire subsided, leaving behind ashes where once stood the source of the blaze—Zong Yan, 07, and the pollutants.
Covered in blackened marks, Bai Qiushi winced in pain with every movement, torn between feeling lost and relieved. It was a narrow escape; his cage was almost sealed. Michael, with most of his feathers missing, his wings now resembling grilled chicken wings, emitted the aroma of New Orleans barbecue wings. He lifted the Pope from the ground, sounding urgent, "Does anyone have medicine? The Pope's burns are severe." Yan Bei coughed, "The Pope's talent has strong self-healing abilities. Once away from the source of contamination, he'll recover quickly." Yuan Chen, feeling somber, stared at the burnt grass on the ground, reluctant to speak.
Emerging from the ground, Zhou Qiming bestowed a "Repair Ability UP" buff upon everyone nearby. He attempted to retrieve his sword but found it passing through his ethereal palm, dropping vertically to the ground. Zhou Qiming's expression turned odd, "Is my virtualization level this high? Have I taken a step closer to becoming an intelligent AI?" Virtualization was a very special direction of mutation. It was speculated that after complete mutation, pollutants wouldn't have a physical form but exist in the network. Food would transition from real meat to virtual "souls," similar to the brain flowers in the Divine Realm.
The battle had been brutal, and the most terrifying aspect was that, despite the horrendous cost, the Harbingers couldn't claim victory. Sitting on the ground, Bai Qiushi retrieved a sedative from his pocket and took a couple of sips, "07 is indeed difficult to deal with. What about 01 and Lu Zhi?" Zhou Qiming replied, "No one has seen Lu Zhi make a move. But based on talent speculation, Lu Zhi's combat power might not be formidable." Bai Qiushi shook his head slightly, "Do not underestimate women, especially in the top tier of pollutants and the only one of female physiological gender. If she were weak, the abattoir would have been overrun by the slaughterers below. Pollutants have no virtues of respecting the old or cherishing the young."
After a brief flight, Lu Yan's feet touched the ground once more. Though he lacked wings, he had soared through the sky many times now. Michael's flying skills were the worst, leaving him constantly worried about falling off; Tang Xunan flew the fastest and most steadily; in Zong Yan's arms, he was easily scalded. His body temperature was too high. It was said that domestic abuse only had zero or countless times. For pollutants, eating pig meat was the same. It was etched in their genes, an instinctual craving. And Zong Yan had indulged in it when he became 07. Even though he didn't want to remember, he licked the blood residue on 01's palm like a dog.
If he wished, he could bite Lu Yan's neck at any moment—slender, fresh, and defenseless Lu Yan. "Doctor," Zong Yan took a step back, saying, "Thank you for saving me once again." Zong Yan had naturally charming eyes, and when he smiled, his brows and eyes curved beautifully. Lu Yan replied, "No need to thank me." Mental reshaping indeed, to a certain extent, could manipulate the thoughts of others. But everything needed to be built upon existing foundations. It was like the faith of the believers in the Divine Realm, which could only change from the Blissful Sect to the Sea God Church but not into atheism. A person's past experiences formed the foundation; Lu Yan could only decide what kind of building to construct on that foundation, impossible to grow a floating island on it. If Zong Yan sincerely denied his human part, even mental reshaping wouldn't be effective on him. Zong Yan didn't continue this topic. He stepped onto the iron wire winding around the rooftop's edge, gazing in the direction of the city center. "01 is still waiting for me there. Waiting for me to bring you and the other experimental subjects back." Gu Zheng had told him. If he became a pollutant, he hoped others would see him as an enemy rather than a friend. Zong Yan's face grew calm, with flickers of fiery determination in his eyes, "I will end this mistake. Kill the enemy who killed Gu Zheng." Zong Yan had spent the longest time with 01, understanding her strength well. Though in a rare period of weakness now, he still didn't have complete confidence in killing 01.
It would be a case of mutual destruction. What he wanted to end was not just 01's mistake but also his own. Lu Yan pondered for a moment, "01 has the Phoenix, so it might be difficult to kill her. You can wait a bit longer."
Zong Yan looked slightly puzzled, "Wait for what?"
"Wait for Tang Xunan."
... ...
If, in other areas of the abattoir, the pollution levels were still within tolerable limits, the location of X City's downtown would almost make any normal person feel uncomfortable.
The central commercial street of X City no longer had any residential buildings, and it would be closed every night at 10 o'clock. Despite this, there were still some night joggers and street racers unfortunate enough to be drawn into this area past 11 o'clock at night.
Some of these people would become meat pigs, while others would become new butchers.
Apart from the "Delicious Meat Pig Supermarket" in front of him, there were no visible lights in the downtown area.
In the darkness, monsters emitted heavy panting.
Tang Xunan lit a cigarette, the flicker of the flame attracting nocturnal predators. He didn't even bother to look up, his hand swiftly wielding the blade, leaving behind a butcher split in two, his blood thick and foul behind him.
The tranquilizer shaped like a cigarette had no scent of smoke but instead a fresh mint flavor, reminding Tang Xunan of Lu Yan's presence.
Following a trail of bloody footprints, he approached the supermarket.
Despite the onset of winter, the supermarket was still air-conditioned, its lights cold, sending chills from deep within.
The automatic sensor door in front of him opened silently, an invitation that everyone knew was akin to stepping into a trap. But not everyone who walked into a trap was necessarily prey.
He walked in.
Rows of shelves categorized and segmented the meat pigs. Skulls hung from the ceiling like decorative balloons, expressions ranging from agony to bewilderment, each mouth stuffed with glowing light bulbs.
The main food section displayed cured hams and shoulder meats.
In the snack section were eyeballs coated in sugar, tongues sliced thin, and baby fingers pierced with steel needles. Tang Xunan glanced over; the labels read "Volcano Sausages."
For someone just starting out on their missions, witnessing such scenes would undoubtedly increase their mutation levels.
But Tang Xunan had been at this job for a long time; there wasn't much turmoil in his heart. It wasn't that he lacked empathy, but Tang Xunan understood that grief was pointless, let alone hoping for the repentance of the perpetrators. Only blood and death could console the departed souls.
As he was about to step into the fresh food section, the lights in the supermarket suddenly went out.
Then, the fresh food section lit up with a red glow.
Surrounded by darkness, the air conditioning was set low, spreading a gloomy chill all around.
In front of the meat counter stood 01, wearing an apron and holding a cleaver. His face bore a faint smile as he leaned on the counter, and in front of him was a bound figure.
It was Baize, Tang Xunan's current deputy.
Several steel needle-like spikes were inserted into Baize's body, chest, abdomen, knees, pinning him firmly to the chopping board. But even so, Baize had not fallen into unconsciousness.
Having undergone numerous experimental modifications, 01 knew very well what degree of pain would make a Harbinger want to die but not fall into a coma.
Blood trickled from the corner of Baize's lips, wetting the feathers behind his ears.
He opened his mouth, silently uttering three words: "Forget about me."
01 looked at Tang Xunan, his expression neither provocative nor mocking. "Hello, guest. Here for some meat pigs? We have a discount today."
Tang Xunan didn't reply but drew his blade.
His yellow dust blade moved forward, slicing through space. The distance was too close; 01 couldn't dodge in time, and a deep wound, visible to the bone, appeared on his chest.
The wall behind him collapsed into rubble.
In retaliation, 01 swung his cleaver, carving the same wound on Baize's body.
The smell of fresh blood stimulated his nerves. 01 inserted his fingers into Baize's wound, stirring gently before withdrawing them and licking the blood clean from his fingers.
"An eye for an eye, isn't it fair? Number 10."
"Back in the research institute, you were everyone's favorite little brother."
Tang Xunan didn't respond, his blade flashing in a relentless and fierce attack.
01 could no longer leisurely chat with him; without a blade, his body was his deadliest weapon.
A satisfied smile crossed 01's face. "What? Since we've already lost one deputy, losing another won't be a heartache, will it?"
Shelves collapsed in rows, and in a short moment, the entire supermarket was in ruins.
A white flame ignited, consuming 01's body, his muscles melting like water only to quickly regenerate.
01 squinted his eyes. "Dragon's Breath, I really hate fire."
His head split open slowly, like a starfish extending its arms. Each meaty appendage bristled with jagged teeth, capable of shredding any hard object like a meat grinder.
The snow-white bone spurs tore through his clothes, emitting a faint cold light.
01's tone was indifferent. "You've caused such damage to the supermarket. Lu Zhi will ask me for repair costs. Looks like I'll have to take you as compensation."
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