Chapter 49: Yixiu Fragment
Following Elus down to the basement, a foul stench assaulted them.
This wasn’t ordinary odor, but a mix of something akin to sherry… Ever since Lonis had turned into a girl, she hadn’t smelled this scent for a long time.
Upon smelling it again, her instincts told her something was wrong. The girl stayed very close to Elus, afraid a burly man would suddenly appear and strike her with something strange.
However…
“Safe. Everyone seems to have fainted.”
“Fainted?”
“Mm.”
Nalonate observed the surroundings. On the basement floor, the bodies of thugs lay sprawled. They were scattered haphazardly, as if from drinking too much, their faces completely drained of color.
Further in, Lonis spotted a familiar figure.
“Senior Zhisheng Luo?”
“!”
The three hurried forward and saw Zhisheng Luo collapsed on the ground, seemingly unconscious… But reassuringly, her clothes were intact, and there were no signs of assault.
But…
What was happening?
Why had everyone in this basement fainted?
Lonis crouched down, attempting to pick up Senior Zhisheng Luo. Just then, Nalonate, as if discovering something, suddenly exclaimed, “In that room.”
“In that room?”
“Mm, there… there should be something extraordinary.”
Although she didn’t explicitly state what it was, inferring from Nalonate’s solemn expression, it must be a very terrifying item.
Elus also sniffed the air, thought for a moment, and then said to Lonis, “Bunny girl, summon the Crimson Lotus Hammer.”
“Huh?”
“Although there’s a risk of exposing our power, we must be fully prepared before entering.”
…
The Crimson Lotus Hammer, burning with lava patterns, felt as reassuring as a crimson shield.
Under the protection of the Crimson Lotus Hammer, even the pungent stench of sherry seemed to have diminished. Elus carefully pushed open the door, and a black light surged out.
“This is…”
“Stand behind the Crimson Lotus Hammer!”
The black light was like an ominous curse; just gazing at it sent chills down one’s spine. Fortunately, the Crimson Lotus Hammer’s power was still abundant, and they were not affected for the time being.
“There are corpses.”
“Mm…”
In the center of the room, a pitch-black sphere materialized out of thin air. That heart-pounding black radiance emanated from the sphere.
And a man’s corpse lay sprawled on the floor, a tragic sight.
Judging by external factors, the man should not have been dead for more than an hour, but his body was already severely decomposed.
Pitch-black pus flowed from his seven orifices, and where his skin was covered by the black scale disease, terrifying tentacle-like parasites grew chaotically.
“Hmph, trash.”
Upon seeing the man’s corpse, Elus unceremoniously swung her hammer, smashing him into dust.
Fiery yellow flames burned, and when they reached the man’s black skin, a strange sound was emitted.
It seemed like a wail, or perhaps a cry… Lonis could feel that the black skin seemed to have a life of its own, unwilling to perish, but under the power of the Crimson Lotus fire, they were unable to resist.
“Hmph, these disgusting things. Just as I expected, the Trickster Demon’s methods… Nalonate, do you know what the black sphere in the center is?”
“I don’t know, but I can confirm that the appearance of the black scale disease seems to be related to this thing.”
“Huh?”
“Because the Geiger counter is ticking wildly, which indicates that this thing deeply harbors Yixiu’s power.”
After speaking, Nalonate raised the Geiger counter in her arms… The exaggerated numbers it displayed startled Lonis!
“Wait, wait a minute! The Geiger counter… is this thing a radium crystal? It’s dangerous, don’t get too close!”
“Hmph, I know it’s dangerous, Lonis. Summon the Crystal Staff and the Emerald Green Long Whip simultaneously.”
“Mm!”
…
With the Crystal Staff, they could identify this black crystal.
However, upon investigation, the data they found stunned them both.
…
“Fragment of the Yixiu Origin. Category: Extraterrestrial Matter.
It is not matter from Human Civilization, but one of the energies from the Yixiu Civilization.
Although it is only a fragment, it can still cause biological mutations.
Containment Level: Extremely High, cannot be neutralized by relics below S-class energy. Exposure to the air risks the mutation of all normal individuals.
To some extent, it can alter human thoughts, gradually transforming ordinary people into bloodthirsty, murderous monsters.”
…
…
No wonder all the thugs in the Ramlin Gang’s basement had fainted.
So, they were affected by this fragment?
Realizing this, Elus no longer hesitated. She grabbed the Emerald Green Long Whip and tightly wrapped it around the fragment… With the power of the Tree Abyss, the heart-pounding black light was completely obscured, but the current situation was still far from safe.
“Nalonate, notify the Sword Shield Guards and have them send people for immediate support and handling.”
“Received!”
Subsequently, Nalonate sped off, bringing the fully armed Sword Shield Guards who arrived here and used their professional methods to contain the Yixiu Fragment.
It’s just that…
The effects caused by the Yixiu Fragment were not so easily dispelled.
The leader of the Ramlin Gang had already lost control of his genes and turned into a puddle of corpse due to prolonged proximity to the Yixiu Fragment.
And the subordinates?
Their condition was also dire, with few expected to live for more than a few months… According to Isumi’s analysis, for those suffering from the black scale disease, the Yixiu Fragment was like a drug, something extremely difficult to resist.
You could feel your weakened body becoming strong as if injected with hormones, but this was not a treatment; it was merely another step towards becoming a monster.
It was like drinking poison to quench thirst.
Ultimately, your reason would be completely lost, and your body would corrupt into a terrifying monster.
…
Meanwhile, Senior Zhisheng Luo’s condition was also not optimistic.
Although she hadn’t been exposed to the Yixiu Fragment’s erosion for long, and Ming Jin’s power had been protecting her body—a spot of the black scale disease had still appeared on her skin.
This resulted in Lonis not being happy at all, despite successfully rescuing her senior.
Elus wore the same expression.
Having experienced the Snow Kingdom, they knew that the danger before them was just the beginning, and such Yixiu Fragments hidden among humanity couldn’t be the only ones.
…
Darkness was about to descend.
