Chapter 21: Bai Yue Kui’s Shock and Doubt

Chapter 21: Bai Yuekui’s Shock and Doubt

“Don’t move, or you’ll die.”

Bai Yuekui’s cold voice pierced the air, and Luo Ke felt a chill creeping down his spine, causing his facial muscles to twitch.

The presence of the pinnacle fighters in Linglong was truly severe and icy.

“I won’t move.”

“Oh, quite obedient,” the masked man chuckled.

They formed a circle around Luo Ke, all gazing at his resigned face with curiosity.

“Who are you? Where did you come from? How can you transform into a Devouring Beast and then back into a human?” Xia Dou, cloaked and defiant, raised her chin and pouted as she asked.

“Hold on, sister Aowu, let me clarify first: we’re on the same side. I harbor no malice or ill intent,” Luo Ke gathered his thoughts. When dealing with the surface squad, he couldn’t rely on any prophet’s predictions; one misstep and Bai Yuekui would brand him a charlatan and beat him up.

Besides, the story had taken a massive turn by now, and the scant information about the surface survivors from the anime was pitifully limited. He simply couldn’t make any accurate predictions.

“Sister Aowu?” Xia Dou tilted her head, muttering in confusion, “What does that mean? Is she talking about me?”

“You came down from the lighthouse?” The stout mountain-like man muttered gruffly, “Since when did the lighthouse master the perfect fusion of humans and Mana ecology? And create a new powerful species like you?”

“Impossible. If they had this technology, they would have come down long ago. No need to stay holed up like turtles,” the sharp-featured Sui Xing crossed his arms and analyzed quietly.

Luo Ke shook his head. “I did come down from the lighthouse, but I’m not one of their people. I come from... a much farther place. I arrived on the New Austral-Asian Continent not long ago.”

“Oh? A farther place?” Bai Yuekui regarded Luo Ke thoughtfully, her icy gaze seeming to see right through him.

Luo Ke raised an eyebrow and met her gaze steadily, his deep eyes calm as still water. “You can trust me.”

“What’s your purpose?” Bai Yuekui asked coolly.

“I have no home... I wander here without a clear purpose,” Luo Ke hesitated briefly, then smiled faintly.

A flicker appeared in Bai Yuekui’s eyes. She turned and leapt into the corporate ruins. “First, business. You come with us.”

Luo Ke fell to the end of the group, guessing they were heading to eradicate the Mana entities below.

Due to the previous great battle, most of the pinnacle had already collapsed. Large piles of stones formed a steep slope leading downward.

“Hey, I’m Xia Dou, what’s your name?” Little Aowu looked back and asked.

“Luo Ke.”

“Luo Ke? I thought green cards didn’t have names?” Xia Dou said as she struggled down the treacherous ruins.

“I sneaked into the lighthouse halfway through. Did Elon tell you?” Luo Ke was surprised. Then he tossed aside the name tag hanging on his chest. Strangely, when his humanoid form shrank, his clothes and other items shrank with him.

“Yeah, he seems to be some kind of scavenger instructor. Joined us recently,” Xia Dou answered, shaking her small fist in frustration. “Big pot head is really mean—he just sends others to die because he’s old.”

Sui Xing shouted from below, “Hey! Are you two coming or what?”

“Coming, coming!” Xia Dou hopped faster.

They traveled in silence, but the masked man hummed a tune. Everyone’s expressions were relaxed, looking around casually—an atmosphere completely different from the tense moments when the scavengers descended.

This was what professionalism looked like when dealing with Devouring Beasts and Mana ecology. The scheming fools above could keep praying to the Lord of Light—let’s see if he would protect them till the end.

***

Soon, they arrived at the pharmaceutical cold storage.

When Luo Ke saw the blood-red sealed chamber, his heart involuntarily trembled. The scene was overwhelmingly shocking.

“Time for me to work!” The masked man stepped forward.

Xia Dou nudged Luo Ke’s elbow. “Cover your ears.”

Luo Ke complied.

The masked man knelt with a thud and opened his mask. With an inhalation, a piercing screech echoed throughout the narrow corridor. Thick, bloody essence swirled and was sucked into his mouth. His chest visibly expanded.

Only when the air in the drug warehouse cleared and brightened did he stop inhaling and close the mask.

Without Xia Dou’s reminder this time, Luo Ke tightly pinched his nose and shut his mouth.

Pffft!!!

Pffft—pffft—

Pffftoo—

Wooo—

The deafening, continuous flatulence blasted through his mind, lasting an eternity. Even holding his nose, a faint stench lingered—an indescribable foul odor.

Pffft! Ssshh—

The fart sounds turned sharp and watery towards the end. Luo Ke couldn’t help but wonder if any excrement had sneaked out disguised as flatulence.

The masked man clapped his hands. “Done!”

Everyone was a specialist in their field; he truly was a humanoid air purifier.

Seeing Bai Yuekui and the others release their noses, Luo Ke followed suit. But the next second, the stench hit his brain like a freight train, and his vision went black.

“Ugh—”

“Didn’t you guys smell that?” Luo Ke, dizzy and dazed, leaned against the wall.

Xia Dou shrugged helplessly. “Ah, we’re used to it.”

Gazing at the towering Mana entities inside, Luo Ke licked his lips. “Can I handle this?”

Bai Yuekui knit her brows slightly. “How do you plan to handle it?”

“Kid, you planning to cause trouble? Don’t get any ideas, or you won’t survive the boss’s wrath,” the stout mountain man said.

Luo Ke waved his hand and stepped inside. “Seriously, no trouble.”

“The boss?” Shandai hurriedly asked.

Bai Yuekui raised her hand. “Let’s see what he can do.”

Luo Ke checked his wounds to avoid unnecessary bleeding complications.

Clang!

His right arm transformed into a bone blade. He charged forward fiercely.

***

Approaching a less aggressive Mana entity, he slashed its thick stem with one blow, breaking more than half. Unable to bear its weight, the massive bud drooped.

Luo Ke leapt and stabbed with his bone blade.

Crimson sap gushed out, and the bud’s red glow quickly faded.

Sensing the threat, the other Mana entities dodged at first, but realizing hostility, they controlled their tentacles to swarm Luo Ke like a hornet’s nest.

Boom!

The Wings of Dance extended, stirring the air. He flew straight up as countless tentacles chased and entwined him from all directions.

With nowhere to dodge midair, he cleverly leapt from a tricky angle and landed squarely on a Mana entity. His bone blade slashed fiercely, scattering sprays of red sap everywhere.

Luo Ke’s rhythm was relentless, giving his all without pause. Until a bone arrow pierced a bud, half of the Mana entities in the drug warehouse were wiped out.

To be fair, these Mana entities were nothing compared to those in Cuojie Canyon.

After all, the Mana ecology had a strict hierarchy.

Moreover, Devouring Beasts didn’t necessarily need to absorb life essence. They were like worker ants, gathering life essence from outside. The greater the harvest submitted, the higher the reward from the Mana ecology—promotions and raises.

Mana entities absorbed life essence to nurture new, stronger Devouring Beasts, accelerating the assimilation of this planet.

Luo Ke had little interest in mere chopping; his goal was naturally to devour evolution points.

He glanced at Bai Yuekui and the others nearby and sighed. Since his beast form was already exposed, he might as well observe a bit more.

Claws of consumption burst from his abdomen, tearing apart and devouring the Mana entities.

“Ah!” Sui Xing covered his mouth, whispering in astonishment.

“Damn, this guy’s disgusting level rivals mine!” The masked man sounded somewhat proud.

“Can the boss tell what Luo Ke is doing?” Xia Dou’s mouth dropped open, shocked. “Doesn’t his stomach hurt?”

Bai Yuekui examined closely, her pupils contracting. “Absorbing, refining... devouring!”

“His special power is absorbing the Mana entities, but where is it converting to?”

“Where did he come from?”

For the first time, the group sensed shock and doubt in their boss’s tone. They exchanged glances and dared not utter a word.

+10, +12, +11, +15, +10

Evolution Points [296/300]

“New evolution point data: Mana entities 5–300.”

Just a little more to evolve again, but Luo Ke stopped devouring. This moment, this situation, was simply not suitable for evolution.

(End of Chapter)