Blaring red warnings flooded his vision, flashing across his eyes like a frantic screensaver.
After a moment, the notification on the game panel shifted once more.
【Source of Bloodline: Suspected of identifying a "qualified" member.】
【Recalculating... Re-evaluating species...】
After a brief stutter of data errors, the game panel changed from "confirmed" to "suspected." Just one word, yet everything had changed.
Xu Mo was utterly dumbfounded.
Wait, what the hell was going on? What was it “suspecting”?
Wan Qianhong had been a direct success, and those elders had aberrated instantly. So what was wrong with Liang Shuguang?
Does this kid have too many tricks up his sleeve? Does skipping your individual storyline mean the entire plot of Dawn City gets skipped too?!
“Shit!”
In contrast to Xu Mo's shock, Liang Shuguang reacted instantly. With a grave expression, he raised his hand and sliced open his own chest!
His movements were crisp and devoid of hesitation, as if he weren't cutting into his own flesh.
The inside of his body was hollow. There was no normal human flesh or bone to be seen; instead, there was only dark red residue mixed with black dregs.
He reached into his chest, violently grabbing the waste and hurling it out of his body.
It was a grotesque scene. Black powder fell in clumps, piling up on the ground. He looked like a cheap plush toy that had been ripped open!
He had inflicted more damage on himself than Wan Qianhong and Xu Mo combined!
Yet, it seemed useless. A flicker of shock crossed Liang Shuguang's eyes as he looked at “Bai Feifei.”
“What... what did you just inject into me?”
Xu Mo’s lip twitched.
Even he couldn't say for sure what it was anymore—whether it was poison or a supplement depended entirely on Liang Shuguang’s reaction. But for now, the man didn't seem to be reacting much at all.
So, Xu Mo grinned and threw the man’s own words back at him.
“Good stuff. It’s here to help you evolve to the next step.”
Liang Shuguang stared at him for several seconds, clutching the self-inflicted wound, and then he laughed as well.
He gritted his teeth and spoke slowly:
“Impressive! I’d expect nothing less from you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath them exploded as countless thick branches erupted from below.
The branches swept Liang Shuguang into the air, weaving into an airtight tree cage that hung suspended in the sky. It was Qiu Jing’s doing.
Qiu Jing felt terrible. His mind was a chaotic mess, leaving him to act on the instinct to protect Liang Shuguang, the only person who might have the answers he needed.
The condition inside his body was becoming impossible to suppress. In the Scavenger ranks, the higher the level, the more anomalous energy one could wield—but the corruption they endured far exceeded that of ordinary people.
The exchange with Kong Man had accelerated his mutation. He truly felt like he was on the verge of aberration!
He couldn't understand how a dying little place like Dawn City could produce someone like Liang Shuguang!
How could such a silent method have sabotaged him so easily?!
This shouldn't be possible. This wasn't right.
“No... impossible!”
He let out a furious roar. Countless towering trees erupted around him, eventually merging into a single, massive trunk that grew wildly upward.
A gargantuan tree formed behind him, its hundred-meter-tall trunk slamming directly into the emerald light screen overhead.
Boom!
The trunk collided with the light screen with a bone-shattering crack. The sheer force caused the entirety of Dawn City to tremble.
Yet, the light screen remained unmoved.
Qiu Jing raged in impotence. He couldn't break through this array immediately!
On the other side, Kong Man, who had been fighting him, stood within the water mist. Her delicate face was now clouded with gravity.
Her experiences as a Ranger had exposed her to many bizarre things.
But the sense of wrongness coming from this array was far too strong... How could a place like Dawn City possess something like this?
While she wasn't at risk of aberration for the moment, she wondered if this thing would trap her here as well.
Should she try digging a tunnel now?
Xu Mo wasn't feeling particularly relaxed either. He kept his eyes fixed on Liang Shuguang, who was both protected and imprisoned by the tree cage.
He was waiting for Liang Shuguang’s transformation, and for the final result of his Source of Bloodline...
On the game panel, Liang Shuguang’s status was incredibly unstable. Even his sealed, greyed-out Level 69 was flickering.
This is getting tricky...
Xu Mo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should log into the Sinking Black account and just force a kill.
But that state didn't last long. The storyline progress was still missing a little bit. If the enemy hadn't revealed their final trump card, it wouldn't be wise for him to reveal his own first.
As his mind raced, Xu Mo suddenly realized something was off.
In this chaotic battlefield, was something missing...? Where was Liu Yun?
At this moment, the woman who was clearly the most important person in Dawn City—the strongest expert present—was standing there as if she were sleepwalking. Her mind seemed completely absent.
Her expression was vacant, as if she were lost in thought.
Xu Mo felt his skin crawl watching her.
Logically, this was a good thing. Since her stance was uncertain, she might actually help Liang Shuguang. But he still couldn't help but vent out loud:
“Hey! Sister! What are you doing?!”
“Do something! What’s with the constant slacking?!”
Whether it’s positive or negative, just do something! Don't be a complete waste of space!
In this Dawn City plot, what exactly is your role as the strongest person here?!
Liu Yun’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she had been jolted awake by Xu Mo. Her body swayed, and she pressed a hand to her head.
Her expression instantly twisted into one of unspeakable agony.
She gritted her teeth and looked up at Xu Mo, her voice raspy:
“Liang Shuguang...” she started. “His state is wrong.”
“The justice and convictions he held have been tortured into something extreme and twisted!”
Xu Mo: ?
“Wow, that’s quite the scoop!” He threw his hands up. “Could you maybe tell us something we don't already know?”
“Did you just realize that?! Have you been disconnected this entire time?!”
She was completely out of sync with the plot’s rhythm.
Liu Yun ignored his sarcasm. Her hands pressed hard against her temples, veins bulging as if she were trying to pry her own skull open.
“No... that's not it.”
“You don't understand!!”
Liu Yun suddenly snapped her head up. For the first time, she looked at “Bai Feifei” with eyes that seemed to be pleading for help.
“He has his reasons! Help him!”
Xu Mo couldn't help but burst out laughing. “Did you take the drugs too? Have you gone mad and started babbling nonsense?”
“Me? Help him? What do you think I’m here for today? If I’m helping him with anything, it’s giving him a quick death...”
Before he could finish, a notification popped up on the game panel.
【Key Storyline: Calamity of Dawn, Current Completion Rate: 90% → 91%!】
Rate on N.U.
