Chapter 110: Frenzied Evolution
"Originally, I could have left this instance quickly with this riddle, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the item mentioned in the riddle no matter how hard I searched, and in the end, you got the advantage."
"But whoever opens the door is fine—since it's an item, killing you will still make it mine."
"Living like this is worse than death, so let me send you on your way!"
As the words fell, a flying arrow shot down from above, heading straight for Xu Huo's head!
"Watch out!" Gu Yu exclaimed. Xu Huo, who had been pinning the injured xenomorph to the suspension bridge, suddenly flipped over, using it as a shield. The flying arrow pierced through the xenomorph's skull and emerged, only for him to catch it with his hand, the arrow lodging firmly in his palm bone!
Kicking the xenomorph's corpse aside and leaping up, Xu Huo pulled the arrow from his palm, swung his arm for momentum, and hurled it directly at Lin Pei ahead. As the arrow flew, he himself quickly followed, moving at astonishing speed!
Lin Pei frowned and stepped back. With a thought, the flying arrow reversed direction and attacked Xu Huo again!
But this time, Xu Huo picked up the Crimson Sword. As he deflected the arrow, he planted both feet on Lin Pei's chest, forcing him back several meters. Just as he raised the sword to strike, Lin Pei spun around, grabbed Shen Xin who was nearby, and shoved her in front of him!
Xu Huo's movement paused, but Shen Xin turned and stabbed Lin Pei in the abdomen with a knife, shouting hatefully, "Die!"
Lin Pei, wincing in pain, flung Shen Xin toward Gu Yu and the others who were coming up from behind. Raising his hand, he summoned the flying arrow back. None of the players here were his match, but the xenomorphized Xu Huo was clearly far stronger than before—he had to kill him to survive!
However, Xu Huo, facing him, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He spun around and slashed through the air, splitting the flying arrow, now inches away, in two!
"Clang! Clang!"
The fragments of the flying arrow fell, clattering against the iron plates of the suspension bridge before dropping into the xenomorph swarm below, stirring them into a frenzy again. Several xenomorphs, unable to reach the bridge, began climbing the fence, trying to leap onto the bridge from higher up!
"Go! We need to go!" Ke Liang urged, pulling Gu Yu and Shen Xin forward, and said to Gu Yu, "We're useless here—saving ourselves is what matters!"
Gu Yu glanced back at Xu Huo, who was still locked in combat with Lin Pei, gritted her teeth, and sped up!
Although the suspension bridge was several meters away from both sides, the xenomorphs' actions were still alarming. Driven by instinct, their sheer numbers made it likely that some retained a degree of intelligence!
Gu Yu and the others were almost out of sight. Realizing he couldn't keep tangling with Xu Huo, Lin Pei pulled the knife from his abdomen, threw out a grappling rope to latch onto a steel cable, and swung into the air. He then grabbed a bottle of self-healing agent and hastily poured it into his mouth!
But Xu Huo stomped down hard, denting the steel plate as he used the force to launch himself upward, grabbing Lin Pei's ankle!
The sword in his hand fell. Xu Huo's face was now half-covered in dark blue-black veins, his lips and teeth showing signs of the same transformation. He opened his mouth and bit into Lin Pei's calf!
"Let go! Let go!" Lin Pei held the rope with one hand and grabbed a small knife with the other, bending down to stab at Xu Huo's hand. Seeing that even with two bloody holes in his arm, Xu Huo remained expressionless, Lin Pei knew the man was mentally unstable. Panicking, he shouted, "Only xenomorphs eat people! Are you even human anymore?"
Xu Huo's movements suddenly froze. Lin Pei took the chance to kick him away!
Landing back on the suspension bridge, Xu Huo's face twitched. Teetering on the edge between reason and madness, he gave up on killing Lin Pei, turned around, and headed back to Decibel Town!
Just as he stepped out of the wall gate, the pulley's iron chain suddenly snapped, and the suspended gate began to fall. Inside the gate, Lin Pei watched the xenomorphs flooding through the corridor into Decibel Town and shouted, "Xu Huo! Die in Decibel Town and keep Wu Qiuyi company!"
Xu Huo didn't stop. He quickly jumped into the driver's seat of a small truck, started the engine, kicked away a xenomorph appearing at the window, and floored the accelerator!
The truck surged forward, but several xenomorphs still leaped into the cargo bed. As he turned the wheel to shake off the ones clawing at the back of the seat, he heard thumping sounds and looked back toward the wall—the fallen flashlight was shining on the gate. In the flickering light, xenomorphs kept pouring out from under the descending gate, many still wearing clothes, both men and women!
Xu Huo suddenly understood what the game background meant by "the mourning guests suffered the frenzied revenge of the security guards and residents"!
In Decibel Town, anyone injured by a xenomorph eventually turned into one themselves, becoming inhuman monsters. But these monsters weren't killed—they were locked behind the gate and wall. Perhaps for experiments, perhaps deliberately. Either way, the East Gate wasn't an exit from the town but an open trap!
After Master Nisei died, there was no one left to control the town. Opening the East Gate would inevitably lead to a massacre. With so many xenomorphs hiding behind the massive wall, it was easier to seal the place off than to exterminate them all for a town that had lost its value.
Earlier, he had found it strange—there were only four xenomorphs in the town, easy to kill, yet the residents chose to relocate, leaving them behind. Now he knew the real reason!
There was no grave for Master Nisei in the town, and his residence had been untouched, suggesting someone had taken his body. Why take his body?
There were too many possibilities.
The small xenomorph might have been Master Nisei's granddaughter, but it was clearly stronger than the others—was this individual variation or an experimental result?
In his efforts to save his granddaughter, Master Nisei must have tried many methods, possibly experimenting on others and even on himself. If he truly found a way to achieve perfect evolution, would he have tried it on himself?
The fact that he didn't want Stellar Corporation to know about this method—did it mean the method was still hidden in the town?
Xu Huo twitched. In the rearview mirror, the dark blue-black veins on his face were spreading to the right. Losing control, he grabbed a xenomorph stuck in the window, barking wildly, snapped its neck with one hand, and kicked it, along with the car door, flying out!
Seeing the xenomorph crash into a tree, its abdomen burst open from the dented door, killing it, he paused. His left hand gripped the other door, and with a forceful squeeze, a handprint appeared on the steel panel!
Frenzied evolution!
Whether it was hearing, vision, strength, speed, or thought, everything about Xu Huo was evolving at a breakneck pace. The biological instinct to hunt drove him to crave energy during this frenzied evolution, and this instinct, combined with his hunting ability, would completely turn him into a soulless monster!
He punched himself hard in the face, suppressing the urge to go out and tear into the xenomorphs. Flooring the accelerator, he drove the truck, with xenomorphs continuously climbing into the cargo bed, charging into the town!
The gas station soon came into view. He crashed the truck straight into it. As the front crumpled, he used his immense strength to counteract the forward momentum, leaped out through the windshield, grabbed the steel frame of the gas station canopy, tore a large hole in the roof with his feet, and, while swinging through the air with the string, lit the lighter!
(Chapter End)