Chapter 26

Chapter 26

After mentally cursing him as an idiot, Jie Lin Yuan swiftly lunged forward, using his hand as a shield to block the bullets aimed at Wu Yin, then agilely retreated back into the cell with him.

"Step back and cover your ears." With a gesture of his left hand, the mechanical parts of the wires that had bound HI004 responded to his call, swiftly flying back and reshaping mid-air, accurately fitting back into the missing part of Jie Lin Yuan's arm, then morphing under his mental command into a grenade launcher.

Freed from its restraints, HI004 immediately started cackling madly, attempting to fight the world. While Officer Kama hastily ordered to capture it alive without causing harm, Jie Lin Yuan seized the distracted guards' attention, lobbing a grenade that took down most of them, even blasting a dark hole into the nearby cell wall.

The front line of enemies was indeed annihilated, but Kama was thrown several meters by the blast, hitting the wall with a bloodied face and injuries all over, unable to get up. HI004, too, had its legs blown off in the chaos, lying on the ground vomiting blood and convulsing, yet still laughing hysterically as if in no pain.

Jie Lin Yuan hadn't forgotten about these two outside, but when it was time to shoot, he didn't hesitate.

He lacked a sense of camaraderie and harbored a strong desire for revenge. Kama's display of kindness and vulnerability in front of her kin did not change Jie Lin Yuan's perception of her, nor did it evoke any sympathy. On the contrary, Jie Lin Yuan vividly remembered being mistreated in the remote prison for nearly two months due to self-defense, all because of this woman's twisted sense of justice.

He didn't care about her struggles, nor did he choose to forgive. When the opportunity for revenge presented itself, he wouldn't show mercy.

After the explosion, Wu Yin faintly heard a cat's meow and a purring sound. Curious, he peered from behind the door and saw a human face covered in brown fur emerging from the blasted hole, with enormous eyes reminiscent of old-school shoujo manga, occupying a third of the face, and slit-like vertical pupils.

The beauty gracefully extended a flower bud behind Wu Yin's head, swaying gently. One of the Black Knight's heads peeked out, about to bark, only to be silenced by the other head biting its snout – a physical mute.

The furry-faced, large-eyed creature cautiously observed its surroundings before slowly crawling out of the hole. Its body was covered in brownish-yellow and black striped fur, and bizarrely... it had six legs.

Wu Yin and Jie Lin Yuan silently observed this tiger-striped humanoid centipede standing atop a pile of bodies, grooming itself. It seemed to have some issues with its throat muscles, continuously making a purring sound that seemed to indicate happiness.

After a while, having groomed itself, it elegantly leaped through the rubble and corpses, walking out the door with its six legs moving like a cat's.

The remaining two men, a dog, and a flower exchanged glances and chose to follow.

For a moment, the hallway echoed only with purring and light footsteps. The experimental subjects in the cells on either side became agitated as Wu Yin passed; they were almost inhuman, expressing their desire to escape through roars and screams.

Wu Yin, focused and unswerving, followed the six-legged cat, passing through the deserted, dim corridors and safely reaching the ground floor. The towering prison gate was wide open, leading to the bright, dazzling sunlight outside.

The six-legged cat meowed excitedly and ran towards the light.

Jie Lin Yuan raised his hand in alert, stopping the others from advancing. His left arm quickly transformed into a black sniper rifle. Wu Yin and the Black Knight had already stopped, aware that dangers and traps likely lay ahead.

A red dot suddenly appeared on the six-legged cat's forehead, not a playful toy but a grim harbinger of death. Wu Yin and Jie Lin Yuan remained still, only the Black Knight barked. The next second, the purring stopped abruptly as the cat's head exploded, collapsing in front of the prison gate, its blood forming a deep red pool.

On the highest roof of the compound, a sniper reported the kill to his superior, confidently reloading and aiming again.

Strangely, from the center of the crosshairs, a wavering green emerged from the bloody, mangled corpse of the creature. The green grew larger and more abundant, eventually covering the six-legged cat's body and blocking the prison gate.

The hundred soldiers nearby grew restless, never having witnessed such a bizarre sight. The sight of a six-legged cat person was already disturbing, but upon its death, countless emerald lotus leaves and pinkish-white lotus flowers bizarrely grew from its body, swaying as if alive.

Suddenly, while everyone was distracted by the surreal scene, a pale hand appeared on the edge of a lotus leaf. The sniper on the high building fired immediately, the bullet piercing through the "hand." Though hitting the target again, the sniper felt something odd. Upon closer inspection, what exploded in the scope wasn't a hand but a segment of tender white lotus root.

He suddenly felt a terrible premonition and hastily gathered his sniper rifle to flee. Although his reaction was swift, the time wasted confirming the ineffectiveness of the node had cost him dearly. A bullet had reached him before he could move, silently piercing through his forehead. Like the hexagonal cat, his brain was turned into a mush by the bullet, eyes wide as he collapsed thunderously.

Anti-sniping was a compulsory course for war machines like Jie Linyuan, with the only issue being cover. Wu Yin was ruthless and decisive, letting the little beauty take root in the body of the hexagonal cat. Feeding on blood, it quickly grew from a seedling with three buds into a large lotus field that blotted out the sky, concealing Jie Linyuan's figure.

Having eliminated the most threatening sniper, Wu Yin's walk became more arrogant. He strode with a ruthless gait to Jie Linyuan's side, gesturing with his hand. The latter immediately understood, transforming the sniper rifle into a steel megaphone, attaching it to Wu Yin's lips.

Wu Yin was very satisfied with his life assistant's keenness.

"Hey, hey, hey."

Amidst the chaos, an electrified male voice echoed in everyone's ears:

"I want to see your leader. I repeat, I want to see your leader. Bring your leader to me within ten minutes, with a box of chocolates and two cans of white sugar. Otherwise, I will lead my army of myriad mutant plants to flatten the entire Wolf Smoke Shelter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the little beauty menacingly sprang up half a meter, causing a stir of screams and shouts outside the prison.

Jie Linyuan: "..."

He exchanged a speechless look with Wu Yin, about to tease him about his "army of myriad plants," but then saw Wu Yin frowning in disgust at him: "Your right eyeball is almost falling under your mouth, so ugly."

The steel megaphone instantly turned into a shiny metal mirror. Jie Linyuan looked at his reflection, finding Wu Yin's description exaggerated, yet his eyeball was indeed bulging alarmingly, with black veins spreading down to his cheekbones like ferocious tree roots densely rooted in the soil.

"...Ugliness is the least of my worries," Jie Linyuan said, returning the mirror and flexing his left hand's fingers. "What you should consider is what I'll do if I go mad and smash your eyeball into the back of your skull."

Wu Yin chuckled with a smirk, his demeanor showing he didn't take the threat seriously.

A familiar sense of powerlessness swept over Jie Linyuan. He was about to curse when a scene suddenly flashed in his mind. It was when Wu Yin's palm had touched HI004's skin, and the latter briefly regained consciousness. Jie Linyuan, preoccupied with watching Karma suffer, had neglected to ponder the deeper implications.

The reason for HI004's mental disorder was due to the experiment with disaster pollution, which shared the same origin as his own semi-polluted chaotic phase symptoms.

Jie Lin Yuan suddenly jerked awake, turned his head, and leaned in urgently to ask, "Do you have a way? Can you make me regain my sanity during the chaotic period?"

Wu Yin didn't answer him, casually stroking the somewhat coarse fur of the Black Knight, but Jie Lin Yuan already knew the answer. He almost exclaimed in wonder, "What kind of powers do you actually possess?"

Wu Yin was too lazy to respond to the previous question, let alone this one. He impassively lifted his face and sternly said to the man who was always probing into his secrets, "Just remember, follow me obediently, do whatever I tell you to do. Got it?"

Jie Lin Yuan's facial expression remained unchanged, but the excitement in his heart gradually calmed down, like a flame extinguished, leaving only ashes. He licked his sharp tiger teeth and softly said, "Understood, Mr. Wu Yin. If you can take me out of the shelter, I will of course follow you forever."

No, you'll seize the opportunity and run away without looking back. Wu Yin couldn't be bothered to expose him and leaned against the Black Knight, closing his eyes for a rest.

Little Beauty secretly pressed a leaf against his palm. The dog-like head of the Black Knight endured it but eventually couldn't help sticking out its tongue to lick his face, only to be harshly slapped by the human-like head controlling its paws.

Amidst countless gun sights and the overpowering smell of blood, Jie Lin Yuan inexplicably felt a moment of peaceful tranquility.

Soon, a cold yet familiar voice disrupted their peace.

"Leader Bilel agrees to meet you."

The sky-covering lotus leaves slowly spread apart, and amidst the incredulous stares of the guard soldiers, Wu Yin walked out of the prison gate, seeing the grim-faced, bearded officer, Regan. Jie Lin Yuan stood beside him like a silent armored knight, unconditionally guarding his king.

Seeing his rebellious former subordinate, Regan immediately scoffed with disdainful eyes, "Hmph, a thankless wretch."

"Isn't that Officer Regan?" Wu Yin revealed a smile, "Weren't you just lying in the trunk like a dead dog? When did you crawl out?"