Chapter 152: Symbiotes

Chapter 152: Symbiotes

Lu Yan saw the message and subconsciously glanced down at his right hand. It was crisscrossed with numerous wounds that stretched from his wrist to his forearm, the skin torn and turned outward in a gruesome display. These were the injuries he had sustained yesterday during his fight with the wanderer in the contaminated zone, when he had been accidentally struck by an axe.

Lu Yan had originally intended to use points to exchange for medicine from the system, but upon returning home, he had been so exhausted that he fell asleep before he could do so, momentarily forgetting about his injuries.

Reluctant to take a photo, Lu Yan's attitude conveyed through the screen as lethargic and indifferent: "Are you sure you don't want to see my abs?"

Xing Yuan scoffed. "Not interested; I have my own."

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow inwardly, wondering why this person didn't follow the usual script. He lit a cigarette and held it between his lips, the pale smoke swirling around him, the scent of tobacco slightly alleviating the pain from his wounds. When someone is lost in thought, they are often disinclined to do anything, yet the person on the other side of the screen was unusually persistent, insisting on seeing a photo.

Lu Yan had no choice but to raise his phone and snap a picture of his uninjured left hand, sending it over. However, less than half a minute later, another message popped up in the chat:

"The other hand."

Lu Yan had no choice but to aim the camera at his right hand and take a photo, clicking send. Even though he tried to conceal them, the gaping wounds on his hand were still visible, like crimson snakes coiled atop his skin, contrasting starkly against its paleness. Yet, instead of being unappealing, there was a peculiar, bloody beauty to the sight.

Xing Yuan recognized Lu Yan's hands, so the photo couldn't be faked. He hadn't expected the injuries to be so severe. Gently rubbing his temple, his eyes and brows darkened with a somber expression:

"Did someone attack you?"

Lu Yan couldn't very well admit that he had been injured by a wanderer. "I'll be fine in a few days."

Xing Yuan took Lu Yan's response as tacit confirmation. Though he and Lu Yan didn't have any substantial relationship, Lu Yan was currently under his care, and the fact that he had been needlessly injured by the scum in the contaminated zone stirred a subtle sense of brutality within him: "Did you retaliate?"

Lu Yan's answer pleased him: "I returned it tenfold."

Xing Yuan's lips curved into a slight smile, satisfied. This was how it should be. Standing there without fighting back was foolish; even if one couldn't win, they should at least fiercely bite off a chunk of their opponent's flesh. He stared at the image of the wound for a moment before finally transferring a sum of time points over, his words succinct: "Take good care of your injuries."

A faint regret welled up within him. Such beautiful hands, it was truly a pity they were injured.

When Lu Yan saw the red envelope, he assumed Xing Yuan had sent over another ten thousand time points. He clicked on it instinctively, only to be nearly blinded by the string of zeros that appeared before his eyes, causing him to sit up straight on the sofa in shock—

Holy shit, two hundred thousand time points! Was money not supposed to be spent like this?!

Lu Yan stared at the phone screen in disbelief, double-checking the number. He wondered if he had really encountered a foolish young master from a wealthy family. He flicked the ashes off his cigarette, his typing hand trembling as he struggled to ask: "Isn't this too much?"

In Xing Yuan's mind, was it too much? The time points he had transferred were only enough to cover a year's rent on Cloud Road or to book the luxurious penthouse in Sky City's central district for 24 hours. They would be spent in the blink of an eye, but he didn't feel like explaining too much: "Move to a safer place to live."

Xing Yuan hadn't decided how long he would support Lu Yan, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, Lu Yan was proving to be sensible and understanding, which pleased him greatly.

The conversation ended there, as the research meeting on stage was finally drawing to a close. Xing Yuan hadn't paid attention to what the dean had said. He turned off his phone and prepared to leave with Luo Yang and others, but just as they reached the door, someone called out to him—

"Captain Xing!"

Xing Yuan paused mid-step, turning to look behind him. It was Shi Xuan, captain of Team Seven. Xing Yuan raised an eyebrow impassively, vaguely remembering that he didn't have much of a relationship with the man: "Captain Shi, something?"

Luo Yang and Yan Feng also stopped, standing to the side to watch the unfolding scene.

Shi Xuan was known for his ability to get along with everyone in the special abilities district, maintaining good relations with all. He wanted to cultivate a connection with Xing Yuan and thus revealed the information from yesterday: "Yesterday, I led my team into the contaminated zone to search for the whereabouts of the illusion-type wanderer, but we were intercepted by another special ability user."

Xing Yuan asked indifferently, "Your seven special ability users were intercepted by one person?"

There was no doubt about it—he was mocking them.

Shi Xuan knew Xing Yuan's temper, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled. "We were careless. After all, that person was also a lightning-type special ability user, and they were at least third rank. We didn't want a confrontation, so we didn't engage them directly."

Before Xing Yuan could respond, Luo Yang spoke up first. "How is that possible? Xing Yuan is the only lightning-type in Sky City. When did another one appear? Which team are they on? Why haven't I heard of them?!"

Shi Xuan shook his head. "They haven't joined any organization yet, as far as I know. They're temporarily residing in Devil City. That's all I know. If you have the chance, you can look for them. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

With those words, he left with his team, seemingly having only come to give a warning. Luo Yang and Yan Feng were left standing there, staring at each other in confusion, seriously doubting the truthfulness of Shi Xuan's words.

Luo Yang muttered, "A lightning-type special ability user, and third rank? Is that true or false?"

If such a special ability user existed, they would have been recruited by Sky City long ago. How could they be living in Devil City?

Xing Yuan didn't seem to take Shi Xuan's words seriously, or perhaps even if they were true, he didn't care. He casually tugged at his tie to loosen it, indifferent: "Whether it's true or not, it has nothing to do with us."

Luo Yang clicked his tongue, deliberately teasing: "What if what he said is true? You won't be able to keep your unique title anymore."

Even if Xing Yuan wasn't the only lightning-type special ability user, his status wouldn't be shaken. No one had been able to determine his exact rank, only knowing that the second-ranked person on the special abilities list couldn't last more than ten moves against him before being defeated. However, Xing Yuan was naturally domineering, unable to tolerate any speck of sand in his eyes. If someone broke his unique title, they would likely meet a terrible end. It was unclear what Shi Xuan's intentions were in coming over to say these things.

Xing Yuan closed his eyes and moved his neck, his tone casual, but the underlying danger made one shiver with fear: "Let's wait until they can make it alive to Sky City."

He sneered inwardly. Another lightning-type like him? How novel.

Lu Yan found nothing novel about it. Lying in his damp and dilapidated home, he felt as if he was about to mold. Only the system's reward notification brought him some comfort.

Ever since successfully exiting the illusion yesterday, Lu Yan had received a series of rewards. Apart from two hundred points, his special ability had jumped two ranks. But the biggest gain was from the illusion-type wanderer he had killed. Upon death, the wanderer had dropped three hundred years' worth of time points, akin to a sudden windfall.

Lu Yan removed the gold watch from his wrist. The remaining life value on it now exceeded five hundred years. At this rate, he and Xiao Zhao would soon accumulate enough savings to live in Sky City.

As autumn approached, the corner of the room was damp, and the air was filled with an unpleasant musty smell. Lu Yan got up to open the window for ventilation, contemplating whether to move to a place with a better environment. However, when he looked up, he saw a blood-red moon hanging in the night sky, identical to the sun during the day. The dark sky tinged with crimson was inexplicably eerie.

Frowning, he used the remote control to turn on the television. It was broadcasting the evening news for today. Due to poor signal, the female anchor's voice was intermittent:

"This red sun phenomenon is expected to last for a week... It may affect the appearance patterns of wanderers... We advise citizens not to go out during this period... There have been multiple cases of ordinary people transforming into wanderers in Devil City. The Monitoring Institute has temporarily named them 'symbiotes.' There is currently no direct evidence linking this to the celestial phenomenon. Citizens are advised to stay at home and stockpile supplies... Sky City has also increased the number of special ability users for large-scale extermination. Our reporters will continue to provide updates..."

Since the strange red sun had appeared, many ordinary people in Devil City had suddenly mutated into wanderers, leaving little room for speculation. The Monitoring Institute's current approach was to capture them all for study. It was rumored that once these mutated individuals came into contact with the outside world, they would enter a state of madness, but during certain periods, they would gradually regain their sanity. It was difficult to determine whether they belonged to the human category or the wanderer category, hence the temporary name "symbiotes."

Although the news channel and the Monitoring Institute suggested that citizens should not go out during this period, the streets would likely still be crowded tomorrow morning. This ban might be effective for the wealthy in Sky City, but for those in Devil City who lived on the brink of life and death every day, it was meaningless. There were countless people whose life values were down to mere hours. Asking them to stay at home without working was akin to asking them to wait for death.

Lu Yan had gotten up to find something to eat, but upon discovering that his home was devoid of any stored food, he turned off the TV and returned to bed to catch up on sleep.

"Huuu... snore... huuu... snore..."

Xiao Zhao slept in the upper bunk, his snores thunderously loud. Lu Yan closed his eyes and turned over, frowning as he pulled the blanket over his head to block out the noise. He remembered that Xiao Zhao hadn't snored before. Why had his snoring become louder recently?

The tattered curtains hung halfway down, through the dust-covered glass one could still make out the crimson moon hanging high in the sky. The soft red moonlight gently poured down, making the entire city look bizarre and terrifying, transformed into something akin to a hell on earth.

Lu Yan had never kept pets before; if he had, he would have known that the sound Lu Xiaozhao was making wasn't snoring. It was more like the faint purring of dangerous beasts such as tigers or lions, emanating from their throats. But this didn't signify relaxation; it was a harbinger of something terrible awakening.

Just as Lu Yan was drifting into a half-sleep state, the previously sleeping Lu Xiaozhao suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. He silently opened his eyes, his pupils gleaming with a ferocious light in the darkness, as if ready to pounce on prey.

"Creak..."

An ear-grating sound of bones cracking echoed in the air. Lu Xiaozhao's mouth suddenly widened to an unbelievable extent, and a blood-red tongue rapidly darted out, searching for the scent of living beings in the air.

Lu Xiaozhao's legs had transformed into a mass of black smoke. Like a ghost, he slowly slid down the edge of the bed, almost hanging upside-down at the head of the bed. The blood-red tongue reached toward Lu Yan, seemingly contemplating how to take a bite.

In his daze, Lu Yan only felt something wet and slimy wrap around his neck, suffocating him. He frowned and opened his eyes, only to see Lu Xiaozhao in a strange position at the edge of the bed, a blood-red tongue extending from his mouth, entwining around his neck, appearing particularly horrifying in the darkness.

Lu Yan was instantly stunned: "…"

F*ck!