Chapter 51 Ancient God Church 2

Chapter 51 The Ancient God Church 2

Xun Fu had plans to dine with her roommates that afternoon.

After bidding farewell to the two adults and two children at the hotel entrance, she strode energetically and spiritedly towards the West Campus of Xunhai University.

With her gone, the car heading to the Pollution Research Institute once again carried only four people, just as it had the day before.

—Even their seating arrangements and activities remained identical to yesterday.

Gan Chuyao diligently drove, while Shang Yanci held his precious younger brother, silently reciting vocabulary words. Meanwhile, Lu Shuze and Xu Suihe—two chatterboxes—gabbled away.

Their lively chatter filled the car with a warm and cozy atmosphere, evoking a sense of tranquil domesticity.

However, as the car turned into a secluded alley, bathed in the brilliant, dappled golden sunlight, the calm that had prevailed throughout the journey was shattered.

"Back at the West Campus, I told Xun Fu I'd prove to her that pollution-tainted meat is still meat, and dogs would eat it—but I was just saying it casually!" Lu Shuze was venting to Xu Suihe just before the incident.

The chubby child in a small red hat nodded: "Uh-huh~"

*I believe you~*

"Then, that very evening, we saw cats and dogs chasing and eating contaminated meat scraps at the construction site…"

Lu Shuze sighed sadly: "I had no idea it would actually happen! I really was just saying it casually!!"

"Mm-hmm~"

Xu Suihe continued nodding, his round, chubby cheeks puffed out with a serious and earnest expression.

Lu Shuze was touched.

"You’re the best, Little He!" he grumbled indignantly. "Xun Fu just laughs at me for being a jinx!"

The little child, praised by his chat partner, remained humble. After a moment of thought in his older brother’s arms, he decided to defend Sister Xun Fu!

"Well…"

*I think Sister Xun Fu wasn’t making fun of you; she was just laughing a little too loudly…*

Halfway through his explanation, the sky suddenly darkened.

Shang Yanci tightened his arm slightly, carefully shielding his younger brother while raising his eyes alertly.

With the help of the car’s interior light, which Gan Chuyao promptly switched on, a large, bubbling, squirming mass resembling boiling mud stuck to the car window came into view.

"What the heck is that!" If not for his seatbelt, Lu Shuze would have shot up like a firecracker.

At that moment, he was just grateful the car had air conditioning and all four windows were closed. Otherwise…

The thought of that squirming thing outside the window landing on him made Lu Shuze’s skin crawl.

Compared to the panicky Lu Shuze, the other three in the car were exceptionally calm.

Gan Chuyao picked up his phone to call the Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau for backup, all while assessing the threat posed by the squirming mud on the window.

Shang Yanci was only startled for a moment before his focus shifted entirely to protecting his younger brother.

As the youngest in the car, Xu Suihe was on another level—he didn’t even get startled.

His beautiful, clear blue eyes wide open, Xu Suihe looked up at the bizarre, squirming mud like a curious little kitten, his face innocent but his little paws itching to poke it.

*What is this?*

*It not only bubbles but also moves~*

Just as puppies want to jump into mud puddles and kittens want to push cups of water, it’s only natural for a child to want to poke bubbles—

The little child, held tightly in his older brother’s arms, had long forgotten his strong aversion to the mud mixed with contaminated meat scraps from the night before. He fidgeted, nudging his brother with his head: "Brother~"

Would Shang Yanci allow his precious younger brother to act up at a time like this?

Absolutely not.

So, he simply comforted him: "Stay put."

Without any intention of loosening his grip.

The chubby child puffed out his plump cheeks, the little flower on his head drooping limply.

He was a little bummed.

But Xu Suihe had always been a good little chubby kid.

He pouted for a while in his brother’s arms but soon cheered himself up.

The happy chubby kid was back!

However, while Xu Suihe gave up on poking the mud bubbles, the mud bubbles did not give up.

The car Xu Suihe and the others were using had been specially arranged for them by Ye Juanshuang before they left yesterday.

It boasted strong defensive capabilities and could withstand high concentrations of pollution for a long time.

The bizarre boiling mud clung to the car for a long time, eroding it, but eventually found that the car had only suffered a scratch.

The boiling mud went berserk.

It no longer moved slowly but suddenly changed form.

The people in the car felt a sudden flash, and the next moment, several long, rocky tendrils shattered the car window, rushing in with a blast of wind.

A flash of jet-black color, accompanied by dull crashes and flying debris—"Devour" and "Detonate" were activated simultaneously.

The clean, tidy car interior instantly became a battlefield, with doors torn off and seats stained with mud…

"Get outside!" Gan Chuyao shouted a reminder. "The car is too cramped—it’s easy to get in each other’s way!"

Hearing this, Shang Yanci protected his younger brother and rushed out of the car without hesitation.

Lu Shuze’s awakened ability wasn’t for fighting.

Gan Chuyao yanked him out of the car and, seeing that the two children had already left the vehicle, breathed a sigh of relief: "Let’s go!"

Making their way through the mud and debris, the two adults and two children trudged for what seemed like forever before finally seeing the reinforcements sent by the Pollution Prevention and Control Bureau.

"Captain Gu!"

Gasping for breath, Lu Shuze caught sight of the familiar tall figure. His heavy body seemed infused with new energy, instantly feeling lighter. He even managed to shout a short phrase: "Help!"

Razor-sharp wind blades descended from the sky, slicing through the relentlessly pursuing writhing mud and hard rocks. Gu Xingzhi stepped forward, shielding them behind him, his voice calm yet firm: "Get to safety first."

Lu Shuze teared up.

Xu Suihe, who had been obediently clinging to his brother's neck throughout the escape to avoid adding any burden, also had his eyes light up, his chubby little arms relaxing slightly.

"Ayah! We're saved!"

"Brother~"

The little one nuzzled his dirty, chubby cheek against his brother's face, looking utterly docile.

—*Xiao Guai knows he was wrong.*

*Mud bubbles are dangerous! Won't touch them!*

Shang Yanci lowered his gaze to look at his precious little brother in his arms, who looked like a grimy little tabby cat. His steps never faltered, but a faint smile touched his eyes.

He was about to comfort his brother when, suddenly, another crisis struck!

Several slimy, flexible mud tentacles suddenly shot out from the ground near Shang Yanci's feet.

They worked with clear division: four tentacles wrapped around Shang Yanci's limbs, while the rest swiftly surrounded Xu Suihe, dragging him down into the soil below.

"Brother—"

Xu Suihe, suddenly enveloped by the mud bubbles, widened his eyes and called out instinctively.

Clear water materialized from nowhere, splashing down and washing away the dust coating the soft tentacles restraining Shang Yanci.

"Xiao Guai!"

Shang Yanci was also soaked from head to toe by the water, but he seemed completely unaware, his face darkening as he stared fixedly at the spot where Xu Suihe had disappeared.

"Crunch—"

The next moment, the soft tentacles wrapped around Shang Yanci's limbs were consumed by inky blackness.

All four tentacles, without exception, were locked onto by the blackness and became nourishment for Shang Yanci.

—Using 'Devour' freely, unconstrained by his fingers.

This was a goal Shang Yanci had been striving for months to achieve at the Pollution Research Institute but had never succeeded.

Now, he had done it.

But what was the use?

Xiao Guai was already gone.

Why did that unknown mud pollutant capture Xiao Guai?

The Ancient God Church? The Black Mist? Or the centaur?

No, it didn't matter.

Shang Yanci's mind was in chaos, but the killing intent and hatred in his heart swelled boundlessly.

Xiao Guai…

Let them all join Xiao Guai…

An inky darkness spread from his pupils, his whites gradually disappearing. Shang Yanci lifted his foot, moving stiffly forward.

"Shang Yanci!"

A cold, stern male voice exploded beside Shang Yanci's ear: "Get a hold of yourself! Xu Suihe might still be alive!"

Shang Yanci froze, then suddenly turned to look at the speaker.

Gu Xingzhi's words abruptly halted.

The drenched boy, his hair and clothes soaked, had eyes that were nearly pure black. The unmistakable anxiety and fierce menace on his face made him look like a young wolf separated from its only companion.

"Zhong Kang's awakened ability is 'Call My Name.' As long as you provide him with a person's name and some relevant information, he can simply determine that person's condition."

Gu Xingzhi said: "Names aren't unique; duplicates are common. So the information you provide must be detailed for him to accurately determine the condition of the person you're asking about."

Gu Xingzhi understood Shang Yanci's urgency, but he still carefully explained the specifics of 'Call My Name.'

Shang Yanci was already standing on the boundary between the Awakened and the Fallen.

One more step, and there would be no turning back.

The tall, handsome man watched as the boy with dark eyes earnestly described Xu Suihe's age, height, and other details to Zhong Kang, heaving a nearly imperceptible sigh.

If he didn't clarify the limitations of Zhong Kang's ability and Shang Yanci provided incomplete information, leading to a failed or incorrect assessment by Zhong Kang…

Gu Xingzhi didn't let himself dwell on it.

"How is Xiao Guai?"

Seeing the burly young man open his eyes, Shang Yanci's body tensed involuntarily, his nearly all-black eyes swirling with panic. A subtle unease, like constricting strings, constricted his heart.

"Alive," Zhong Kang said briefly.

The strings around his heart finally snapped. Shang Yanci's tightly clenched fists relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Xiao Guai… is still alive.

As long as he's alive.

Shang Yanci seemed to want to curl his lips into a smile, but all his strength had been drained by the earlier turmoil. Now, even such a simple action was beyond him.

The overly dense black in his eyes slowly faded. Under the tense gazes of everyone, Shang Yanci's abyssal pupils gradually returned to normal.

"Xiao Ci, don't worry, we will definitely rescue Xiao He."

Seeing Shang Yanci's eyes return to normal and the oppressive menace around him dissipate somewhat, Lu Shuze, who had been standing by nervously, holding his breath for fear of disrupting something, finally let out a sigh of relief and comforted him.

"Mm." Shang Yanci didn't refuse his kindness, acknowledging with a sound.

Having run and stood rigidly for what felt like ages, Lu Shuze no longer had the energy to care about being dirty. He plopped down on the ground, muttering: "Mud, rocks…"

Gan Chuyao: "Captain, pollutants matching this description are quite rare in Xunhai City."

Gu Xingzhi gazed at the muddy alley, deep in contemplation.

"Captain!"

Ning Yi's voice suddenly rang out.

He burst out of the logistics department's vehicle, his voice tight with urgency: "We have an ID!"

"It's an S-class contaminant—Black Rock!"