Lin Xia used stealth to sneak in and follow Bai Xiaofei into his neighbor's apartment.
She watched the S&M live show until Bai Xiaofei came out wielding a watermelon cleaver.
Then she watched as Bai Xiaofei toyed with a few Corpse Brothers and fled in a panic.
Lin Xia was amused (how on earth could a skeleton smile?).
Embracing the tactics of an old veteran gamer, she ambushed the three Level 1 and Level 2 Corpse Brothers one by one while they were giving chase.
A few piercing bone spear thrusts finished them off, followed by refining them with her Bone Spirit source, landing herself some sweet experience points.
After absorbing the energy, Lin Xia continued to tail the protagonist, Bai Xiaofei.
She witnessed Bai Xiaofei bullying someone smaller than him as he brutally beat up the child Corpse Brother, only for the Little Corpse Brother to blink innocently and kindly invite Bai Xiaofei to play on the seesaw.
The little one did nothing but repeat the word "play."
Watching this scene, complex emotions welled up inside Lin Xia.
Only after that child turned into a Corpse Brother could he play in such a carefree manner.
No more memorizing ancient poetry, studying English, practicing musical instruments, or being suffocated by his parents' obsessive demands for him to succeed.
At this moment, he finally seemed truly free.
Bai Xiaofei seemed to think so, too. Lacking the heart to kill the child, he let him be to face his own fate, hoping only that he would play to his heart's content and stop eating people.
After all, the child was still small and no match for a human.
Bai Xiaofei waved his hand at the Little Corpse Brother and said,
"Little guy, stop thinking about eating people. That's no fun at all.
You just stay here and play on the seesaw. Who knows, maybe one day you'll become a seesaw master."
Bai Xiaofei put away his watermelon cleaver and strode out of the green space.
Seeing Bai Xiaofei leave, the Little Corpse Brother let out sounds of "P-play, pl-play..." as if begging the big brother to stay and play with him a little longer.
Yet Bai Xiaofei didn't even look back as he quickened his pace, muttering to himself:
"Oh dear, I can't play with you anymore. I've got big things to do, so you just go ahead and have fun by yourself."
Lin Xia let out a long sigh and piled a few bricks onto one end of the seesaw so the Little Corpse Brother could keep playing even without moving himself.
As she placed the bricks, she muttered under her breath: "Hey, little guy, now you can play to your heart's content. My temporary seesaw engineering job isn't half bad, is it?"
The Little Corpse Brother went up and down on the seesaw, looking quite happy.
Lin Xia felt a wave of emotion, reflecting on just how helpless and tragic this was.
The child only obtained so-called "freedom" after turning into a Corpse Brother, yet that freedom was so twisted.
At the same time, Lin Xia couldn't help smiling at her own impulsive actions.
Recalling Bai Xiaofei's humorous words, she felt they added a touch of bizarre color to this strange scene.
Suddenly, a huge, centipede-like monster burst out from a large hole in the lawn.
The monster was as wide as a compact car, with three or four meters of its body exposed and the greater half still trapped inside the hole.
It possessed multiple pairs of main limbs as thick and sturdy as excavator arms,
using them to tunnel back and forth through the earth with lightning speed.
In addition, numerous human-sized arthropods flailed incessantly in the air.
Atop the centipede monster's head was an inverted human face, followed by a mouth as large as a prehistoric alligator's, flanked by terrifying giant horns.
Even more terrifyingly, every single segment of its limbs was covered with faces of all sizes,
each sporting a bloody maw and razor-sharp teeth that constantly ground against one another.
Lin Xia muttered inwardly:
"Holy crap, what on earth is that thing?! Did a centipede attain enlightenment, or did a human mutate way too far off the rails?
If a fight broke out, my bones probably wouldn't even be enough to plug its gaps between teeth.
Screw this, time to run. Saving my own skin comes first."
She then backed far away from Bai Xiaofei, preparing to play it by ear.
Bai Xiaofei also realized in an instant that this Corpse Brother must be a mutant combination of a human and insects like a centipede.
Having tunneled all the way through the subway and God knows how many people it had devoured, it had grown this terrifying.
Just looking at its sheer size made Bai Xiaofei instantly abandon any thoughts of fighting it;
his watermelon cleaver would probably tickle it at best.
Right at that moment, Bai Xiaofei thought the Centipede Corpse Brother had locked onto him, but it suddenly lunged instead at the Little Corpse Brother playing on the seesaw.
With a single snap of its jaws, the Little Corpse Brother and half the seesaw were swallowed whole.
Even the severed skeleton wrist stuck in the Little Corpse Brother's bottom was grabbed, shoved into its mouth, and chewed frantically.
There was no time to mourn for the Little Corpse Brother.
Seizing the opportunity, Bai Xiaofei scrambled up and fled for his life.
The Centipede Corpse Brother whipped its head around in hot pursuit, but despite its many limbs, it couldn't run very smoothly since they were mutated human arms, not actual feet.
Both Lin Xia and Bai Xiaofei wore looks of utter shock, thoroughly terrified by this horrifying Centipede Corpse Brother.
Recalling the plot from the manga, she searched for a way to defeat the enemy. "Oh right, Chairman Mao!"
Chasing after Bai Xiaofei, the Centipede Corpse Brother struggled with coordination because of its numerous limbs, which hindered its speed.
Bai Xiaofei ran in circles around the park; though the Centipede Corpse Brother pursued him frantically, it could never quite catch up.
Knowing this couldn't go on forever, Bai Xiaofei racked his brain for a way to lure it away.
He remembered that Corpse Brothers retained their living preferences—female Corpse Brothers loved beauty, child Corpse Brothers loved to play, so what about the Centipede Corpse Brother?
Suddenly thinking of "money makes the world go round," Bai Xiaofei pulled out the cash he had on him and threw it at the Centipede Corpse Brother.
Sure enough, the Centipede Corpse Brother stopped to grab the money, even getting into a scuffle with itself over the paper bills.
Taking advantage of the opening, Bai Xiaofei bolted toward the building, and the Centipede Corpse Brother soon resumed its chase.
Bursting into the building, Bai Xiaofei discovered strange vines inside.
Unaware that the vines were "alive," he was nearly snared by them. He slashed the vines apart, which in turn drew the attention of the Centipede Corpse Brother.
The Centipede Corpse Brother crashed into the building, and Bai Xiaofei was nearly grabbed before he stabbed it with his cleaver and bolted immediately.
Behind him, the Vine Corpse Brother and the Centipede Corpse Brother became entangled in a passionate embrace as if they were long-lost lovers.
Bai Xiaofei managed to escape, but he also lost his watermelon cleaver, backpack, and cash, leaving him in a state of "running in the buff."
Watching Bai Xiaofei make a successful getaway, Lin Xia realized that the entanglement between the centipede and the vine Corpse Brothers also successfully blocked her path to continue tracking him.
Therefore, she decided to sit back and watch the tigers fight, hoping to reap some profit from the middle.
One had devoured all the passengers on the subway, while the other had consumed almost everyone in an entire building.
Both had to be at least Level 3 (Above Human Stage Late Stage) Corpse Brothers, if not nearing the Earth Stage.
Lin Xia quietly concealed herself in the shadows nearby, resembling a silent hunter
as she stared intently at the fierce battle between the Centipede Corpse Brother and the Vine Corpse Brother.
The surrounding environment was a complete mess; the once-lush lawn had been trampled into a pott-marked wasteland by the massive Centipede Corpse Brother, with churning mud and flying blades of grass making it look as though it had been ravaged by a fierce storm.
Trees shook violently in the shockwaves of their battle.
Some branches were snapped, and leaves drifted down like a shower of green rain.
The distant sky was veiled by the smoke and dust of combat, rendering it dim and gloomy.
The Centipede Corpse Brother's massive body was like a war chariot, its hard limbs flailing wildly
as it lunged aggressively at the Vine Corpse Brother, letting out a chilling, demon-like screech.
When the Centipede Corpse Brother's limbs, acting like giant mechanical arms laden with irresistible force, smashed into the Vine Corpse Brother,
even the ground trembled as if caught in a minor earthquake.
The Vine Corpse Brother refused to be outdone, as countless flexible tentacles whipped out like agile snakes to rapidly entangle the Centipede Corpse Brother.
Sharp needle-like tips occasionally snapped out from the ends of the tentacles, flashing with the cold gleam of daggers as they sought out vulnerabilities on the Centipede Corpse Brother to deal a fatal blow.
Where they fought, the mud was churned into chaos, and small stones were sent flying to strike nearby tree trunks with dull thuds.
Lin Xia tightly gripped the weapon in her hand, her soul fire as sharp as a falcon's gaze,
her skull vibrating slightly while the soul fire in her eye sockets revealed a solemn expression.
She knew she must never make a rash move, or she would instantly be counterkilled by these two powerful monsters.
She constantly calculated the optimal timing to strike in her mind,
blending seamlessly with her surroundings.
As time passed, the battle gradually reached a fever pitch.
The Centipede Corpse Brother's limbs were covered in scratches, with green blood even oozing from certain spots;
the Vine Corpse Brother also had multiple tentacles snapped, dangling limply in the air.
Both sides showed signs of fatigue, and the power and speed of their attacks dropped noticeably.
Lin Xia keenly perceived that this battle was about to be decided.
Her focus sharpened, tension and excitement intertwining within her.
"Now is the time. This is my only chance."
Her body tensed slightly like a fully drawn bow, concentrating with every fiber of her being as she awaited that crucial moment.
Finally, the moment the Centipede Corpse Brother and the Vine Corpse Brother were both battered and bruised,
teetering on the verge of deciding the victor, Lin Xia sprang forward like a leopard.
Her figure moved as fast as lightning, the bone spear in her hand flashing with a cold glint.
She charged at the Centipede Corpse Brother first, taking advantage of its distraction to fiercely stab into its more vulnerable joints.
The Centipede Corpse Brother let out a roar of agony, wanting to counterattack but lacking the strength.
Then Lin Xia swiftly turned toward the Vine Corpse Brother, deftly dodging its flailing tentacles
to drive the bone spear with pinpoint accuracy into the Vine Corpse Brother's core.
At this moment, the soul fire in Lin Xia's eyes displayed determination and decisiveness, her gaze filled with absolute focus.
Caught completely off guard by Lin Xia's sudden assault, the two powerful monsters
had no time to react before being overwhelmed.
Relying on her agile movements and decisive attacks, Lin Xia successfully subdued them one by one.
Looking at the Centipede Corpse Brother and the Vine Corpse Brother lying defeated on the ground, Lin Xia let out a long breath.
The soul fire in her eye sockets flickered constantly, revealing a hint of a triumphant smile (how does a skeleton smile anyway?).
This thrilling spectator game of watching tigers fight ultimately ended with her successful sneak attack.
To prevent them from undergoing a secondary mutation, she immediately began refining them.
The two massive bodies began to dissolve, turning into specks of white light
that integrated into Lin Xia's bone frame, some leaving intricate patterns carved upon her bones.
Lin Xia murmured to herself: "What a bountiful harvest this time. Playing it like Little Vajra really is always a thrill."
Not only had her cultivation reached the Late Stage of the Human Stage with a lingering sensation of an imminent breakthrough to the peak,
but she had also acquired the abilities of body hardening, vine control, and neurotoxin release.
Her physical fitness had improved further, her defense vastly enhanced to the point of withstanding artillery shells, and both her movement and attack speeds had increased dramatically.