In an instant.
Lin En suddenly rushed back into the shop, gritting his teeth and quickly closing the door.
His eyes flickered, and the Soul Lantern he was holding swayed wildly, almost extinguishing completely.
It's over.
He couldn't escape.
He hadn't expected the crisis to arrive so quickly.
And the System's warning was already very clear; this crisis was aimed at him.
Or rather, it was aimed at the Blood Saw Potion Shop!
"Since I can't run, I can only save myself!"
Lin En gritted his teeth.
Without a word, he quickly rushed into the backyard and forcefully closed the back door.
...
Boom—
A loud noise.
The shop's front door exploded open, and vast, bloody mist poured in without the protection of the Soul Lantern.
A huge shadow cast a long silhouette on the lobby floor.
Then came waves of foul, bloody stench, like a rotten corpse that had been soaked in water for many days, slowly walking on the ground!
Thump—
Thump—
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Inside the operating room in the backyard, Lin En leaned against the wall, a boning knife in one hand and the revolver in the other, his brow furrowed in solemnity as he pressed himself against the wall.
The Soul Lantern had been extinguished.
This meant that night had fallen.
Nothing could shelter him anymore.
Swoosh swoosh—
From the lobby, came the crisp sound of potion bottles falling to the ground, one after another, a continuous symphony.
Lin En closed his eyes, gritting his teeth tightly, the veins on his temples throbbing wildly.
【100 Skull Coins!】
Swoosh—
【500 Skull Coins!】
Swoosh—
【821 Skull Coins!】
With every sound of a breaking bottle outside, a number flashed fiercely in Lin En's mind.
Not fear.
Heartache!
Because that was his money! His round, precious money! Something more important than his life!
Lin En narrowed his eyes, his gaze flickering.
A direct confrontation was not an option, because the mere aura emanating from it had made his heart feel like it was about to explode.
This was enough to show the monster's power.
So the only thing that could save him in time...
【Blood-Clad!】
Without any hesitation, Lin En solemnly extended both hands, instantly gripping the revolver in his hand, his gaze steadying.
She lived at No. 44 Youhun Lane, not far across the street.
If she could receive his signal in time, she would surely rush over!
"Curse Cleanse!"
He uttered the command solemnly.
【Ding! Do you wish to cancel the curse cleanse on "Blood-Clad Evil Spirit" and use the curse cleanse ability on the [Demon Hunter Revolver]?】
"Yes!"
In an instant.
Lin En immediately felt the ghost curse, which he had extracted from the Blood-Clad Evil Spirit, begin to weaken within his body.
And the revolver in his hand instantly began to secrete strands of viscous black liquid.
Swoosh swoosh—
Those black liquids directly attached to his palm, and he cleared them out of the revolver.
The revolver emitted a faint halo.
【Ding! You have completed the curse cleanse on the Demon Hunter Revolver! Cooldown: 12 hours. Duration: 24 hours.】
Click—
Lin En immediately set the revolver's safety to off, squinting his eyes and cautiously pressing himself against the doorway.
The curse had been lifted.
This meant.
The Blood-Clad Evil Spirit could now revert to her original form.
And this was the only way he could transmit information to her. He believed that once the curse was removed, the Blood-Clad Evil Spirit would immediately come looking for him.
Because only he could help her clear the curse within her!
And now.
As long as he could survive until the Blood-Clad Evil Spirit arrived, there was a glimmer of hope!
Hoo hoo—
The foul bloody stench wafted from the lobby.
Lin En could clearly feel the sounds in the lobby pause for a moment. Clearly, when he activated the curse cleanse ability just now, it had attracted the monster's attention.
The curtain was slowly lifted.
A long shadow fell into the corridor.
Lin En glanced at the long, shapeless shadow outside the operating room door, narrowed his eyes, and tightly gripped the revolver.
Thump—
Thump—
The footsteps sounded again.
And they were getting closer and closer, the vast shadow accompanying them also inching towards the backyard.
Lin En held his breath, his gaze becoming incomparably calm.
In the terrifying silence.
He could only hear his own heartbeat and the heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor.
Bit by bit.
Bit by bit.
The foul bloody stench was also spreading rapidly.
And in the next moment, the footsteps outside stopped.
And just as Lin En's nerves were stretched taut.
Thwack—
A sudden, muffled sound.
Lin En's pupils widened instantly.
And in front of his chest.
A hand covered in barbs pierced through his chest, through the wall behind him, and emerged dripping blood from his chest.
Plop—
Lin En's eyes lost focus, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
Behind him, on the hard wall, a scarlet, twisted hand slowly retracted from the wall, yet the wall showed no signs of damage, as if it were merely an illusion to it.
An endless bloody stench spread.
Blood gushed from Lin En's chest, dyeing the entire ground red.
His pupils were wide open, his body twitching continuously.
Blood flowed freely.
Thump—
Thump—
The footsteps sounded again.
Then, reflected in Lin En's unfocused pupils, a huge, distorted figure slowly pushed open the door and appeared at the entrance of the operating room.
What kind of monster was that?
It was like a mass of giant rotten flesh roughly stitched together, with no head, no face, only a protruding giant eye squeezed out from the middle of the huge, foul-smelling mass.
That giant eye occupied almost its entire torso.
Around the torso, dozens of normal-sized eyeballs were scattered.
And growing around the torso were several completely different types of arms: human hands, tentacles, beast claws, twisted limbs of evil spirits, and even terrifying mechanical limbs.
It was like a monstrous deformity violently stitched together!
【Flesh Puppet Type 3: Hell Walker】
【Level】: ??
【Race】: Stitched Monster
【Alignment】: Chaotic Evil
【Combat Capability】: Unrivaled, powerful creation.
【Introduction】: A cutting-edge creation of the Demon Human Association, one of the top flesh machines in the Inverted Hanging Tower. Its appearance is bound to bring slaughter and destruction. This is an ultimate weapon specially manufactured by the Demon Human Association to hunt down rebellious elements. It can continuously devour creatures and evolve anew. Never try to be targeted by it...
Blood poured from Lin En's body.
Lin En's pupils were wide open, watching the monster approach inch by inch.
Swoosh swoosh—
Scarlet tentacles extended from the monster's body, crawling on the ground like snakes, and then, inch by inch, they pierced into Lin En's legs like syringes.
Creak— Creak—
A series of sounds of flesh being pierced ensued.
It was devouring him!
But in the very next moment, the tentacles that had pierced his body to extract blood stopped.
"Organic identification... Human... Quality assessment... Low..."
"Devour priority... Not recommended for consumption... Initiating cleanup..."
A harsh voice sounded in Lin En's ears.
Screech—
Lin En's legs instantly exploded into a bloody mist from those snake-like tentacles.
But almost at the same moment, Lin En's broken heart suddenly beat violently, and a stream of blood instantly spread from beneath his skin to his wrist.
It was as if some crisis response measure had been triggered.
In an instant.
Lin En's pupils contracted sharply.
As if a final burst of energy, Lin En suddenly gripped the revolver in his hand, forcefully turned, and gritted his teeth.
He aimed the muzzle at the giant eye on the monster's torso.
Bang—
A shot rang out.
The Demon Hunter's bullet instantly shot into the very center of the monster's giant eye.
A long howl.
Sacred power surged through his entire body like electricity, and its countless arms began to attack wildly, causing the entire wall to collapse under their onslaught.
And seizing this last opportunity.
Lin En suddenly reached out, gritted his teeth, grabbed a scarlet cloak from his pocket, and threw it on.
Instantly.
At the very moment the terrifying giant hand struck.
Lin En rolled, his body merging with the ground, disappearing without a trace.
"Error... Information re-evaluation in progress... Target possesses extreme camouflage capabilities..."
"Race adjustment... Cyborg, has undergone advanced biological modification..."
"Devour priority... High... Recommended for termination..."
...
Chapter 57: Vertical Eye and Tentacles, Full Body Mutation
Basement.
Lin En, cloaked, held his chest that was continuously bleeding, gritted his teeth and fumbled for a razor, then slashed forcefully at his own legs.
He panted violently, large drops of sweat beading on his forehead.
Too careless!
He had been too careless!
When facing a monster of this caliber, he should have known! They had many ways to detect your location!
Experience!
His combat experience and crisis response experience were still insufficient!
And if he hadn't put on the [Blood Fiend's Cloak] at the last moment, he feared he wouldn't have survived that instant.
【Blood Fiend's Cloak】
【Quality】: Rare
【Characteristics】: After use, it can hide one's aura and allow passage through solid objects like a phantom.
【Introduction】: The formless, intangible evil spirits always become people's innermost fears, so monsters from the abyss created such cloaks, allowing you to become like an evil spirit, formless and intangible. However, beware, once you put it on, you lose all offensive capabilities.
Lin En gritted his teeth, clutching his chest, his gaze fixed on the basement door.
"These past few days have been too peaceful, I've really forgotten what kind of world I'm living in. One can die at any moment..."
He spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood and fragments of internal organs.
Without another word.
He took out the Flesh Proliferation Potion and poured it onto his severed legs and the pierced chest cavity.
He gritted his teeth, twisting his neck with a crackling sound, and said:
"As expected, high physique still has its uses at critical moments. But I really have to thank my teacher. If I hadn't had that surgery back then, I'd be finished now!"
Creak Creak—
The Flesh Proliferation Potion began to take effect.
His damaged chest cavity and legs immediately began to heal at an unimaginable speed.
The potion, which could work on sprites with strong resistance, showed an incredibly rapid healing effect on normal humans.
In just a few breaths.
Lin En's body was completely restored.
Lin En panted, stood up with effort, and moved his nearly dismembered body with cracking sounds.
And almost simultaneously, a System prompt sounded in Lin En's ear.
【Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 1 mutation!】
【Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 1 mutation!】
【Ding! Your body has undergone a Level 2 mutation!】
Thwack—
Thwack—
Two tentacles covered in barbs grew out from Lin En's back.
And the skin on the back of his neck split open, slowly revealing an inverted eye.
【Ding! System detected three controllable mutations, currently analyzing target...】
【Ding! Analysis complete!】
【Flesh Tendrils】: Connected to the central nervous system, can be contracted and grown at will.
【Evil Spirit Vertical Eye】: Connected to the optic nerve, can penetrate barriers and detect evil spirit auras.
Swoosh—
At Lin En's command, the two tentacles revealed sharp barbs and floated in front of him.
He gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes, and said:
"Maybe I can try it out. At least this revolver still has considerable destructive power against that monster!"
After all, it was a Witcher's personal item, a high-quality anti-monster weapon!
Click—
He flipped the revolver's safety off.
And in the very next moment, Lin En, cloaked in the scarlet cloak, passed through the wall like a phantom.
Under the scrutiny of the Evil Spirit Vertical Eye, Lin En instantly spotted the huge flesh monster in the corridor.
Lin En's mind was highly focused.
Like a phantom, he weaved through the walls, approaching the monster inch by inch.
Hoo—
A scarlet shadow instantly flashed past the monster's side.
The monster's huge pupils, which had recovered, slowly rotated, scanning the surrounding walls, and its frenzied arms seemed ready to attack at any moment.
Whoosh—
Behind him, a blood-red shadow flashed.
Pairs of eyes suddenly opened on the monster's back, watching the corridor behind it.
But almost at the moment its attention was drawn to the corridor behind it.
From the broken doorway of the alchemy room on its side, Lin En's narrowed eyes appeared.
"You're finished!"
Instantly.
Lin En pulled the trigger!
Bang bang bang bang bang bang—
Six shots in a row.
Six Demon Hunter bullets instantly pierced through the door and landed on the monster.
In an instant.
Crackling—
Sacred currents erupted from the monster's body.
The Demon Hunter Revolver had a strong suppressive effect on creatures of the dark world, and sacred power was the natural enemy of most monsters!
Almost instantly, Lin En saw the monster's movements become sluggish.
Revolver ammunition recovering.
This was a good opportunity to hit it twice!
Lin En instantly drew his boning knife.
But just as he was about to break through the door, he suddenly saw six eyeballs emerge from the six bullet holes.
Their hollow gazes fixed directly on him.
A tremendous sense of danger instantly washed over him.
"No good!"
Lin En instantly donned his cloak and without hesitation prepared to phase through the wall.
But it was too late.
The hollow gazes instantly fell upon his face.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—
A pained groan.
Lin En's face and the skin exposed to its gaze instantly began to dissolve, emitting wisps of smoke.
Its gaze just now carried a curse!
Lin En gritted his teeth, enduring the immense pain, and flipped over, disappearing underground.
...
"Hiss— Hiss—"
In the basement, Lin En panted heavily.
He opened a new bottle of Flesh Proliferation Potion and poured it onto his dissolving face and neck.
The scarlet liquid hissed as it seeped into his skin.
The wounds on his face healed rapidly.
Meanwhile.
The System prompt followed immediately.
【Ding! You have experienced a Level 1 mutation!】
【Ding! You have experienced a Level 1 mutation!】
Swoosh swoosh—
Two huge tentacles pierced out from behind Lin En's shadow on the wall.
But Lin En ignored them. His gaze was serious, and using the Evil Spirit Vertical Eye, he observed the monster from afar.
He soon saw clearly that the six bullets that had just been fired into the monster's body were being pushed out little by little by the monster's flesh.
The currents enveloping its body were also rapidly subsiding.
This meant.
In just two rounds.
The monster had already adapted to the sacred damage added by the Demon Hunter bullets?!
Or had it activated a special form to counter his attacks?!
"This is bad!"
Lin En frowned.
Because his greatest reliance right now was this Demon Hunter Revolver.
If it could be largely immune to sacred damage, then let alone defeating this monster, even getting close would become an extremely dangerous affair!
He calmly regained his composure.
The probe just now was risky; he had to maintain his rationality!
"I can only leave here first and then make plans."
Lin En made up his mind.
It was clearly impossible to defeat this monster with his current strength.
Without a word, he instantly phased through the wall and headed outwards without a moment's delay.
If you can't win and charge forward anyway, that's not bravery, it's recklessness.
Not to mention, he was still a Level 9 trash. Although he had a few good items in hand, it still couldn't bridge the gap in hard power.
At this time, he had to follow the dictates of his heart.
Lin En's expression was grim as he rapidly traversed underground.
Meanwhile.
The vertical eye on his back continuously monitored the monster's movements.
Time passed quickly.
But just as he left the vicinity of the Blood Saw Potion Shop, suddenly, in his Evil Spirit vision, the monster's body flickered violently, and then instantly disappeared from his observation.
It had shielded its aura?!
Lin En's expression changed slightly.
Buzz—
A terrifying aura suddenly swept over him from behind.
Almost instinctively, Lin En shifted violently to the side.
In an instant, a giant hand, like an illusion, pierced through the ground and grazed his cheek, injuring his face.
It was the Evil Spirit hand that had previously pierced his heart!