CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84 RUN!

Lu Yuan glanced at the syringe in his hand.

Without delay, he followed Zhou Ling’s instructions and administered 1 ml of the blue liquid to each of the three prone Yellow Bear Members.

After he was done, he checked the three Yellow Bear Members’ chests one by one. He was surprised to find that after the blue liquid was injected, two who originally had no breath gradually started to regain their heartbeats.

"It’s incredibly powerful!" Lu Yuan couldn’t help but exclaim.

Looking at the plentiful amount of unknown blue liquid left in his hand, he contemplated whether he should secretly save some. If it could forcefully resuscitate the "dead," the next time his grandfather, Lu Yueping, had a stroke, injecting him with it could likely have him springing up like a carp, performing a sequence of Tai Chi. It might even eliminate the need for hospital surgery.

Just as he was considering this, Zhou Ling dragged out two more Yellow Bear Members.

The grisly truth of the battle slowly unfolded before Lu Yuan. The group of Yellow Bear Members Zhou Ling had brought were all heavily injured; some were so badly hurt they were nearly unrecognizable.

Lu Yuan noticed one of them, a strong, square-faced man with a burly physique. He remembered this man particularly well because this man had previously used electronic shackles to drag him before Zhou Ling. This man now had a gaping hole in his left chest where his heart should have been; his heart was gone. The strangest thing was that there was no blood around the wound; instead, it gave off a foul, necrotic stench.

"Are the Strong Divine Servants... really this powerful?" After injecting the blue liquid into the unfortunate man, unsure if he could even be saved, Lu Yuan finally couldn’t help but ask Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling collapsed onto the ground, his forehead slick with sweat from rushing into the fire to save people. He replied between gulps of air, "The Strong Divine Servants are much more powerful than ordinary Divine Servants. This time, I was a fool. He took a big hit from me, but not only did he not flee, he stayed and continued to fight us. I should have realized his strength wasn’t ordinary. We should have called for reinforcements sooner; then it wouldn’t have ended up this bad..."

"What exactly does ’Divine Servant’ mean?" Lu Yuan had many theories about this term and wanted to verify them with Zhou Ling.

Zhou Ling looked at him and slowly explained, "It’s a group of maniacs who try everything to establish contact with the gods from folklore and legends.

"They pray for strength, wealth, power, even immortality... They study numerous ancient texts and conduct experiments on innocent people. The most absurd part is..."

Zhou Ling gave a wry smile. "They actually succeeded. Of course, it wasn’t a complete success. Everyone who desires Extraordinary power this way eventually turns into something neither human nor ghost, their minds becoming twisted and alien... They call themselves Divine Servants, which means attendants, servants, or lackeys of the gods."

Listening to Zhou Ling’s explanation, Lu Yuan began to develop a rough framework in his mind.

"The rat man I killed... was he at an ordinary Divine Servant Level?"

"Not even close." Zhou Ling shook his head. "I told you, that thing could at best be considered a Mutant Believer. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can become a Divine Servant."

Lu Yuan wanted to ask Zhou Ling more: Was the Yellow Bears’ purpose to combat these so-called Divine Servants? Are Divine Servants only classified as ordinary and Strong? How was the strength of people like them, Modified Humans, classified? What about Martial Arts?

But Zhou Ling, seemingly perceiving the multitude of questions in Lu Yuan’s mind, promptly cut off the discussion, likely due to exhaustion.

"Is there any of that liquid left? I need some," Zhou Ling gasped after catching his breath for a moment.

"There’s none left." Lu Yuan waggled the empty syringe. "There might be some residue on the syringe wall. Want me to rinse it with water and inject whatever I can get?"

"..."

Zhou Ling rolled his eyes, then ignored Lu Yuan and began fumbling around on his own body, apparently looking for anything useful.

With nothing else to do, Lu Yuan stood and watched the fire in the distance. The orange flames had weakened significantly, and he could see many charred crow carcasses on the ground, not yet fully consumed by the fire.

Tonight’s experiences felt like a dream to Lu Yuan. He had stumbled into a conflict involving this world’s Extraordinary powers. He had witnessed bizarre, surreal scenes he’d previously only seen in movies or on TV.

If his encounter with the rat man had led him to the door of the Extraordinary world, then today, that door had opened a crack. It allowed Lu Yuan to peek through with curiosity and longing, carefully observing the wondrous light spilling from behind it.

"Right!" Lu Yuan looked at the flaming ruins before him and suddenly remembered Wang Zhichao and the survivors from the basement, rescued by the Yellow Bear Members, were still in the house. He wanted to ask Zhou Ling about their whereabouts. If he had the chance, he wouldn’t mind playing the hero in these burning ruins. As for the vest-wearing thugs, Lu Yuan only wished they’d been burned more thoroughly.

When Lu Yuan turned around, he was taken aback to find Zhou Ling staring intently at him. He froze slightly. Zhou Ling’s demeanor was strange. He stood rigidly, his limbs stiff, facial muscles twitching. His mouth opened and closed as if he were in great discomfort but unable to speak.

"Are you... okay?" Lu Yuan hesitated, then probed.

"PUH... PUH..."

Zhou Ling stuttered out a few syllables. Lu Yuan took a couple of cautious steps forward but didn’t dare get too close. Zhou Ling’s current state resembled someone about to turn after a zombie bite; Lu Yuan felt that if he got too close, he’d be bitten for sure.

"What are you trying to say?" Lu Yuan urged, his tone a little sharper.

"P... P..."

Zhou Ling’s expression gradually turned vicious, his eyes fixed on Lu Yuan, as if urging him to do something.

Lu Yuan stared intently at the movement of Zhou Ling’s mouth.

Once, twice...

On the third time, he finally understood.

Zhou Ling was telling him...

Run.

Run!

Instantly, Lu Yuan felt a chill, like a venomous snake, rapidly coiling around his ankles. The surroundings seemed to transform eerily in an instant. The light from the nearby burning ruins dimmed abruptly. The sound of fluttering wings filled the air, and dark shapes flew into his vision. The crows... had appeared again.

The most drastic change, however, came from Zhou Ling, who stood right before him. Lu Yuan watched in disbelief as a bulge appeared on Zhou Ling’s forehead. The bulge grew rapidly, as if something were sprouting from beneath his skin. Zhou Ling’s expression became even more vicious, more tormented.

THUMP—

Accompanied by a soft, muffled sound, the bulge on Zhou Ling’s brow finally burst open. A narrow, sharp, downwardly curved "horn" erupted from it, accompanied by thick, dark red blood mixed with brain matter. It had forced its way out of Zhou Ling’s head.

Zhou Ling’s body trembled violently, as if convulsing. Lu Yuan saw an eerie Black Qi emanating from him, like smoke from a raging fire. Then, a humanoid shadow slowly solidified behind him.

GURGLE...

A rattling sound came from deep in Zhou Ling’s throat, like phlegm stuck there, and he suddenly lunged forward.

SQUELCH.

The "horn" on his forehead abruptly retracted.

Only then did Lu Yuan see clearly.

What the hell was that "horn"? It was clearly a deformed finger, nail included, over a foot long! This finger had pierced straight through Zhou Ling’s skull, from the back of his head to his forehead!

Zhou Ling, barely managing to break free, stumbled. Then, extending his one remaining arm, he spun around and fiercely grabbed the "attacker". The words stuck in his throat finally burst out.

"Run!!"

His hoarse scream tore through the silent night sky as a crow flew coldly overhead.

A gust of wind blew past.

All Lu Yuan could see was Zhou Ling, a bloody hole pierced through the back of his head... and the eerie figure he clutched.