allendalepharm Page 225
Page 225
"Thank you, Sister Xiaozhen." Huanji straightened up and thanked her politely.
She looked at the plate of watermelons in front of her, cut into even pieces and arranged like a work of art, but felt no warmth in her heart.
Because she could "smell" that, amidst the fragrance of fruit, there was a very subtle trace of... demonic energy belonging to Xiao Zhen herself.
This demonic energy isn't poison, but rather acts like a mental catalyst. An ordinary person who consumes it might only experience inexplicable irritability.
0 ······Requesting flowers·· ··
But for Huanji, whose mind is already extremely sensitive, this was enough to evoke dark memories of escape and fear deep within her heart.
"Little sister, why aren't you eating?" Xiao Zhen blinked her innocent big eyes and asked with concern, "Did I do something wrong that made you unhappy?"
This statement, seemingly out of concern, is actually a subtle way of exerting pressure.
Xiao Zhen wanted to test whether this seemingly innocent enchantress had ulterior motives.
Just as Huanji was at a loss for what to do, a calm, indifferent yet undeniable voice came from not far away.
.... 0 0
"It's time to eat in the dining hall. The master said that we should not eat anything before the meal, so as not to affect our spleen and stomach."
Long Yan had finished meditating at some point and was standing there quietly.
His gaze did not fall on Xiao Zhen or Huan Ji; he simply stared calmly at the distant horizon.
But Xiao Zhen detected a hint of undeniable warning in his calm tone.
Her smile froze slightly, then returned to its innocent and carefree state, as if the subtle exchange had never happened.
"Oh dear, look at my memory! I've forgotten Master's rules." She patted her forehead in feigned annoyance, then said to Huanji, "Well, little sister, let's hurry up and go. We can't keep Master and everyone else waiting."
As she spoke, she naturally reached out to take Huanji's hand.
Huanji instinctively took a half step back to avoid her touch.
Xiao Zhen's hand froze in mid-air, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes.
But in an instant, her innocent and sweet smile was replaced by a smile that seemed harmless, while inwardly she was criticizing Long Yan.
"Hmph, they were clearly doing it for your own good!"
"Long Yan, don't fall for this vixen's honey trap and get yourself into trouble."
Long Yan certainly wouldn't. He knew the plot of the Monster City storyline; before Huan Ji lost her virginity, she was indeed very innocent.
Chapter 200 The Drug "Happiness," Hong Kong Falls
Peaceful days are always fleeting.
That evening, the mountain gate of Wulong Temple, which had not seen any "distinguished guests" for a long time, was violently smashed open by a black SUV with a futuristic feel.
The car door opened, and two imposing figures with solemn expressions stepped out.
It was Jia Shan, the captain of the Monster Special Police Team, and Zi Luo, the vice-captain.
"Master Longyan!" Captain Jia Shan's loud and urgent voice broke the silence of the courtyard. "The situation is urgent, we need your help!"
Upon hearing the sound, Long Yan, who was sparring with Xiao Long, stopped his moves. He looked at Jia Shan and Zi Luo, who were covered in dust and even smelled faintly of gunpowder, and his brows furrowed slightly.
He could sense an ominous aura emanating from both of these high-ranking SWAT officers.
"Captain Jia Shan, Vice Captain Zi Luo, please, let's talk in the meditation room." Long Yan gestured for them to enter and led them into the meditation room where guests were being received.
Wang Xian'er and Huan Ji followed them in. They both sensed a hint of danger in this unusual scene.
As soon as he sat down, Captain Jia Shan got straight to the point, pushing a military-grade, high-strength encrypted tablet in front of Long Yan.
"Master, please take a look."
The screen was playing a chaotic video from a city street surveillance camera.
In the video, a group of stylishly dressed young people are dancing wildly at an open-air music party.
However, their dance moves were extremely bizarre and distorted. Their faces all wore a fanatical smile of extreme excitement, even a bit ferocious.
Suddenly, one of the tall young men froze! Then, he let out a pained roar that was unlike anything in human form!
Beneath his skin, something seemed to be writhing and growing wildly! His muscles began to expand and tear at a visible speed! His bones crackled as they were forcibly stretched and reshaped!
In just over ten seconds, he transformed from a normal person into a humanoid monster over two meters tall, covered in bluish-black keratin, and dripping foul-smelling saliva from its mouth!
"Roar--!!!"
The monster roared to the sky, then pounced without hesitation on its companions who were still dancing wildly!
A bloody massacre unfolded in an instant!
Even more terrifying is that the bodies of those young people who were torn apart and devoured by the monsters also began to undergo the same horrific transformation!
The video ended abruptly there.
The entire meditation room fell into a deathly silence.
Wang Xian'er and Huan Ji were completely drained of color.
"What...what is this?" Wang Xian'er's voice trembled slightly.
“We call it ‘happiness’,” Violet said, her voice cold and filled with disgust.
"A new type of synthetic demonic energy drug. Users experience intense sensory pleasure for a short period. However, the side effect is that it aggressively activates and catalyzes the latent demonic genes in the human body, causing the user to transform into a mindless being driven only by the instinct to kill and devour... Demonic Beast 0..."
“In the past 72 hours, more than 20 similar serious incidents have broken out throughout Hong Kong.” Captain Jia Shan looked exhausted and deeply powerless. “We have done everything we could to keep the situation under control and prevent it from causing widespread panic. But we know that this is just the calm before the storm.”
“All the clues point to one source,” Violet continued, her gaze sharpening like a knife. “An underground biochemical laboratory controlled by the Ghost Clan.”
"The Ghost Clan?" A cold glint flashed in Long Yan's eyes. He was familiar with this name.
“Yes.” Violet nodded, a very complicated expression on her face. “We conducted the deepest energy spectrum analysis on the remaining ‘happiness’ samples at a raided drug manufacturing site. Then, we discovered an extremely disturbing result.”
She paused, then turned her gaze to Huan Ji, who had remained silent from the beginning.
2.2 “In the core energy structure of the ‘pleasure’ drug, we detected a trace but highly active bio-energy signature. The spectrum of this energy has a similarity of more than 97 percent to the energy spectrum of the ‘source of life’ in Miss Huanji’s body.”
These words struck Huanji's heart like a bolt from the blue!
Her body trembled violently, and her already pale face turned ashen white in an instant.
“No…it can’t be…” she murmured to herself, her eyes filled with disbelief, fear, and despair.
Chapter 201 Huanji Runs Away from Home, Heading to the Underworld to Sever the Roots of Sin
The night is as deep as ink.
Huanji sat alone under the medicinal tree she had saved on the back mountain, her slender figure appearing particularly lonely and fragile in the cold moonlight.
She barely ate anything at dinner.
The news brought by Zi Luo was like an invisible mountain, weighing heavily on her heart and making it hard for her to breathe.
The "Source of Life" is the origin and pride of their Ancient Tree of Life clan, representing the power of rebirth, healing, and hope. But now, this sacred power has been twisted and defiled, becoming the source of evil that creates slaughter and monsters. And all these sins seem to originate from her.
"Why...why is this happening..."
She buried her face in her knees, her thin shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
She couldn't understand how Gui Zhongdao had obtained her 07 "Source of Life." Did she inadvertently reveal it during her escape? Or was it secretly stolen when the SWAT team member protecting her sacrificed his life?
Neither possibility could alleviate the guilt and self-blame that gnawed at her heart like a thousand ants.
The bloody images of the young people who turned into monsters from consuming "happiness," the innocent citizens brutally murdered by these monsters, and the special police officers who bravely sacrificed their lives to control the situation flashed repeatedly through her mind. She felt as if her hands were stained with blood that could never be washed away.
"Phantom Princess".
A gentle voice sounded from behind. Wang Xian'er, carrying a bowl of still steaming lotus seed soup, tiptoed over and sat down beside her.
"Don't overthink it." She handed the bowl to Huanji and comforted her softly, "It's not your fault. No one will blame you."
Huanji looked up at Wang Xian'er's face, which was full of concern and tenderness, and tears finally welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face.
"But... Sister Xian'er... those people... all died because of me..."
"Silly girl." Wang Xian'er reached out and gently pulled her into her arms, patting her back like she was comforting a wronged child. "The ones who truly deserve to die are the Ghost Clan who created all this evil. You are the victim, not the perpetrator."
Long Yan also walked slowly over from not far away.
He didn't say anything to comfort her; he just stood there quietly. But Huanji could feel a steady and profound strength emanating from him, which gradually calmed her panicked and broken heart.
“Master Longyan…” she raised her tear-streaked face and asked in a sobbing voice, “Am I… an unlucky person? Wherever I go, I bring disaster…”
Looking into her eyes, which were filled with self-doubt and pain, Long Yan finally spoke slowly.
His voice was calm, yet it possessed a power that pierced through people's hearts.
"Cause and effect are cyclical, and everything is predetermined. The sin is not yours, but the evil in people's hearts. If you trap yourself in your inner demons, you will be playing right into the hands of the demons and their ilk."
"What you need to do is not wallow in self-pity."
"Instead, I'm going to sever this ill-fated relationship that started with you."
Long Yan's words struck Huan Ji's heart like a morning bell and an evening drum, gradually clearing her mind, which had been clouded by guilt and fear.
Yes... running away is useless, and self-blame can't bring life back. The only thing we can do is face it all and try to make amends.
A resolute glint gradually ignited in her eyes.
night, deeper.
After everyone fell asleep.
Huanji sat up silently from the bed.
She changed into a black outfit that allowed her to move around easily and walked to her desk.
She picked up a pen and wrote a line of delicate yet resolute handwriting on a blank sheet of paper.
"All the sins of this mortal world are mine to bear; I will now go to the Yellow Springs to sever the root of my sins. Master Longyan, Sister Xian'er, take care."
After finishing writing, she gently pressed the letter under the book on basic breathing techniques that Long Yan had given her.
Then, she took one last deep look at the meditation room that had given her a brief moment of warmth and peace, and turned to push open the door.
Her figure, like a black butterfly, silently blended into the boundless night.