A thick plume of smoke rose from the top of the ballet theater. The ballet dancer statue was blown to pieces, and a massive gaping hole was torn in the theater’s roof.
Lan Bo threw open the window, climbed down the exterior wall of the apartment building, slid along the high-voltage power lines, and finally jumped near the theater, using electromagnetic suspension to cushion his fall as he landed with a hum.
The audience and dancers inside the theater rushed out through the thick smoke. Lan Bo found a window and climbed inside.
The call hadn’t ended yet. Bai Chunian told him over the phone, “I’ll be there soon. Go inside, defuse the other bombs, and evacuate everyone.”
Once inside the theater, Lan Bo spotted a bomb attached to the side of the stage, its countdown ticking down to zero. He immediately crawled over, opened his massive jaws full of sharp teeth, and bit off the stage along with the bomb, swallowing it whole.
The bomb made a muffled thud inside Lan Bo’s stomach. He burped and continued searching for other bombs, wrapping his tail around any living people he saw and tossing them out the window.
“The rag doll isn’t here,” Lan Bo said lazily. “And there’s no one else either.”
Upon hearing the news, Bai Chunian immediately grabbed his gear and drove to the ballet theater with Han Xingqian. Han Xingqian drove while Bai Chunian, in the passenger seat, issued orders to other agents in the Search Division to assist the police with rescue and evacuation efforts.
Upon receiving the order, Bi Lanxing quickly grabbed his gear and led Xiao Xun to the underground parking garage.
Since the IOA headquarters was located in Aochong City, terrorist attacks rarely occurred in the city center. The sudden assault triggered a high state of alert at headquarters.
No sooner had they left than a shadow flickered beneath the wall clock in the quiet corridor of the Medical Society’s ward block.
Wangliang Sandglass appeared beneath the clock, clutching a glass hourglass. His innate ability, Time Travel, allowed him to teleport between clocks in the order of the hour and minute hands.
He walked slowly down the ward corridor, turned the hourglass upside down, and used his J1 ability, “Polarity Reversal,” to disable all the alarms.
In an instant, all the infrared detectors and alarms in the entire corridor were destroyed and rendered useless.
Wangliang opened the window, and Qishenggu slowly descended into the corridor. He tucked away the peacock feathers at his back and raised a small, fluffy fan to cover his mouth as he couldn’t help but cough.
They walked slowly toward the ward and encountered a nurse wearing an IOA Medical Association badge, who sternly demanded to know where they had come from.
Qishenggu closed the small fan. The nine gold, green, and blue dots between his eyebrows slowly glowed with a faint light. As the three-colored dots turned white, the nurse in front of him silently dissolved into a handful of white powder, vanishing into the wind.
Wangliang opened a ward door. Inside were three test subjects, with two young nurses holding reading books and playing games with them.
Qishenggu coughed once, and the two nurses immediately dissolved into white powder.
The three test subjects, who had been playing happily, froze in shock, staring blankly up at the two uninvited guests.
Qishenggu said softly, “Come home with me, girls. You don’t belong here.”
The three test subjects exchanged bewildered glances, eyeing them in confusion for a moment. One of the chipmunk test subjects struggled to climb down from the bed. Clutching the white powder—the remains of the nurse Qishenggu had killed—in its tiny paws, it began to cry sadly. Seeing their companion weep, the other two test subjects joined in, wailing loudly, and the room became unusually chaotic.
Wangliang frantically picked up one of them, but the test subject hit him hard on the head. Wangliang had no choice but to set him back down and rub his head.
“…Forget it. Let’s find another ward.” Qishenggu rubbed the side of his forehead. “I told the puppet master ages ago that I don’t like kids.”
However, they didn’t have much time; patrols made rounds through the ward every ten minutes.
As soon as the patrol arrived, they immediately detected the faint, hostile pheromones in the air and summoned a large number of security personnel. Qishenggu and Wangliang didn’t dare to engage in a direct confrontation with them on IOA’s turf, so they had no choice but to leave.
As Han Xingqian drove into the downtown area, Bai Chunian suddenly pricked up his ears: “Wait, I hear a ticking sound!”
It was already too late. The glass of a nearby shopping mall suddenly shattered, and a shockwave from an earth-shaking explosion sent glass flying across the entire street. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks, looking up to gawk, take photos, and record videos. But when a second deafening explosion rocked the street-side shops, people realized the gravity of the situation and began screaming as they ran frantically through the streets.
“Those bombs were just meant to confuse us and distract us.” Bai Chunian glanced at today’s schedule for the Search Division. “Today’s volunteer activity is at the church. They’re probably after the test subjects. We’re heading to the church; leave this here to the police station and Lan Xing Xiao Xun.”
Han Xingqian nodded and stepped on the gas, speeding off.
But the bombed-out building had already begun to collapse, and the chaotic crowd of pedestrians instantly blocked the street.
Glass and debris rained down from the building. Bai Chunian caught a glimpse of a child chasing a kitten directly beneath a falling shard of glass.
“Stop, stop, stop! What the hell is that brat doing?!” Without waiting for the car to slow down, Bai Chunian flung open the door. The high speed made it impossible for him to keep his balance, and he rolled several times on the ground. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the child, diving forward to pin him to the ground, then wrapping his arms tightly around the boy.
Bai Chunian’s spine instantly stiffened as the falling glass struck him with brutal force.
The moment the glass made contact with his spine, it cracked and shattered into a shower of shards.
Such a large pane of glass falling from a great height could generate an impact equivalent to dozens of tons. Although Bai Chunian’s bones were hardened, his internal organs were violently jolted. A wave of heat rose in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it back down.
He struggled to his feet, pulled the child from beneath him, and shoved him away: “Look at you, you little brat. Get lost. You can’t even watch a grown man properly.”
Han Xingqian also got out of the car and hurried over, using a feather from the Sky Rider’s Wing to soothe Bai Chunian’s internal injuries.
“It’ll heal on its own in a moment. Han, I’ll drive over myself. You stay here to help with the evacuation and prepare for first aid. Once the Medical Association’s vehicle arrives, come find me.” Bai Chunian pushed himself up from the ground and staggered toward the car parked by the roadside.
Han Xingqian watched his still-wobbly figure walk away.
As Bai Chunian’s observing physician, he kept a constant watch on Bai Chunian’s behavior. The last time he observed Bai Chunian, he saw him ignore Eris’s murderous actions on the subway.
On that occasion, the surveillance team had argued after witnessing Bai Chunian’s indifference toward innocent strangers, but Han Xingqian, in his capacity as Bai Chunian’s observer, had forbidden any of the surveillance personnel from interfering with him. For ever since he had taken on Bai Chunian, he had believed that he would change.
The majestic, serene church stood in a quiet corner of the city. On Sundays, many worshippers lingered here, gazing up at the newly painted dome murals and breaking into gentle smiles. It was said that these were painted by a test subject named Turing Museum; though just a child, he could do anything.
The choir children, dressed in neat white robes, were singing inside the church. The young pastor, wearing a Chinese-style clerical robe and holding a Bible in his hands, waited for their arrival. Everything seemed sacred and serene.
Golden Threadworm and Mummy sat in the pews, watching Dandelion and Sapphire in the choir. Today, he was in charge of bringing these two Omega test subjects in the cultivation phase to the church to do volunteer work.
The two little ones sang earnestly alongside the other children who appeared to be their age. Dandelion was very talented at singing; she had a sweet voice and soft, light gray curly hair, and the choir director adored her.
Meanwhile, the pastor preaching to the congregation in a calm, unruffled voice was none other than Satan, recently released from the Alliance Police Department. He had pulled the hood of his black robe tightly over his head to conceal his horns.
Golden Thread sat upright in the audience, with Mummy seated to his right, her hands resting on her knees. Suddenly, Golden Thread turned his head toward the stained-glass window high above, blinking his metallic black eyes; Mummy followed his gaze.
A dark shadow drew ever closer. Golden Threaded Beetle sprang to his feet, drawing an AK-74 rifle wrapped in spider silk from behind his back. Mummy also went on high alert, shielding Golden Threaded Beetle with his body.
The congregation praying inside the church let out a collective scream the moment they saw the weapons. Amid the piercing shrieks, a large hole was smashed through the stained-glass window. Eris leaped inside, brandishing a short-barreled shotgun with a stock carved with Gothic patterns, and fired a shot at the people scattering in all directions.
“Haha, face your judgment, you bunch of fools who just close your eyes and demand this and that.” Eris cackled savagely in midair, the black-and-red cross on his face contorting with his exaggerated grin.
The shotgun’s blast had a wide radius of damage, Golden Thread Worm tossed the rifle to the mummy and, controlling it with one hand, sent it into the air to intercept Eris, while he immediately released spider silk and used his J1 ability, “Pharaoh’s Cocoon,” to envelop the people closest to the blast radius. The spider silk was extremely tough, strong enough to withstand a single shotgun blast.
After dodging the bullets, she immediately recalls the spider cocoons to prevent these ordinary people from being dissolved by the Pharaoh’s Cocoon.
The mummy, meanwhile, raises the rifle and fires at Eris, who is suspended in the air by cursed golden threads. The Golden Thread Worm’s companion ability, Distraction Control, allowed it to manipulate the mummy into attacking and intercepting Eris while it resolved the crisis itself.
Eris nimbly leapt through the air to evade the shots, occasionally sticking her tongue out at the Golden Thread Worm: “Traitor, have you actually started acting like a human’s lapdog?”
Golden Thread tilted its head: “I am Shao Wenchi. I was human to begin with, but I’ve come to like this form—it allows me to protect my family.”
The deafening gunfire echoed through the church, striking fear into the hearts of all.
Golden Thread activated the communicator it carried and contacted headquarters: “The church is under attack by a Cursed One. We need backup.”
The mummy chased after Eris, firing his rifle, but Eris was, after all, one rank higher at A3. Despite the bonus from the Silk Explosive magazine, Jin Luchong was still no match for the Cursed One.
Eris landed a step ahead, pressing the shotgun against Golden Thread’s forehead, while the Mummy behind him raised his rifle with one hand, the muzzle aimed at Eris.
Eris laughed: “Do you dare to shoot? Your bullets would go right through us. Do you like the idea of dying together?”
The Golden Silkworm pressed her lips together.
Eris turned to the people cowering behind overturned tables and chairs, laughing loudly: “ “You didn’t know, did you? He, and them,” Eris pointed at the choir and the pastor, “they’re all test subjects. They could kill you at any moment. The IOA has deceived you. These test subjects are trying to infiltrate humanity. You can’t tolerate that, can you?”
No one dared to answer. Eris raised her voice even louder and demanded of a man, “Am I right?”
However, the fear and screams he had imagined upon the revelation of the truth did not materialize. The trembling man raised his hands above his head and said shakily, “We know they’re test subjects… they’re all wearing ID badges… and they told us that on the very first day.”
“Huh?” Eris turned to look at Golden Thread. Sure enough, a neat ID badge hung from his chest. He stroked his chin as he examined it, reading it out word for word: “Hmm… Test Subject 211, Golden Thread… Pleased to be participating in the Aphid City Volunteer Service… IOA.”
Eris scratched his head.
The gust of wind he created when he jumped down blew away the dandelion’s newly sprouted hair. Sitting on the ground, the dandelion began to cry sadly.
Golden Thread Worm stopped staring down Eris and ran over to comfort her.
Eris gathered his courage once more, this time pointing at the priest in the black robe, and shouted to the crowd, “Ha! You never saw this coming, did you? He’s Satan—actually the devil incarnate with goat horns! Look at your priest’s true face!” He pushed aside the mess on the ground and yanked off Satan’s hood.
But beneath the hood was another hood.
Eris froze, then yanked off another hood, only to find yet another hood beneath it.
He tried to pull it off again, but Satan grabbed his hand.
Satan held up the Bible and said calmly, “This is a place of tolerance and love; people come here with devotion.”
Eris’s eyes widened as he pointed at the Bible in Satan’s hands: “Have you read this book? It’s full of curses and calls to kill you—where’s the love and tolerance in that?”
Satan removed his gunpowder-scented hand from the Bible and stared at him coldly: “No, Satan accuses humanity before God. ‘Satan’ is the name humanity forced upon me. They fashioned my form from the filth in their hearts, but I have risen above such base tastes. I relish this sacred place, listening to wishes and confessions, and using my power to guide their futures.”
Eris opened his mouth, turned, and leaped over the steps, landing before the choir. The other children had already cowered into the corners in fear; Dandelion was sobbing in Golden Thread’s arms, while Jade stared at Eris in a daze, utterly bewildered.
Eris spread his hands, his voice growing impassioned: “ “Hurry, follow me, and you’ll be free. Kill all the humans—no one will control us anymore—or turn them into slaves to do our bidding. We’ll be able to do whatever we want. Little one, think about it: what do you want to do once you’re free?”
Jangyu put her finger in her mouth: “Sing hymns together with the choir and my friends.”
“What else?” Eris’s face fell.
Gangyu racked her brain: “Listen to the teacher tell stories, and learn how to fold paper.”
Eris hunched over, gesturing with her hands in front of her: “My God, what has the IOA brainwashed you all into? They actually just want to… “Um… want… right, want you to work for humans, lock you up, inject you with drugs every now and then, cut off your fingers and toes to satisfy their experimental urges. Is the Medical Association really any better than the Research Institute? I don’t believe it. You have no freedom, and, right, no food to eat.”
Gangyu stared blankly for a moment: “I just… ate. Two bowls of rice and… fried yellow croaker.”
“The price they paid to buy you off is way too low. This is a pyramid scheme. You idiot.” Eris gave up on persuading Gangyu entirely and walked over to Dandelion, who was still sobbing: “Hey, Nix can give you as much hair as you want. Hurry up and get out of this hellhole with me. The air in this city has already been polluted by human breath.”
The poor little girl had only a single strand of hair left on her head, which Eris casually plucked out.
With her last strand of hair gone, Dandelion’s big eyes filled with tears. She took a deep breath and burst into tears.
Eris had no time to react as a powerful blast of air surged toward her from Dandelion. Dandelion’s Special Operations Test Subject J1 ability, “Drift,” caused no direct damage but blew away enemies within a nearby fan-shaped radius, regardless of their level. It was particularly effective against aerial combat weapons such as helicopters and drones.
A gale swept through, knocking Eris flat on her face. Her back slammed hard against the church wall, punching a hole in the thick brick structure. The wall collapsed, burying Eris beneath the rubble.
Bai Chunian was the first to arrive at the church to provide backup, while police cars from the station were also speeding toward the scene.
Bai Chunian kicked open the church doors with a violent shove, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. Wearing an IOA bulletproof vest, he held a gun in his left hand and his ID in his right, his voice deep and commanding: “Special Operations Unit Search Division on a mission. Everyone get down on the ground—no moving!”
Bai Chunian’s sharp gaze swept over every inch of the church and every person inside. In fact, the situation inside the church didn’t look too bad. Aside from overturned tables and chairs, two shattered stained-glass windows, and a few bullet holes in the walls, only the right-hand wall had collapsed.
The pile of loose bricks shifted, and Eris crawled out from beneath them. Though uninjured, he was covered in dust, his hair blown back across his forehead by the gale, leaving him looking utterly bedraggled.
Bai Chunian turned his gun toward him. Once the Curse User activated the Puppet Master’s divine mechanism, his power would multiply, and a prolonged struggle could easily endanger the innocent bystanders nearby. He needed to find a way to evacuate the people.
He whispered into his communicator to Jinluchong, who was positioned diagonally across from him: “Go evacuate the bystanders.”
At the same time, Bai Chunian kept his eyes fixed on Eris as he approached step by step. His muscles tensed, ready to intercept any sudden attack. He quietly contacted Lan Bo: “Honey, I’m at the church.”
However, Eris didn’t seem aggressive at the moment; he kept his head down as he brushed past Bai Chunian.
Bai Chunian turned back in confusion: “Aren’t you going to fight?”
Eris didn’t even look up: “I’m just a lowly nobody—I’ll crawl out on my own.”