Snap!
Yuan Tianzhu's blue eyes suddenly snapped open. His vision was blurry, as if he were dizzy.
'Where am I? What's happening? What am I doing here?'
Thoughts like these flooded his mind. However, the more he tried to find answers, the more his head throbbed in pain, as if someone were hammering a nail into his skull.
Yuan Tianzhu looked around and noticed dead trees. Their dry leaves rustled in the sharp wind, filling his ears with unbearable noise. He let out a sorrowful sigh as memories of what had happened resurfaced. A bitter feeling took hold of him.
He was still in the Black Forest.
'What a shame…'
It was all Dr. Yang's fault.
'Ahhh, the next time I see him, I'll slap both of his cheeks twice to vent my anger!'
Yuan Tianzhu shook his head slightly and tried to stand up, but the moment he put in the effort, a sharp pain exploded in his chest. His body gave out, and he clumsily fell back, landing on his rear.
He clutched his chest, feeling cold sweat trickle down his already pale face. Yuan Tianzhu took deep breaths, trying to suppress the pain. For some reason, after a few moments, it seemed to subside slightly.
'Go to hell, Mo Xie Zhe!'
With careful movements, Yuan Tianzhu slowly stood up, afraid of triggering another wave of pain. When he looked down, he noticed a hole in the middle of his clothes. Not only that, but they were stained with blood—a mix of black and red.
A foul stench filled his nostrils, making them twitch as his stomach churned. He instinctively scrunched his nose, feeling the nausea rise.
However, he did not vomit. There was nothing left to throw up after what had happened before.
His stomach growled, reminding him that he was hungry.
Yuan Tianzhu's face darkened as he looked at the Black Forest, which seemed dead and as silent as a graveyard.
"It's impossible for anything edible here not to be poisoned… Could it be that the only option is that one, just like they said?"
Yuan Tianzhu shook his head. He had his principles, something he would never break… But that depended on the circumstances. And if the circumstances forced him, then neither his heart nor his convictions would waver.
He let out a loud sigh.
"There's no point in worrying about this now. I have more important things to do… like waking up these lazy pigs."
His gaze swept over the three bodies lying on the ground like sacks of potatoes: the middle-aged man, the young woman, and the ragged old man. For a moment, his eyes lingered on the middle-aged man and the old man before he finally moved toward them.
He crouched beside the ragged old man and gave him two firm slaps on the cheeks. However, the man didn't wake up—he only shuddered slightly.
Yuan Tianzhu frowned.
He repeated the action, landing two more slaps. The result was the same: the ragged old man didn't even budge, let alone wake up.
Yuan Tianzhu let out a mocking laugh.
"As expected of someone cruel enough to sacrifice his own grandson… even his skin is thick."
If he wasn't waking up, then he couldn't blame Yuan Tianzhu for being even more ruthless. This was also payback for trying to kill him.
With that thought, Yuan Tianzhu stretched out his hands and unleashed a rapid series of strikes against the old man's cheeks. The impact was so strong that his face swelled almost instantly, turning him into a pig.
Yuan Tianzhu was at a loss for words.
How is he still not waking up? Is his skin made of steel?
Tsk, let's try again.
Yuan Tianzhu raised his hand to deliver more slaps to the ragged old man, but before he could, the man suddenly opened his eyes.
Their gazes locked.
A cold wind blew through the Black Forest, making the air heavy. The leaves of the dead trees fluttered erratically, like mirages.
The two remained silent for a long time. To Yuan Tianzhu, the silence was almost unbearable. Still, he managed to force a clumsy smile onto his face. When he could no longer endure the tension, he slowly stood up and shook off his clothes, stained with blood and sweat, spreading a terrible smell into the air.
"Cough… Eh… Uhm… You weren't waking up, so…"
He scratched his head, trying to explain himself, but the only response he received was a stare as cold as an iceberg—sharp as knives piercing into his soul.
Yuan Tianzhu shivered slightly, beads of sweat sliding down his face. His heart leaped, almost jumping out of his chest. That expression… It was as if a venomous snake were staring him down. The atmosphere grew even colder.
It was at that moment that the young woman's hysterical voice rang through the air.
"No! Please, don't kill me!"
Both Yuan Tianzhu and the ragged old man turned in her direction.
Yuan Tianzhu sighed helplessly, while the ragged old man snorted coldly.
The young woman was still lying on the dark ground of the Black Forest, speaking in her sleep. The scene was so comical that it slightly eased the tension between the two men.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Yuan Tianzhu didn't think twice—he turned around and fled with his tail between his legs, like a fugitive running from the police.
However, he stopped immediately, completely frozen. His blue eyes widened.
'What happened to the Abyss Wraith King?!'
Just thinking about that monster made Yuan Tianzhu's heart clench. He turned his head from side to side, desperately searching for any sign of its presence. However, he found nothing—only the carcasses of ordinary Abyss Wraiths scattered across the ground.
The only unusual trace was a kind of black, translucent ash covering the forest floor.
'This must be Mo Xie Zhe's doing…' Yuan Tianzhu thought to himself.
Even though he couldn't remember what happened while Mo Xie Zhe took control of his body, the sharp pain in his chest when he woke up and the complete disappearance of the Abyss Wraith King were already enough clues.
Of course, this was also his own mistake. He had been so focused on other things that he hadn't even paid attention to what was happening around him.
Yuan Tianzhu let out a deep sigh.
However, the real problem was Mo Xie Zhe's ability to take over his body while leaving him with no recollection of what happened during that time.
That was extremely dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Not only because his weak body obviously couldn't withstand Mo Xie Zhe's power, but also because of the risks it posed to those around him.
For example, he could go to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow surrounded by even stronger enemies—all because of Mo Xie Zhe and his overwhelming arrogance. Something that, unfortunately, Yuan Tianzhu had been forced to live with over time.
'Hm… Unless, when Mo Xie Zhe takes control of my body, he develops different physical traits from mine. Like a change in eye color or a sudden increase in body size…'
Yuan Tianzhu nodded to himself. He had watched enough anime and read countless manga to know that such differences were practically mandatory.
'I've reached the point where I'm basically a manga character. The classic underestimated protagonist with an insanely overpowered alter ego… Hehehe—'
Cough!
Yuan Tianzhu let out a sarcastic laugh, but by the end of it, he coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the ground. He stood still, staring at the fresh red stain—just another among the many scattered across the Black Forest.
"Looks like I'm still not healed…"
Tsk. What a shitty Experimental Treatment.
I want a refund!
After a while, Yuan Tianzhu calmed down and approached the middle-aged man. Unlike the ragged old man, this one woke up after being shaken for a good moment.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately screamed:
"Abyss Wraith King! I don't want to die!"
"…."
Yuan Tianzhu was speechless. He never imagined that a man who seemed so virile and resolute would collapse like this. Fear was an extremely vicious thing. In the end, there were only two options when facing it: either you ran, or you fought. However, it seemed that the middle-aged man had chosen neither. Instead, he simply remained frozen, accepting his miserable fate.
Yuan Tianzhu spent a good while trying to calm him down, as if dealing with a crying baby. It was only then that he finally learned the man's name. Ironically, it was Tie Xin—which meant "Iron Heart".
Yuan Tianzhu nearly burst out laughing when he heard it, but looking at Tie Xin's miserable state, he held back.
"Don't worry. When I woke up, the Abyss Wraith King was already gone."
He patted the man's shoulder reassuringly.
Tie Xin's eyes widened.
"Impossible! How did that monster not devour us like it did to Little Yu? This… This is impossible! IMPOSSIBLE!"
His teeth clenched as his body trembled uncontrollably.
Yuan Tianzhu watched him with pity.
'What did he went through to be this terrified of the Abyss Wraith King?'
But in the end, it wasn't his concern. And he doubted Tie Xin wanted to share it with anyone.
Without saying another word, Yuan Tianzhu patted his shoulder once more and walked toward the young woman, ready to wake her from her torment. As he walked, he could hear Tie Xin murmuring to himself, but he ignored him, assuming it was just a way to cope with fear.
Meanwhile, Tie Xin clenched his fists tightly, dragging them against the blackened ground of the Black Forest. His skin tore open, but he ignored the pain.
"Why?"
He looked around, finally noticing the carcasses of the ordinary Abyss Wraiths scattered across the ground. His eyes wide open.
"Why are they still here?"
Normally, when someone killed an ordinary Abyss Wraith, it would turn into particles of light and disappear into the horizon after two hours.
However… these ones were still here.
"Why? Why? WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T THEY DISAPPEARED?!"
Tie Xin forced every neuron in his brain to come up with an answer, but nothing came to mind.
The fear of the unknown consumed him. Beads of cold sweat dripped from his already paper-white face. His body quivered more and more. His throat was so dry that even swallowing his own saliva didn't help, only making it burn even more.
Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up.
His trembling stopped instantly, catching Yuan Tianzhu's attention.
"Did he finally calm down?"
Yuan Tianzhu halted his steps and turned toward Tie Xin.
Slowly, Tie Xin lifted his head, meeting Yuan Tianzhu's gaze with empty, pitch-black eyes—like a bottomless abyss.
But strangely enough, Yuan Tianzhu felt it.
He could feel the emotion hidden behind those lifeless eyes.
Despair.
That was the only thing emanating from that detached gaze.
The wind howled sharply. The temperature going down few degrees.
A chill ran down Yuan Tianzhu's spine.
At that moment, Tie Xin's pupils shrank.
"…It was a clone…"
Yuan Tianzhu frowned.
"That Abyss Wraith King… was a clone."
The worst had happened.
…
"Oh, shit… we're screwed."