Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
It had all happened too quick, not to mention how strange the whole situation was.
Mo Fan tried to calm himself down as he was running. He began to review the whole incident.
First of all, these people were not from the Black Vatican. They were only targeting him because of his Double Innate Elements.
They were carrying out an experiment that involved a new Element. However, they could not allow the experiment to be exposed. In other words, the new Element was most likely their own wishful thinking.
He remembered that the birth of a new Element required a very long exploration. Most importantly, he would have to seek the approval of magical society, particularly the Magic Association.
The Magic Association had never announced any experiments about a new Element. Therefore, it was highly possible that they were inventing some evil magic that involved sacrificing human lives, similar to the terrifying curses that the Black Vatican was passionate about that turned living humans into Cursed Beasts.
Either way, any experiment that involved using human lives as sacrifices was considered evil magic. The one that stood out the most was the Black Vatican’s evil magic, which could turn people into Dark Beast Monsters.
Lu Nian had also mentioned that the experiment was inspired by the parasite demon beasts. Therefore, it was highly possible that the new Element involved turning humans into monsters.
Indeed, if it were similar to the Mother Scale Skin Phantom, who could infect others with its blood and turn them into Scale Skin Phantoms, the overall strength of the human race would significantly increase… as long as they could still retain their rational thinking after mutating into the monsters.
In conclusion, the new Element must be related to some kind of mutation. To that extent, the Mother Scale Skin Phantom was most likely some mutated monster that had escaped from some secret lab!
Mo Fan did not want to become a test subject. Although he did consider himself an alien as he had come from another world, it did not mean he was willing to sacrifice himself as a test subject just to make the world a better place. Besides, it was only a one-sided statement from Lu Nian, heavens knew if they were actually inventing some evil magic like the Black Vatican.
“I wonder how Mu Ningxue is doing. She should be alive still. Hopefully, Bai Tingting is able to save her life.” Mo Fan began to worry.
When he was bewitched, he had revealed to Mu Ningxue some of the secrets in his heart.
Just like words spoken when drunk, they might be the truth, or just him being sentimental.
Either way, it was obvious that he was still constantly thinking of her. She had put her life at stake to save the group. Mo Fan would not easily forget her bravery.
That evil Lu Nian was totally inhumane. He would have to kill the bastard with his own hands.
And that son of a bitch Lu Zhenghe, who had dared to leave signals to draw the lunatics to them.He wasn’t sure if Mu Ningxue’s Ice Crystal Bow had ended up freezing him to death. Otherwise, he would not mind digging the bastard’s heart out. Unbelievable!
——
Mo Fan escaped into the ravaged city. He could sense the devils chasing after him.
Luckily, they did not dare to attract too much attention, due to the current residents of the city. It gave Mo Fan a better chance at escaping.
Mo Fan was going straight to the places he assumed to be dangerous.
He was on his own, thus his movement was much nimbler than Lu Nian’s group. However, the hide-and-seek would eventually come to an end. He would have to rely on the demon beasts in the city to lower their numbers.
“It should be this way. I’m hoping the Razortail Drakes will be more kind to me,” Mo Fan mumbled.
While he was investigating the places on his own, he had accidentally trespassed into the territory of the Razortail Drakes. It was a half-dried, half-swampy area located right at the center of the city. Many of the buildings there had sunken into it.
Many species had set up habitats in Jinlin City, but most of them considered the swampy areas forbidden, as they were the territories of the Razortail Drakes, who were the dominating species of Dongting Lake.
The city used to be occupied by the Razortail Drakes Horde. The information given by the school was not reliable enough. The Razortail Drakes had not fully withdrawn themselves from the city. At least a pack of them had stayed behind!
Mo Fan was running straight toward the Razortail Drake’s territory. It was the most dangerous place in Jinlin City, and the only hope of staying alive he had.
A swamp overgrown with reeds was within visible distance. The place looked perfectly normal compared to the other areas. The only odd things were the roofs of seemingly half-meter tall structures sticking out from the water.
It was deadly quiet. Not a single cry of bugs could be heard from the piles of reeds. That being said, the bubbles rising to the surface of the swamp was a good indication that the place was not as dead as it seemed.
The Swift Star Wolf let out a deep breath. It was staring sharply at a lump of mud beside the swamp.
“What are you looking at…F**k me!” Mo Fan bit his tongue when he suddenly saw the lump of mud moving all of a sudden. A giant mouth with fangs lunged in their direction. Its throat was so big that it could swallow a grown man whole.
It was a disguise. The demon beast knew how to camouflage itself!
Its skin had the same color as the mud and its texture blended well with the dried mud. Mo Fan would never know it was there as long as it lay stationary on the ground.
Luckily, the Swift Star Wolf was alert enough. It quickly leapt aside, dodging the bite. Otherwise, the strength of its jaws could tear a human in half instantly.
The Razortail Drakes were classified into different grades.
Their Servant-class was generally referred to as a Giant Lizard Beast. They were the size of a mature crocodile with a lizard’s head. The frills on both sides could expand like umbrellas, and their tails were another third of their bodies’ length.
The Warrior-level Razortail Drakes had another name: Tyrant Lizards!
The Tyrant Lizards had different Elements, including Fire, Poison, Ice, Earth…
This particular one that knew how to camouflage itself was obviously Earth Element. Its body had blended in perfectly with the background. It was impossible to notice it without really sharp eyes. Any living thing passing nearby would be eaten with a single bite, without understanding how they were killed by a lump of mud.
The sinister fangs of the Tyrant Earth Lizard let out a clank as its eyes sprang open. They were the size of human fists, and looked like they were almost popping out.
Its crawling speed was surprisingly fast, too. It scuttled toward its prey, dragging its heavy body across the ground.
The Tyrant Earth Lizard was extremely cunning. It pretended to be lunging at them. When the Swift Star Wolf reacted by jumping sideways, it whipped its body around and smashed its tail right in the direction the Swift Star Wolf was moving to.
The Swift Star Wolf was knocked flying in the air. Its body flew over ten meters away.
Mo Fan was sent flying too, slamming right into a pile of reeds.
A few bones in the Swift Star Wolf’s chest had broken, as Mo Fan swore he had heard a loud crack from its chest.
The Swift Star Wolf let out a furious roar. It totally ignored its broken bones as it rolled up from the ground. Its eyes emitted a cold flicker of light.
“We don’t have time to fight. The devils are chasing us behind. We have to go deeper, and see if we can bait more of these Tyrant Lizards to kill some of them.” Mo Fan shouted to the Swift Star Wolf.