Chapter 136

Chapter 136

The city center of X was a boiling sea of fire, a conflagration that parted only around Lu Yan, the searing tongues of flame extinguishing within half a meter of him, leaving him untouched.

The Rabbit Butcher, tucked in Lu Yan's pocket, smoothed its singed ear fur with discomfort. "Dad, what are we doing here?"

"Rescuing your stepfather," Lu Yan answered absently.

The System roared: [I DO NOT CONSENT TO THIS UNION!]

The karmic flames consumed not just the Hounds, but everything flammable.

Within the inferno, buildings groaned and collapsed, disintegrating into dust.

Seeing the situation turn, Lü Zhi tried to flee, only for the black dragon's jaws to clamp down on the vital point at the nape of her neck.

She hadn't been this desperate since becoming a pollutant.

Like a gecko, she severed seven of her eight tails, the remaining one slithering free as she escaped.

Tang Xun'an did not pursue. Or rather, his condition had deteriorated to the point where pursuit was impossible.

[Lü Zhi is gravely injured. Her power level has plummeted. The forces outside can handle her.]

[While I occasionally find humanity lacking, the fact that such a flawed species can stubbornly maintain order and protect the majority of its kind is due to its most exceptional individuals. They won't let this opportunity slip.]

Lu Yan withdrew his gaze.

The 'Dragon Bone' talent ceased. The massive black dragon shrank back to its normal size.

Scales covered Tang Xun'an from head to toe, his face included, transforming him into a creature from some Western myth—a half-man, half-dragon monstrosity.

One didn't need the System to state the obvious. Anyone with eyes could see Tang Xun'an was in bad shape, his body a bloody mess.

[Lesion Level: 96.4.]

"Lower than I expected," Lu Yan noted.

[The walnuts. You never gave him much, so the puppy-dragon kept them on him. Before the fight, when he thought he might lose, he ate them all while he was still lucid.]

Lu Yan was silent for a moment. "Can we perform excision surgery?"

[Yes. But we need to wait until he's more stable. Excising the pollution source now, with his body's current regenerative capacity, would make it difficult to heal the wounds inflicted by the Hound and the Eight-Headed Serpent.]

In Lu Yan's vision, a patch of green appeared on Tang Xun'an's body.

On his neck, where Lü Zhi's venomous fangs had pierced.

In an ER, you saw all kinds of patients. Lu Yan had treated old farmers bitten by mountain vipers.

He used a nail to tear a strip of cloth, tying a tourniquet around Tang Xun'an's neck, about five centimeters from the wound, to slow the circulation.

With a blade, he cut away the necrotic flesh, squeezing out dark cyan blood.

Only when the blood ran red did he stop.

"Antivenom..." Lu Yan murmured. "There is no antivenom."

A snakebite required serum.

[Though I'm not thrilled about it. Your blood will work.]

Lu Yan drew the blade across his own palm and offered his hand.

He could even control his regeneration rate now. Blood pooled in his palm, forming a small, lake-like puddle.

No sense wasting what had already been spilled.

Tang Xun'an licked his palm, reminding Lu Yan of feeding stray dogs back in high school.

But strays had never been this much trouble.

Weak and delirious, Tang Xun'an mumbled something. Lu Yan bent closer, but the sounds were draconic, unintelligible.

The System provided the translation: [He's asking you to save Bai Ze.]

Lu Yan fished the Rabbit Butcher from his pocket. "Find the other one."

The little rabbit, a pollutant itself, was more sensitive to human presence. It sniffed around, then settled before a pile of rubble and began digging like a gopher.

The flames still burned, but the sky within the inner world began to lighten.

[The City Lord's pollution value isn't high enough. The inner world he constructed can't sustain such intense combat. It's starting to merge with the surface world... meaning the original rules are breaking down.]

The fusion of the Slaughterhouse with reality piled pressure onto the Pollution Control Center staff.

Awakened from the Special Operations Department, summoned from their rest, fanned out across the city streets, hunting down stragglers to prevent further casualties.

The flies that had swarmed over X City, once the butchers' eyes to monitor their livestock, now became beacons for the Awakened. Where flies gathered thickest, a butcher was sure to be found.

For a time, the streets of X City ran red.

Lü Zhi's fingers dug deep into a tree trunk, her expression savage and twisted. "My Slaughterhouse...!"

Behind her, a gorilla-like butcher spoke urgently. "Boss, we need to go. The humans will be here soon."

Dark cyan blood dripped from the severed stump of Lü Zhi's serpent tail, a cloud of flies buzzing around her.

To cover her retreat, the Slaughterhouse's remaining high-level butchers had thrown themselves into the fray. Now, only the gorilla butcher remained at her side.

"Go? Go where?!" Lü Zhi's voice was a furious hiss, her long nails digging into her own flesh. "As long as humanity holds power in this world, there is no place for abominations like us!"

Her vicious expression was a far cry from her usual controlled confidence, bordering on monstrous.

The gorilla butcher, a simple soul, was stunned into silence.

Lü Zhi's face smoothed into calm. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. "My apologies. I lost my composure."

"Since the Slaughterhouse is gone, your employment with me is terminated." Her voice softened. "Come here. I'll give you your contract."

The gorilla butcher stepped forward. "Boss, you can give it to me later. You're badly injured—"

Its words cut off.

Lü Zhi struck, sinking her fangs into the gorilla butcher's neck. Her serpent tail coiled like a deadly rope, squeezing the life from it. A torrent of blood gushed forth. The butcher's hands fell limp.

The meal brought some relief to Lü Zhi's wounds.

As she fed, an odd sound reached her ears—the flapping of wings.

A raven alighted on a branch. Lü Zhi glanced up, plucked a small knife from her armband, and hurled it. The blade struck home, punching a bloody hole through the bird.

The black raven let out a strange, cawing shriek but did not die. It laughed, a guttural, grating sound.

This raven was different from the others. It was born from one of Odin's eyes—the reason he perpetually wore an eyepatch.

Odin opened his eye, wincing as pain shot through the socket. He spoke to the figures behind him. "Found her. Follow me."

……

……

The black Hounds stood silent guard over the life-support pod behind them. They were 01's dogs—some were dogs fused with men, others men fused with dogs.

But as the sky lightened, the Hounds grew restless. Anxious, frenzied barks erupted from the pack.

They sensed their master's life force fading.

Most dogs are loyal. Several of the smaller Hounds immediately bolted toward 01's location, only to be incinerated by the overwhelming karmic fire.

The rest, bereft of control, turned on each other, snarling and tearing at fur and flesh.

With 01's death, a new Alpha would be decided this way.

Gong Weibin, though remade into something neither man nor ghost, had a surprisingly low lesion level of 67—far from becoming a full pollutant.

He didn't know what was happening, but facing a pack of frenzied mutants, instinctive terror gripped him.

Gong Weibin hid behind a pillar, nervously gnawing at the rope that tethered him. The other Hounds were hulking beasts two or three meters tall. Only he resembled an underdeveloped pup, his coat soft and harmless.

He'd already planned his escape. After fleeing 01, he could seek refuge with Lü Zhi. He knew many things she would find useful! 01 was capricious, abusive. He'd had enough of that life...

Occasionally, Gong Weibin remembered his days as director of the First Research Institute. The admiration, the absolute authority in his Laboratory. But those memories were distant, stories from another lifetime.

At least his teeth were still good.

Through relentless effort, he finally bit through the rope!

Unbridled joy flashed across Gong Weibin's face.

He thought he was free. Elated, he took a step, only to trip on the stairs, his short legs betraying him. He landed face-first with a muffled thud.

It wasn't a loud fall. Just a scraped knee, a trickle of blood.

Every Hound in the vicinity turned as one. Saliva dripped from their jaws. Their eyes burned crimson.

They remembered.

There was still one piece of livestock here.

*

Tang Xun'an rested his head on Lu Yan's lap. Lu Yan suspected if he leaned in, he might hear a low, rumbling purr from the dragon's throat.

The System declared him out of danger.

But Lu Yan was puzzled. "Why is he still in dragon form?"

It wasn't unacceptable, but he did resemble a large black lizard. Though from a draconic perspective, he was probably considered handsome.

Besides, in this state, Tang Xian'an couldn't speak, only emitting low, rumbling whimpers.

The system let out a cold snort. [He didn't bring a change of clothes. Too embarrassed to shift back.]

Lu Yan: "..."

Well, that explained it.

The three-meter-long black dragon nuzzled his palm, then tenderly licked the wound there. Tang Xian'an was exhausted, but he fought to keep his eyes open, terrified this was all a dream.

Lu Yan raised a hand and covered those dragon eyes, his voice low. "Sleep."

Unconsciousness would aid healing. With no medicine available, his body would have to do the work.

So, Tang Xian'an drifted into a peaceful slumber. Even if this was a dream, it was a good one.

The Rabbit Butcher had dug Bai Ze out of the rubble. Too small to carry him, it settled for dragging the unconscious man across the ground.

Bai Ze was seriously injured, but the regenerative ability of an A-Class Awakener was undeniable; simple blade wounds wouldn't kill him.

Lu Yan took out a needle he carried and stitched Bai Ze's wounds shut. It was leftover from mending the toy rabbit's belly, which he'd absentmindedly pocketed after using it.

With the collapse of the inner world, its rules no longer applied.

The toy rabbit stood nearby, tilting its head to observe the unconscious Tang Xian'an. "Is that my stepfather? He's so big~ Looks a little scary."

The surrounding fires were gradually dying down.

There was no sign of 01's remains, nor of Zong Yan.

"Is Zong Yan alive?"

[In what form do you mean?]

"Any form."

[These flames will not go out. Perhaps, a very long time from now, the little bird you once knew will emerge from them.]

Lu Yan lowered his gaze. Almost unconsciously, he plucked a damaged scale from Tang Xian'an's cheek.

"Hope it won't be too long," he murmured.

The system: [...Huh. That's strange.]

Lu Yan looked puzzled.

[Strange. Really strange...] The system's tone was odd. [Logically, this shouldn't be possible. But just now, an egg formed within the flames.]

The only explanation the system could conceive was that Little Brother had heard Lu Yan's words.

[Talent 11 - Prophetic Utterance]. The Talent Sequence offered only four words to describe it: Words Become Law.

Yet, the system doubted it. Little Brother hadn't awakened.

Maybe it was just a miracle.

Lu Yan walked toward the flames. His aberration leaned toward marine life, making fire inherently unpleasant. But these flames did not harm him; they felt strangely gentle.

At the heart of the inferno lay a small egg. Tiny, its speckled pattern reminiscent of a quail's egg.

[It's much earlier than expected, but this is probably good news.]

[You could ask a butcher from the slaughterhouse to deliver this egg to Lu Jiahé while Lu Zhi's contract with Skyward Island is still valid. The birds there are excellent trackers. They all share the Karmic Flame talent. Lu Jiahé could hatch 07... and besides, Lu Jiahé seems stronger now. You do remember who Lu Jiahé is, right?]

Lu Yan: "...Brother?"

[Don't call him that. Little Brother wouldn't like you having a brother.]

"Would Lu Jiahé agree?"

[What? This world allows brother-complexes, but not sister-complexes?]

Lu Yan's gaze fell on the little Rabbit Butcher.

After tonight's feast, it had evolved from a C-Class pollutant to B-Class.

More remarkably, its intellect remained fully intact.

It just kept calling him 'Dad.'

Lu Yan placed the egg before the Rabbit Butcher. "I need to place an order."

The toy rabbit blinked, then pulled an employee ID and a standard slaughterhouse order form from the pocket on its hip. Shyly grabbing its own ears, it asked, "What kind of order? If it's too hard, I might not manage. I'm just a kid, you know."

Lu Yan glanced at the form. The toy rabbit's name was apparently "Tongtong."

With no table available, Lu Yan placed the order form on the ground, bent down, and began to write.

Client: Lu Yan

Cargo: Egg (Unhatched)

Recipient: Lu Jiahé

Executor: Tongtong

He didn't know where Lu Jiahé was, but a little bird from Skyward Island would guide Butcher Tongtong to the destination.

The Rabbit Butcher pulled a seal from another pocket. "Dad, needs a stamp for the contract to be valid."

This time, there was no human-skin parchment to handle the payment.

Lu Yan thought for a moment, then offered the back of his hand.

The Rabbit Butcher's seal was very different from the Pig-Head Butcher's. It was orange-red, its emblem shaped like a carrot.

A faint glow flashed across the round stamp.

The Rabbit Butcher's eyes lit up. "Yay! It's valid!"

"Since I don't know when I'll be back..." The little rabbit carefully placed the egg into the pouch on its belly. "...I have to collect the payment in advance, Dad."

It pulled out a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper from its pocket.

The paper was small, like a little card. On it was a simple crayon drawing, the colors now faded.

"This... this is a picture of my mom. When I start to forget what she looks like, I take this out and look. My payment is... I want you to give this drawing to her."

Lu Yan paused, then solemnly wrapped the small card in cloth and placed it in his own pocket.

"Don't you want to see her yourself?" he asked.

Li Ping was right here in City X.

The Rabbit Butcher shook its head. "It would be okay if I were just a rabbit. But I'm not. And I know this clarity won't last. Soon, I'll be dumb again, like before. I can't see Mom. It would put her in danger. Even though I'm small, I'm actually over twenty now. It's time to leave my mother."

The first five years of the Rabbit Butcher's life were human. The rest were pollutant.

It slung the carrot-shaped scissors onto its back. "I smell people coming this way."

Small in size and with little scent of 'livestock' on it from rarely eating meat-pigs, it would be easy to hide.

It turned its head, took one last look at Lu Yan, and said cheerfully, "I'm off now. Thanks, Dad."