Chapter 33: The Awakening and the Feast

Inside the container, a scene of horror unfolded.

Gazing in terror at the gruesome, agonizing death of his colleague on the floor, the other unfortunate investigator involuntarily shrieked in panic. Fleeing became the sole thought in his mind.

However, just as he turned to run for the exit, a sudden, purple-black crystal pierced through his skull.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Brain matter splattered across the floor.

Hearing the strange sounds and chilling wails from within the container, the perimeter security guards swiftly converged. Wu Hang’s investigation team, equally drawn by the commotion, also approached. As Wu Hang witnessed this scene, a sinister premonition slowly began to surface in his heart.

As their team drew closer to the container, this premonition intensified with every step.

****

Inside the container,

Gradually regaining consciousness, Xi Yue collapsed to her knees, utterly exhausted. She gazed at the innocent investigators she had killed out of self-preservation, her heart devoid of any ripple of emotion. A faint wave of purple energy reluctantly squeezed from her emaciated body, surging towards the deceased investigators.

The next moment,

The two corpses were entirely engulfed and consumed by the purple light, their very souls included. Subsequently, the purple Light Cluster slowly receded back into Xi Yue’s body, and her weary expression eased ever so slightly.

It’s not enough. Not enough. Far from enough!

Though she had absorbed a sliver of energy, it was still insufficient to maintain her consciousness.

She needed more…

Just as Xi Yue’s consciousness teetered on the brink of dissipating once more, she noticed other materials within the container. They were all objects imbued with a considerable amount of spiritual energy.

Xi Yue was perplexed as to why her body hadn’t been destroyed. She distinctly remembered that the people of Huaguo preferred cremation, didn’t they?

And how had she ended up in such a confined space? Moreover, how had a plethora of objects brimming with spiritual energy coincidentally appeared around her?

‘Forget it,’ she mused. ‘Now is not the time to dwell on such matters.’ With that thought, the purple Light Cluster surged forth from her body once more, ravenously lunging towards its surroundings.

After devouring all the spiritual reserves in her immediate vicinity, Xi Yue had temporarily absorbed enough energy. Her state of existence in this world gradually stabilized.

‘For now, it will suffice.’

Finally back within this body, Xi Yue couldn’t help but sigh with a trace of relief. Previously, due to some external interference, her consciousness had been forced to temporarily detach from this vessel, causing her body to collapse in Huaguo Park. She had believed that a swift return would pose no issue.

Yet, fate, as always, proved unpredictable. When she had concluded her affairs and sought to return, she discovered that the precious bead she had left for spatial positioning had vanished.

‘What? It was only a matter of minutes! Who in the hell was so quick to act?’

Xi Yue’s composure was teetering on the brink of collapse. Not only was that treasure bead a supreme artifact, one that could only be separated from her very essence after millennia.

But even more critically, if she remained absent, wouldn’t her foolish boyfriend utterly break down right then and there?!

To spare Lin Ling from excessive grief, she incessantly attempted to return to that body. However, the spiritual energy in the star region surrounding Blue Star was exceedingly scarce. Coupled with the loss of the origin treasure bead’s positioning assistance, re-entering her body became an almost insurmountable challenge.

Even when she occasionally managed to pinpoint her body’s location, the moment she returned, the sheer lack of spiritual energy would instantly prevent her from maintaining consciousness.

Even so,

Xi Yue refused to surrender. As long as this body hadn’t been reduced to dust, she would continue to try. ‘All I need is to pinpoint my body while simultaneously having enough spiritual energy nearby, right? I refuse to believe my luck is so terrible!’

Finally, her persistence bore fruit. In this latest attempt, Xi Yue successfully returned to Blue Star and, moreover, secured enough spiritual energy reserves to temporarily sustain her consciousness.

Now, the immediate tasks were to ascertain her current location and determine how long she had been ‘dead’.

Additionally,

It’s rather noisy outside, isn’t it?

Sensing the people closing in around her, Xi Yue felt a surge of exhilaration. Just as she was thinking her spiritual energy was insufficient, someone had conveniently delivered themselves. This was truly excellent news.

‘Wait, that guy…? What a coincidence, Little Wu.’

A faint, sinister, and utterly chilling smile touched Xi Yue’s lips.

****

Perspective Switch:

Under the captain’s command, Wu Hang and his team, collaborating with the onsite armed forces, had completely encircled the container.

According to the captain’s conjecture, it was possible that the previously captured giant beast cub had revived! Although they believed sufficient tranquilizers had been administered, it was, after all, an anomalous creature beyond human comprehension. Its awakening was far from impossible.

However, Wu Hang harbored a different opinion. The disquiet in his heart intensified with each passing second, and beads of sweat, thick as soybeans, trickled incessantly from his brow.

As everyone held their breath, intently observing the movements inside the container,

The container’s doorknob suddenly began to turn.

‘Huh? Can a giant beast open doors?’

As everyone stood bewildered, the door swung open. What emerged was not a giant beast cub, but a girl, her entire body smeared with blood, as captivatingly beautiful as a blood-stained fae.

Though the sight was undeniably striking, no one present was in the mood to appreciate it. Their collective attention was captivated by the dragon head, formed from purple light energy, that floated menacingly behind the girl.

The onsite commander, witnessing this bizarre spectacle, was utterly perplexed. While the girl’s current state was undeniably eerie and terrifying, she still possessed a human appearance. Perhaps they could attempt negotiations? It was possible she might even provide answers to some of Huaguo’s most pressing questions.

With this thought, the commander holstered his weapon and stepped forward, beginning to address the girl before him.

‘Please calm down! We are not your enemies, we can—’

Before his words could fully escape, the purple dragon head lunged directly at him.

‘CRUNCH!’

The next moment, only the upper half of the commander’s body remained standing rigidly in place. Then, his lower half, severed, lost its balance and toppled to the ground.

Everyone present, witnessing this horrific sight, froze in stunned silence for several agonizing seconds.

As the commander’s life signs vanished, command of the scene automatically shifted to Wu Hang’s captain. The preceding horror had unequivocally revealed to the veteran captain that the girl before them was perhaps a demon cloaked in human flesh. If left unchecked, she would undoubtedly pose a grave threat to both society and the nation.

Thus, he issued a decisive order.

‘OPEN FIRE!!!’

In an instant,

Whether fueled by fury or terror, the guards unleashed countless bullets, a veritable tempest of lead, upon the girl.

However, the girl made no attempt to dodge, nor did she use the purple dragon head behind her for defense. She simply stood her ground, stoically enduring the relentless baptism of bullets.

It was as if she were doing it on purpose.

While the others unleashed their barrage, only one person present silently observed the unfolding horror: Wu Hang. Indeed, he understood he was defying a direct superior order, yet he still lacked the courage to raise his pistol. He could distinctly feel one of the dragon heads behind Xi Yue silently staring directly into his eyes.

Wu Hang had an ominous premonition: if he dared to act, he would undoubtedly meet his demise.

The captain’s inner fear deepened with every passing moment. As he watched the girl endure the ceaseless hail of bullets, yet remain utterly unharmed, a feeling named despair slowly bloomed in his heart. This emotion intensified with terrifying speed as their ammunition reserves dwindled.

‘Not enough. Not enough. This meager amount of energy isn’t even enough to fill a tooth gap,’ Xi Yue stated, a hint of displeasure in her voice.

She had deliberately endured the guards’ firepower solely to absorb more energy. However, it now seemed these energies were utterly negligible. Given this, there was no longer any need to continue the charade.

Perhaps devouring their souls would yield far greater replenishment.

Then,

The next moment, a potent wave of purple energy, centered entirely on Xi Yue, instantly erupted. Every individual present, save for Wu Hang, was blasted back, bleeding from all seven orifices, deafened, and collapsing to their knees, barely clinging to life.

With a single, devastating move, every person on site was stripped of their capacity to resist.

Behind Xi Yue, three of the dragon heads began to drift slowly towards the wailing, incapacitated crowd.

It was time to feed.