Ling Chen's scarlet pupils, illuminated by the firelight, reflected Tang Yinmeng's instantly stiffened back. The playful smile on his lips deepened, but his voice still carried a magnetic quality, almost gentle: "My dear little sister, why aren't you running?"
The invisible Blood Control Power, like icy shackles, tightly bound her, making her feel as if her body no longer belonged to her, unable to even tremble her fingertips!
Ling Chen leisurely snapped his fingers, and Tang Yinmeng, who felt she was about to suffocate, immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, her entire body weak from the three seconds of oxygen deprivation.
Ling Chen sat cross-legged on the ground with a smile, in no hurry, quietly waiting for Tang Yinmeng's breathing to stabilize before he spoke.
"You're a smart person; you should be able to tell that I don't want to kill you, but... do you really want to live?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Yinmeng immediately nodded frantically.
"No rush. You have a few options now; perhaps there's an outcome you desire even more."
"Big Brother, can you let me go? Please, I was wrong, I really was wrong."
Tang Yinmeng pleaded pitifully, her voice filled with a crying tone and a strong desire to survive.
"Wrong?" Ling Chen chuckled softly, slowly circling to stand before her. His tall figure cast a deep shadow, completely enveloping Tang Yinmeng.
He leaned down slightly, approaching her small face, pale with fear, his scarlet pupils gazing into her eyes like an abyss. "Since you know you were wrong... why are you still lying?"
His fingertips, cold as iron, gently lifted Tang Yinmeng's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "That ornamental bird? Chased you for three hours? Heh..."
He let out a very soft scoff, cold with the knowledge of everything, "A newly mutated, scruffy bird chasing an ordinary person for three hours? It would either catch up instantly, or the bird would be caught and thrown to its death by the ordinary person, or the ordinary person would be pecked and infected to death by the bird. Do you take me for a three-year-old child?"
Tang Yinmeng's pupils suddenly constricted!
He... he saw through it! He simply... didn't believe it!
"And..." Ling Chen's fingertip slid down, gently touching the edge of her eye, within her eyeball—an extremely subtle, almost obscured by dirt... dark red pattern... faintly visible! "This 'Blood Mark'... is not bloodshot eyes caused by excessive mental stress, because it's clearly much thicker than blood vessels... This is... the backlash mark... of overdrawing a psychic ability!"
Buzz—!!!
Tang Yinmeng's mind instantly went blank! He... he saw through even this?!
How could this be?! This mark... was left three days ago when she forcefully activated that 'power' to drive away a venomous snake approaching her hiding place! She thought... no one would discover it!
"So..." Ling Chen's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice-tempered blade, instantly tearing through all pretense of gentleness!
"Tell me... what exactly are you? Or... should I call you... a little psychic?"
The Blood Control Power that bound Tang Yinmeng... suddenly tightened! Like countless icy steel needles! Sharply piercing her limbs and bones! Intense pain! Mixed with a suffocating sense of oppression! Instantly swept through her entire body!
"Ugh ah—!!!"
Tang Yinmeng let out a piercing scream! Her body trembled violently, uncontrollably! Cold sweat instantly soaked her back!
The shadow of death... like an icy tide... instantly engulfed her!
"No... don't..." She struggled desperately, tears rolling down like broken pearls, "I'll tell... I'll tell..."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Ling Chen's scarlet pupils. The Blood Control Power relaxed slightly, but still bound her tightly like invisible chains.
"I... I'm Tang Yinmeng... seventeen years old..." She sobbed, her voice broken, "I... I didn't mean to lie to you... I... I was just... scared..."
"Scared of what?" Ling Chen pressed, his voice brooking no argument.
"Scared... of being treated as a monster... scared... of being taken away..."
Tang Yinmeng lifted her tear-filled face, her amber pupils filled with helplessness and fear.
"I... I seem to... have... a strange ability..."
"Oh?" Ling Chen's eyebrow slightly raised, and a hint of... barely perceptible... interest flashed in his scarlet pupils, "What ability?"
"I... I don't know how to describe it..." Tang Yinmeng's voice was filled with confusion.
"It's just sometimes... when I touch something... a voice will... will sound in my head... and then... that thing will... will become... different..."
"A voice?" Ling Chen's gaze instantly sharpened like a knife! "What kind of voice?"
"Like... like a machine... cold... emotionless..." Tang Yinmeng tried to recall, her body still trembling slightly, "It says... 'Detecting awakenable item'... 'Inject spiritual energy?'..."
System?!
Ling Chen's pupils... suddenly constricted! The scarlet light... instantly surged!
Rule-based! System-type ability! 【Awakening of All Things】?!
This kind of rule-based ability, especially system-type abilities... is extremely rare... appearing on... this... seemingly frail and helpless... little girl?!
If it's true, he's hit the jackpot!
The smile on Ling Chen's face grew wider and wider. Like a gentleman, he gently took Tang Yinmeng's wrist, as if it were a peerless treasure.
"Prove it to me!" Ling Chen's voice carried a... nearly fanatical... command! "Now! Immediately! Prove your ability!"
"I... I..."
Tang Yinmeng was stunned by the light in Ling Chen's eyes! This smile was clearly gentle, yet it made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, as if the one smiling at her was not a handsome man, but a demon in human skin.
She trembled, her gaze frantically scanning her surroundings! Campfire... branches... stones... She needed an item! Something... that could be proven!
Just then!
Ling Chen's other hand... slowly lifted! In his palm... a strangely shaped... dissecting knife... appeared out of thin air!
The blade was about seven inches long! It was entirely silver-white, but the entire knife inexplicably made one feel cold! Evil!
This was precisely... the dissecting knife... Ling Chen used to... dissect and devour Mu Xi... that... stained with the original essence blood of a Bone Eater Realm mutant and... endless resentment...
"Use it!" Ling Chen's voice grew even more gentle! He directly... thrust this short knife, emanating an ominous aura... into Tang Yinmeng's trembling hand! "Awaken it! Prove... your worth!"
The icy hilt touched her hand! An indescribable chill! Instantly flowed up Tang Yinmeng's arm! Into her body!
Tang Yinmeng's face instantly turned ashen white! She felt... what she was holding... was not a knife... but a block of ice!
She instinctively wanted to throw away this evil knife! But... Ling Chen's overly gentle gaze...! Made her... not dare! And could not!
Just then!
Buzz—!!!
A cold, mechanical, emotionless voice... like a thunderclap... suddenly echoed deep within her mind!
【All Things Awakening System activated】
【High-activity resentment carrier detected (Rating: A)】
【Item Name: Unnamed】
【Material Analysis: Metal】
【Energy Attributes: Shadow/Curse/Life Drain】
【Awakening Potential: C-rank】
【Awakening Requirement: 100 Spiritual Energy + 1 drop of Host's Essence Blood】
【Warning: Carrier contains strong backlash will! Awakening success rate: 63%! Failure penalty: Soul Corruption!】
【Awaken? 【Y/N】】
Icy text! Like a waterfall! In Tang Yinmeng's "vision"... frantically scrolled past! Forming a... semi-transparent blue light screen... that only she could "see"!
System! It really is a system! It... appeared again! And this time the target was this knife!
Awakening success rate... 63%! Failure... soul corruption?!
Tang Yinmeng's pupils... constricted to pinpricks... due to extreme fear! Her body trembled like a leaf in the wind! Cold sweat... instantly soaked her clothes!
"Awaken it!" Ling Chen's smile was brilliant, but the invisible Blood Control Power... slowly tightened again! The suffocating feeling of death... like an icy giant hand... gripped her throat!
If she didn't awaken it... she would die now! If she awakened it... there was still... a 63%... chance of survival!
"I... I'll awaken it!" Tang Yinmeng let out a choked cry! She suddenly closed her eyes! With all her strength! In her mind... she issued... the command... to that cold option!
【Command confirmed! Awakening procedure initiated!】
【Spiritual energy extracting... 100 points of spiritual energy injected!】
【Essence blood locked... Host's fingertip essence blood extracted!】
Buzz—!!!
An indescribable... sharp pain! Instantly came from Tang Yinmeng's fingertip! As if... an invisible needle... fiercely pierced her fingertip! Forcibly drawing out... a drop... of essence blood... containing the essence of life!
At the same time! A vast, icy energy... like a bursting flood... was forcibly drawn from deep within her body! Pouring into... the evil short knife... in her hand!
"Ugh ah—!!!" Tang Yinmeng let out a distorted, piercing scream! Her body, as if all strength had been drained from it! Collapsed limply to the ground! Her face ashen white! Her aura instantly withered to the extreme!
And just as her essence blood and spiritual energy were injected!
The dissecting knife... in her hand... suddenly... erupted with... dazzling... dark purple light!
Buzz—!!!
On the blade! Those dark red patterns, originally twisted like blood vessels... instantly... like living things... frantically writhed! Spread! Intertwined! Forming a... more complex! More hideous! Like a hellish totem... bizarre pattern!
But Ling Chen recognized it; it was half of Mu Xi's face.
Awakening... successful?!
But what was awakened didn't seem to be a compliant spiritual artifact! Rather, it was a bloodthirsty evil spirit that had been imprisoned for countless years and finally broke free from its shackles!
Tang Yinmeng lay limp on the ground, staring in horror at the demonic knife in her hand, which trembled wildly like a living creature! Emitting a piercing roar! As if it could backfire on its master at any moment! Her eyes were filled with despair!
Ling Chen, however, slowly widened his smile! His scarlet pupils erupted with unprecedented excitement and light!
"Interesting..." he muttered softly, his voice carrying a... fanaticism... like someone who had discovered a peerless treasure!
"This is... too interesting!"
He slowly raised his hand. From his fingertips... a wisp of dark red blood... wriggling like a living thing... slowly seeped out! Suspended in the air!
The Blood Ripple... was ready to strike!
He wanted to see... just how ferocious this demonic knife, whose "spirit" had been awakened, truly was!
At the same time.
Deep within the Zoo. Beneath the abandoned Lion and Tiger Mountain exhibit hall.
Deep within a vast, artificially excavated grotto, covered in viscous moss and foul-smelling puddles.
Three colossal white rhino skeletons, like small mountains, were arranged in a circle! The skeletons were as white as jade! Emitting a faint glow!
In the center of the skeletal circle! A gigantic tumor, over five meters in diameter! Pulsated slowly like a heart!
The surface of the tumor was covered by a translucent, vascular membrane! Beneath the membrane was viscous, dark red flesh, like molten lava! The outlines of thick bones were faintly visible within the flesh!
At the grotto entrance. A gigantic bear... as large as a truck! Covered in thick, gray-white bone armor like rock! Its fangs like two curved giant blades! Its eyes scarlet as blood!... Was... like the most loyal guardian! Prostrated on the ground!
It was Taotie! The six-tier beast king that would cause the Northwest Catastrophe in the future! At this moment, it was still... a Bone Eater Realm giant bear... guarding its "embryo"!
Just then!
Buzz—!!!
A wave of evil and chilling energy emanated.
Taotie suddenly lifted its head! Its scarlet beast eyes instantly locked onto the direction from which the energy fluctuation came! A low, warning growl rumbled deep in its throat!
Its massive body slowly rose! Its bone-armored giant feet stomped on the ground! Emitting... a dull thud! The grotto trembled slightly!
It sensed a threat! A threat from an unknown entity!