Chapter 53: The Emergence of the Virus

Chapter Fifty-Three: The Emergence of the Virus

Bai Weiwei, Wang Yuan, and their companions dashed swiftly along the road, their pace quickening until they finally arrived at a manor. This manor belonged to the Chen family.

Bai Weiwei activated her invisibility ability, placing her hands on Wang Yuan and Viper’s shoulders. Their figures gradually blurred and, like Mu Linqiu, vanished from sight. Minutes later, amidst a chorus of agonized screams, Mu Linqiu and the others appeared within the manor, launching into a relentless slaughter.

Flames, poison, and invisible assassins swept through the estate. The Chen family’s members were being massacred one after another. Some fell to their knees, begging for mercy; others fought back in desperation; still others, driven by the instinct to survive, spilled every secret of Chen Hailong’s misdeeds like beans pouring from a jar.

“Don’t kill me, I’ll leave the Chen family!” Cries of surrender rang out as more and more people chose to abandon the family.

Mu Linqiu and her group encountered almost no resistance as they pushed deeper into the heart of the manor.

“So this is the extent of the Chen family?” Wang Yuan crossed his arms and swung open the inner door.

Inside, Chen Hailong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a sword in his grip. He stood there as if he had been waiting.

“My old bones haven’t moved in a long time. Ever since the first great upheaval of the world, I’ve been in hiding,” he muttered, as if speaking to himself. “It’s a pity you won’t give me a chance.”

“I’ve been waiting for the one who would dare defy the Chen family. When Shen An appeared, I waited for him to come to my doorstep. I foresaw the worst—once he killed my experts and reached this place, I would end him in a single strike.” He shook his head. “But now, it’s you who have come. The Shadow Division. Hah. A pack of fools courting death.”

The sword’s blade scraped along the floor. “In that case... I’ll kill you first, then go for him.”

Chen Hailong’s voice was calm, but as he finished speaking, a sudden sense of alarm jolted through the three intruders’ hearts.

“Something’s wrong—he’s third rank, he’s third rank...” Their faces changed drastically as they retreated, searching for a flaw in his defense.

Though Chen Hailong appeared well past fifty, his speed outstripped most adults. The sword in his hand cut through the air, sending sword energy flying for a hundred meters. This man had concealed himself too deeply; everyone had been deceived. All these years, he had never revealed a hint of his true power.

From his swordplay, it was clear—not only was he an awakener, but also a practitioner of ancient martial arts. The combination, coupled with his third-rank cultivation, meant that not a single person present could hope to match him.

...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Shen An’s swordsmanship was growing ever more refined. The number of adversaries surrounding him dwindled.

Of those remaining, most wielded blades, with two brandishing swords. Another drew a gun—a weapon seemingly crafted from special materials, distinct from any other firearm.

“Alloy materials,” Bai Weiwei observed quietly from the sidelines.

“Yes, synthesized from substances found near that strange tree. During that transformation, the earth and everything beneath it changed in inexplicable ways—rocks, trees, you name it. Looks like this is a recent innovation from the Chen family.”

“They’re not to be underestimated. Who knows how many trump cards they have left?”

“We’ll see soon enough!”

Bang!

The man with the alloy gun pulled the trigger. In an instant, the air seemed torn apart. A gray bullet, propelled as if by some accelerant, shot forth with blinding speed.

Whoosh!

The sound of the projectile slicing through the air reached their ears.

Shen An’s blade flickered, forcing back three opponents with three swift strikes. As the high-velocity bullet hurtled toward him, a glint flashed in his eyes. Raising his long saber high, he grasped it in both hands and brought it down.

Clang!

The blade sliced cleanly through the bullet, splitting it in two. Without pause, the saber’s momentum continued, its gleam flooding the gunman’s vision.

The gunman narrowed his eyes and, facing Shen An’s attack, fired two more shots. But Shen An’s expression remained unchanged; with two flicks of his saber, he cleaved both bullets in half with effortless grace.

The bisected bullets still sped forward. The gunman, now desperate, raised his weapon as a shield, hoping to block the oncoming blow.

Crunch!

With a dull sound, the alloy gun snapped in two. The man looked down at his chest, where a spray of blood burst forth—a crimson line running from his brow to the base of his body. His eyes brimmed with unwillingness as he fell backward.

“Kill him!”

The remaining combatants, their eyes bloodshot, fought with reckless abandon. Even if they couldn’t defeat Shen An, they would not let him off easily.

Shen An’s expression did not change. In mere moments, his mastery of the blade had advanced considerably.

Suddenly, a sense of danger prickled at his senses. Surveying his surroundings, his gaze finally settled on Huanyu.

“Shen An, die!” Huanyu suddenly lunged forward, scattering a powder toward Shen An.

A powerful sense of crisis made Shen An’s hair stand on end. Power surged from him, forming a gust of wind that blew the powder aside, sweeping it onto the others.

Immediately, those exposed contorted in agony as the powder seemed to burrow into their wounds with a life of its own. Worse still, the substance continued to spread. When it fell upon the corpses of the slain, a transformation began.

Screams erupted. The last few experts’ eyes went lifeless, as if dead, yet their bodies remained upright, unmoving, their cells undergoing change. Several who had already been killed now rose from the ground, their eyes void of any light.

Shen An’s expression darkened.

“A virus—it’s a virus. That wretch Chen Hailong,” the voice of Shen An’s future self howled in his mind.

“Shen An, stop them! They’ve been infected and turned into walking corpses. Their blood is contagious—if it spreads, all of Silver City will become a living hell.”

The future voice was growing more urgent, tinged with anger.

“Are you hiding something from me?” Shen An wrapped himself in energy, hurriedly questioning his future self.

“I’ll tell you when this is over. For now, stop them!” The future self sounded furious—Shen An could feel it.

But he pressed no further. Drawing a deep breath, he unleashed his voice like thunder.

“You all—how long will you keep watching? These people are infected. If we don’t stop them, Silver City will be destroyed!”

His shout rang in the ears of the onlookers.

Without a word, Bai Weiwei straightened and dropped from the building. With her movement, the other spectators sighed and emerged from hiding.

“Let’s go. This isn’t just the Chen family’s grudge anymore.”

“They’ve unleashed a virus—the Chen family is declaring war on humanity itself!”

Watching the sudden influx of powerful figures, Shen An couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Damn it.

He had only hoped to call out a few bystanders for help. Who would have thought so many would step forward at once?

He could only sigh in amazement.

“Could these be all the awakeners in Silver City?”

“Not all, but most. And these are the cream of the crop,” his future self replied.

Shen An nodded. Only the strong would dare come to watch such a battle.