Chapter 4: Adoptive Father-Level Lightning
"This plaza seems to be used for some ancient and sinister ritual with these bones," Wu Hen said to himself.
"Who knows how many living souls have been harmed, and how long this soul quenching has gone on, to finally produce this one Yuan You!"
The one thing that is certain is that this is his target!
He could cut across the plaza and take it directly.
But the ground was covered in bone fragments, which would make a clattering sound with just the wind, much less the noise from a footstep.
It would surely alert the Symbiotic Evil Ghost to come and claim a life!
How could he acquire it??
The plaza was not large, but there wasn't even a place to step.
If no noise was made, he could clear the bones grain by grain, this could work.
But the bone fragments were not just a thin layer; some places had thick accumulations. To pick them up grain by grain would take an unknown amount of time.
Given the frequency at which the Symbiotic Evil Ghost kills, it was likely his speed of picking up bones to clear a path wouldn't be fast enough to keep up with the ghosts' killing spree!
"Boom~~~"
A streak of dark lightning split the night sky again, the electric light so close to the town that it made the flimsy doors and windows tremble...
Wu Hen briefly closed his eyes.
Everything here was not just real; it made every organ in his body tense.
It seemed the few hours spent here felt longer than his entire life.
He had thought of retreating, especially after witnessing the Symbiotic Demoness absorbing marrow; the instinct to survive took over his mind, yearning to escape this dreadful town, even to leave this virtual world immediately.
But for reasons unknown, the thought of his family's bleak future filled him with an intense reluctance. The disasters in reality would sooner or later befall him and his family. Instead of crying regretfully at that time, it was better to fight in this new unknown world now!
Wu Hen took a step forward.
He walked towards the plaza strewn with bone particles.
There were others walking quietly outside the plaza. They, too, had wandered in Juezhen aimlessly like lost wandering spirits without their shells.
They noticed Wu Hen approaching the forbidden plaza and cast their eyes on this guy who couldn't bear the mental pressure and chose to end his life.
Long-term mental stress and emotional suppression would drive anyone mad. Indeed, some people in the town would eventually howl intentionally to attract the Head-cutting Evil Spirit and end themselves swiftly.
To the other townsfolk, Wu Hen's behavior seemed no different.
He wasn't just crazy; his mind had completely collapsed. Even to die, who would choose the plaza, where their soul could never be at peace!
There were some who still had some conscience in town, and they tried to persuade him.
But Wu Hen already raised his foot!
Right in front was bone gravel, covering the ground. No matter how lightly one treads, a sound would be made. The Head-cutting Evil Spirit could even hear heartbeats speeding up.
His suspended foot did not immediately come down; Wu Hen gazed at the sky.
Suddenly, a flash of white light!
Lightning swiftly slashed across the sky, thick clouds like inverted black mountains, compressing the meager space below.
Wu Hen's eyes reflected the lightning, and his foot finally came down!
One foot stepped onto the bone particles!
"Creak~"
Wu Hen could clearly hear the sound his step made on the bones.
That volume could surely be detected by the Head-cutting Evil Spirit, no less than stepping on shattered glass!
The other townsfolk stared at Wu Hen, knowing that the next second, the Head-cutting Evil Spirit would appear behind him, and his bloody head would roll on the ground!
Time passed second by second,
everyone held their breath, including Wu Hen!
Yet after several seconds, the Head-cutting Evil Spirit strangely did not appear!
After a long-held breath, Wu Hen finally took a very gentle breath.
He slowly turned his head to look behind.
Then he scanned his surroundings.
Confirmed, no figures.
"The Head-cutting Evil Spirit really didn't appear!"
Wu Hen was extremely excited; his assumption was correct—not that no sound could be made at all!
Thunder!
The only sanctuary Wu Hen found was this thunder.
Not that no sound could be made, but when he made noise, something stronger covered the sound he made.
Initially, it was just an idea in Wu Hen's mind; he didn't know what the result would be in practice.
He admitted he was taking a gamble.
But he gambled correctly!
"In other words, I just need to step forward when the thunder sounds, and I can reach the center of the plaza."
Wu Hen was overjoyed
Yuan You!
He had a chance to obtain the Yuan You Mine!
As long as he advanced following this principle!
"Boom~~~"
First, a flash of white light, followed by rolling thunder echoing through the town.
And during the rolling thunder, Wu Hen stepped forward again!
One foot stepped onto the crunchy bone fragments.
Bone fragments pressed and collided, still producing a "creak-creak" sound.
To Wu Hen, the sound was crystal clear, beyond the fatal frequency threshold.
Yet, the Head-cutting Evil Spirit still did not appear!
This boosted Wu Hen's confidence immensely.
The thunder was continuous; this time, he took three steps in a row.
When he confirmed the thunder was receding, he immediately froze like a wooden statue!
In the past, Wu Hen didn't like cloudy and rainy days, nor the roar of thunder.
But now, the beauty of the flashing pale light delighted him again and again!
"Boom~~~"
Step by step, the prolonged rolling thunder allowed him to take several more steps!
"Boom!!"
A short burst of thunder followed by only the town's faint buzzing sound.
In this setting, Wu Hen could only take one step.
The town was silent.
Only thunder rumbled.
Silence and booming, accompanied by pauses and steps, created a scene like a bizarre stage play…
Wu Hen was performing unique performance art for the whole numb town immersed in silence!
Closer and closer, Yuan You was almost within reach!
Wu Hen looked up at the sky.
A flash of white light appeared again, and Wu Hen, like a revived puppet, slowly made a walking motion.
"Creak~ creak~ creak…"
He stepped once, and suddenly the surrounding bone heaps toppled like dominoes!!
It was a bone heap!
A trap!!
When Wu Hen knocked over the bone heap, it slid around him, continuously making noise in the process!
"Creak~~~ creak~~~"
Wu Hen's face turned pale. He had carefully inspected the ground bones earlier and saw no difference with the previously thinly spread bone fragments!
He never expected this to be a connected bone heap; touching one triggered the collapse around!
The bone sliding sound was still clear, like a barn door being opened, obviously continuing for a while.
But the thunder was dying out!
He could not survive!!
In an instant, Wu Hen resolved never to speak out, preferring to be beheaded cleanly rather than drained by that pretty-faced evil girl!
Suddenly, electric arcs reappeared, covering the town's sky!!
Eerily enough, this time the electric arc, splitting the sky, was half white and blue and half dark void!
Logically, if truly a void-like black arc existed, the naked eye should not distinguish it, yet half the town was illuminated like daylight, while the other half plunged into an abyss!
"Boom!!!!"
The deafening thunder made the town tremble violently!
Thunderlight reflected on Wu Hen's face, initially blank and terrified, then filled with joy and excitement!!
"Be it white lightning or black lightning, both are my adoptive father!!"
If possible, Wu Hen would have kissed that lightning!
The closest adoptive father he could ever have.
It succeeded the dying thunder and masked the sound of his death cry!!
"I lived!"
"I lived!!"
"Haha, I lived!!"
"Heaven itself aids me!!"
The surrounding sliding bones ceased, no longer making creaking sounds.
Yuan You was just a few steps away.
Amidst the deafening thunder, Wu Hen advanced with wild excitement.
In such massive thunder waves, he did not need to tiptoe but could stride normally!
With five large strides, Wu Hen finally reached the center of the plaza.
He stretched out his hand.
He grabbed the Yuan You!
Yuan You evidently contained energy; a slight numbness spread through his hand.
Was this the ore the whole world had gone mad for?
Wu Hen did not know how it operated; bringing it back would at least earn him a hundred thousand dollars!
"Rustle~~~"
Before joy could spread, Wu Hen suddenly heard a fine rustling sound.
His gaze fell on the plaza entrance, and the next moment, his pupils dilated, a chill rapidly spreading through every inch of his body.
Thirty meters away, something was wriggling on the bone particles!
Wu Hen could not see them, only guess based on the shapes formed by the pressed bone particles.
Like...
Like a swarm of poisonous snakes slithering towards him!
"Slash!!!!"
Suddenly, a thick black lightning struck from beyond the cliff, almost grazing Wu Hen's back before crashing below the cliff!
Simultaneously, everything seemed to plunge into a black abyss, leaving only living beings edged with light!
By the inverse light created by the black lightning, Wu Hen saw the truth about the snakes—it was a girl, her lower body covered in writhing tendrils!!
At this moment, she elegantly approached like a ballet dancer, "step by step" nearing him!
"Congratulations, big brother, you have become the sole person in Jueyin Town to acquire the treasure!" the Symbiotic Girl said sweetly.