In an instant.
Lin En dashed back into the shop, gritting his teeth as he quickly shut the door.
His eyes flickered, and the Soul Lantern he held swayed wildly, almost extinguishing completely.
It''s over.
There''s no escape.
He hadn''t expected the crisis to come so swiftly.
Moreover, the System''s warning was unmistakably clear—this crisis was aimed directly at him.
Or rather, at the Blood Saw Apothecary!
"If I can''t run, then I have to save myself!"
Lin En gritted his teeth.
Without another word, he rushed into the backyard, slamming the door shut with force.
……
Boom—
A loud explosion.
The apothecary''s door burst open, and a rolling blood-red mist surged in, no longer shielded by the Soul Lantern.
A massive shadow cast itself long across the hall floor.
And with it came wave after wave of a foul, bloody stench, like a rotting corpse that had been soaking in water for days, slowly walking across the ground!
Thud—
Thud—
Heavy footsteps echoed.
Inside the operating room in the backyard, Lin En leaned against the wall, holding a Boning Knife in one hand and a revolver in the other, his expression serious and his brow furrowed as he pressed against the wall.
The Soul Lantern had gone out.
Which meant, night had fallen.
Now, there was nothing left to protect him.
Crash—
From the direction of the hall came the sound of potion bottles falling to the ground, one after another, a series of crisp crashes.
Lin En closed his eyes, gritting his teeth tightly, the veins on his temples throbbing wildly.
[100 Skull Coins!]
Crash—
[500 Skull Coins!]
Crash—
[821 Skull Coins!]
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Every time a bottle shattered outside, a number flashed painfully in Lin En''s mind.
It wasn''t fear.
It was heartache!
Because those were his precious coins! Round, plump coins more important than life itself!
Lin En squinted his eyes, his gaze flickering.
Fighting head-on was not an option, because just the aura it emitted earlier made his heart feel like it was about to explode.
That was enough to show the monster''s power.
Now, the only thing that could save him in time was...
[Blood-Clad!]
Without any hesitation, Lin En solemnly extended both hands, gripping the revolver tightly, his gaze steadying.
She lived just across the street at 44 Wandering Soul Alley.
If he was quick enough, she would surely receive his signal and come to his aid!
"Curse removal!"
He issued the command heavily.
[Ding! Would you like to remove the curse on the "Blood-Clad Wraith" and use the curse removal ability on the [Demon Hunter''s Revolver]?]
"Yes!"
In an instant.
Lin En immediately felt the evil spirit curse he had extracted from the Blood-Clad Wraith begin to fade within his body.
And the revolver in his hand started secreting a thick black liquid.
Swoosh—
The black liquid clung to his palm, being expelled from the revolver.
The revolver emitted a faint halo.
[Ding! You have completed the curse removal on the Demon Hunter''s Revolver! Cooldown time 12 hours, duration 24 hours.]
Click—
Lin En instantly unlocked the revolver, squinting his eyes, cautiously pressing against the door.
The curse had been lifted.
Which meant.
Now the Blood-Clad Wraith could revert to her original form.
And this was his only way to send out a message, he believed that once the Blood-Clad Wraith''s curse was restored, she would come to him immediately.
Because only he could help her remove the curse within her!
And now.
All he had to do was survive until the Blood-Clad Wraith arrived, and there would be a glimmer of hope!
Whoosh—
The foul, bloody stench wafted in from the direction of the hall.
Lin En could clearly feel the sound in the hall pause for a moment, evidently, his curse removal ability had also caught the monster''s attention.
The curtain was slowly lifted.
A long shadow was cast into the corridor.
Lin En glanced at the long, indistinct shadow outside the operating room door, squinting his eyes, gripping the revolver tightly.
Thud—
Thud—
The footsteps echoed once more.
And the massive shadow that followed crept closer and closer towards the backyard.
Lin En held his breath, his gaze becoming incredibly calm.
In the terrifying silence.
He could only hear his own heartbeat and the heavy footsteps echoing in the corridor.
Bit by bit.
Bit by bit.
The foul, bloody stench also spread rapidly.
And then, in the next moment, the footsteps outside the door stopped.
And just as Lin En''s nerves were taut.
Squelch—
A sudden, unexpected loud noise.
Lin En''s pupils instantly dilated.
And in front of his chest.
A hand covered in barbs pierced through his chest, through the wall behind him, emerging bloodily from his chest.
Thud—
Lin En''s pupils dilated, and he fell heavily forward onto the ground.
And behind him, on the solid wall, a scarlet, twisted hand slowly retracted from the wall, leaving no trace of damage, as if the wall was merely an illusion to it.
The endless bloody stench spread.
Blood gushed from Lin En''s chest, staining the entire floor red.
His pupils were wide open, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
Blood flowed freely.
Thud—
Thud—
Footsteps echoed once more.
And then, reflected in Lin En''s dilated pupils, a massive, twisted figure slowly pushed open the door, appearing at the entrance to the operating room.
What kind of monster was that?
It was like a massive lump of rotten flesh forcibly stitched onto a body, with no head, no facial features, only a protruding giant eye squeezed out from the middle of the massive, stinking flesh.
The giant eye nearly occupied its entire torso.
And around the torso, there were dozens of human-sized eyes scattered.
And around the torso, various arms grew, human hands, tentacles, beast claws, twisted limbs of evil spirits, and terrifying mechanical limbs.
It was like a grotesque monster violently stitched together!
[Flesh Puppet Type 3: Hell Walker]
[Level]: ??
[Race]: Stitched Monster
[Alignment]: Chaotic Evil
[Combat Ability]: Unmatched powerful creation.
[Description]: A pinnacle creation of the Demon Society, as one of the top blood machines of the Inverted Tower, its appearance heralds slaughter and destruction. It is an ultimate weapon specifically created by the Demon Society to hunt down rebels, capable of continuously devouring creatures and evolving anew. Never attempt to be targeted by it...
Blood gushed from Lin En''s body.
Lin En''s pupils were wide open, watching the monster inch closer.
Swoosh—
Scarlet tentacles extended from the monster''s body, slithering across the ground like snakes, then piercing into Lin En''s legs like syringes.
Squelch—
The sound of blood being drawn into flesh echoed.
It was devouring him!
But in the next moment, the tentacles extracting blood from his body stopped.
"Organism identification... Human Race... Quality identification... Low..."
"Devour priority... Not recommended for devouring... Initiating cleanup..."
A piercing voice echoed in Lin En''s ears.
Sizzle—
Lin En''s legs were instantly blasted into a bloody mist by the snake-like tentacles.
But almost at the same moment, Lin En''s shattered heart suddenly throbbed violently, a stream of blood instantly spreading from beneath his skin to his wrist.
As if some crisis response mechanism had been triggered.
In an instant.
Lin En''s pupils contracted sharply.
Like a final burst of energy, Lin En suddenly gripped the revolver tightly, turning with force, clenching his teeth.
The muzzle aimed at the giant eye on the monster''s torso.
Bang—
A gunshot rang out.
The demon-hunting bullet instantly shot into the center of the monster''s eye.
A long howl.
Holy power crackled like electricity throughout its body, its countless arms frantically attacking the surroundings, causing the entire wall to collapse under its assault.
And seizing this last chance.
Lin En suddenly reached out, gritting his teeth, pulling a scarlet cloak from his pocket and draping it over himself.
In an instant.
Just as the terrifying giant hand struck.
Lin En rolled, his body merging into the ground, disappearing without a trace.
"Error... Information re-identification in progress... Target possesses strong disguise ability..."
"Race adjustment... Cyborg, undergone advanced biological modification..."
"Devour priority... High... Recommended for hunting..."
……