LWGP - Chapter 198
Chapter 198: Demon King?
Wang Jiu observed it for a moment, then said, "If this was obtained through her contribution, there should logically only be one. It's impossible for two people to use it simultaneously, so your transformation..."
Lin Yong lowered his gaze and said calmly, "Even someone in a vegetative state has their value. For an ordinary person to become a genius like you, born with every advantage, this is the only path. Fortunately, the heavens were kind enough to grant me a sliver of a chance to live."
The implication was that he wasn't the natural recipient of the final results, but rather a test subject.
A survivor whose very life and death had been determined by years of research.
Wang Jiu reached out, took the box, and turned it over in her hands. Her fingers tapped it lightly as she said faintly, "It sounds quite heartbreaking, but right now, your dear brother is using his last breath to cause trouble for me. You saw it all. What kind of mentality is this? Based on my understanding of how that department recruits, your mindset must prioritize the safety of the country and its people. To someone like me... you dare to give me this box?"
She posed the question, then answered it herself, muttering, "Now, you've relied on this research to gain such powerful mental control, stunning everyone and inspiring fear. Then you give the potion to me. Won't everyone, righteous and evil alike, know about it before long? If I'm the bait, are you luring the Black Witch Organization, or the mortals of this world who naturally can't resist greed?"
She raised her eyes, looking at Lin Yong with a half-smile, and asked with detached calm, "Are you trying to kill me?"
Lin Yong's current power was obvious. Jiang Chengjing and the others had already dispersed, deliberately clearing the area for Liu Wuren to avoid any suspicion. But shrewd as they were, they would naturally speculate about Lin Yong's rise, trying to determine if his situation represented a new power controlled by the state—a new way of growing stronger, independent of the game.
Everyone has greed.
If that were the case, Lin Yong's appearance today was a public announcement, a message released by the state.
But Wang Jiu's negative speculation was not necessarily baseless.
But Lin Yong said woodenly, "Indeed, in a family like ours, mediocrity is an original sin, and so is jealousy. I don't deny that since I was young, I've envied strong people like you, Song Yin, and even Uncle Xie Jiang, who were born exceptionally gifted. It started as envy, but after the forceful demands and pressure from my closest relatives, who disregarded my personal suffering, and the constant comparisons from the outside world, it turned into a kind of loathing. Yet I couldn't show it, because that would have made my situation even more unbearable."
Wang Jiu listened, completely unmoved.
Lin Yong paid no mind to her reaction and continued, "Now I've turned my life around. Mentally, I should be showing off and attacking you. But I've always remembered one thing. Back then, even my own parents ignored my suffering, obsessed only with their own pride, frequently beating, scolding, and humiliating me. They insisted on sending me to schools where I simply couldn't keep up. Only my aunt, who never liked to meddle in family affairs, spoke to my grandfather for me. She let me go to a normal high school like an ordinary person and get away from home. Those were the most carefree days of my life."
Even with the mention of Lin Zi, Wang Jiu didn't respond.
"Wang Jiu, you're not the only one who cares about Aunt. I've always wanted to become an upright and tolerant person like her. Even if I can't expel all the demons from the weaknesses of human nature, I can't just stand by and watch you, whom Aunt protected for so many years, get entangled with those shameful demons again."
"I'm giving this to you because I want to honor Aunt's wishes. I think she must have thought that if you needed it, you could use it to protect yourself—and if you have no intention of joining forces with us after Xie Lu's warning about the Demon King and want to go it alone, then this is the support you deserve."
Wang Jiu looked at him, as if probing his character. "What, you don't want it? If I'm not mistaken, this potion should be a higher grade than the one you endured."
Lin Yong pressed his lips together. "I'm also a mortal, but I am the trustee designated in Aunt's will. If you don't believe me, you can check with the higher-ups."
He was so frank that Wang Jiu laughed instead. "Actually, you didn't need to say so much. It was her thing. Even if you all hadn't given it to me, I would have taken it myself."
The item wasn't originally a game prop, but after it was created, the state used a reserved item on it, allowing it to be placed in an inventory. Wang Jiu naturally stored it away and then walked out. Lin Yong, however, didn't move, as he was reporting to his superior.
"Seventy-eight days? If she doesn't talk about it, only the people from the Black Witch Organization will know what happened. Since it's already been given to her, let it be. I hope she can understand the country's goodwill."
The superior was old and didn't say much more before ending the private chat. He would probably go ask the relevant departments about it later.
And this superior naturally didn't know that at this moment, Lin Yong's gaze shifted back, drawn by a commotion outside.
When Wang Jiu came out, she saw Wang Shu still torturing Gao Qu. Torturing him was one thing, but he was also crying his eyes out. Her expression didn't change, but her voice arrived before she did.
"Are you done yet?"
Wang Shu was, after all, afraid of her. Gao Qu, however, sneered, struggling to make a strange sound with the stump of his tongue.
"Kill me? You're not worthy..."
In response, Wang Shu directly summoned a purple-gold butterfly. It spat out a puff of poisonous gas that enveloped Gao Qu. Before he could say anything more, his HP was rapidly devoured.
Xie Lu and the others: "???"
That butterfly... Lao Wang really did favor Wang Shu. Especially when Wang Shu watched Gao Qu truly turn to ash, his eyes reddened, and he asked Wang Jiu, "Master, can I cry?"
"Too noisy. Hold it in."
"..."
Wang Jiu had already walked over to Lin Jun's corpse. Others also sensed something was wrong and suddenly cried out in alarm. Liu Wuren immediately threw down a barrier.
Generally speaking, the Black Witch Organization's methods had a distinct characteristic: if someone was too stubborn and refused to yield, they would isolate her, making her an enemy to everyone.
However, the Black Witch Organization now knew that Wang Jiu was no ordinary prey.
Her heart was too cold; she fundamentally didn't care about others.
So... what was the purpose of Lin Jun's final act before his death today?
Lin Yong frowned, his figure flashing over to the body as he stared at the black energy emanating from Lin Jun's corpse.
"He was killed by me, he should have..."
Wang Jiu, expressionless, said flatly, "You weren't the one who killed him. Someone beat you to it."
Lin Yong suddenly stopped, because the black energy had already devoured Lin Jun, dissolving the corpse like ink. It then condensed, morphing into black chains.
Seeing it morph, the crowd, who were by no means inexperienced, all felt a sense of dread. This didn't seem like a skill, but a natural ability.
Morphing. It could be manipulated into anything, but it was evil. Despite having no fluctuations of spirit power or skills, it exuded an evil that made everyone feel revulsion and dread.
Who was controlling it from behind the scenes?
In any case, everyone kept their distance and raised their guard. Only Wang Jiu stood in place, very, very close to it. She watched as, after morphing into chains, it then morphed into several black shadows—some tall, some thin. The last was a pitch-black little girl, her limbs bound and suspended by the chains.
This girl was?
Her appearance was unclear.
Not until Song Yin, who had sensed the commotion from outside and come in, stood frozen in place. Then, he cried out in disbelief, "Jiong Jiong?"
His voice trembled. He charged forward in a rage, but the figures beside the girl had already raised their knives. They cut her skin, bled her, and thoroughly dismembered her flesh, leaving the bones untouched.
The process was swift, without any hesitation.
Then, the mutilated corpse remained hanging in its original position, but with several knives stuck into it haphazardly.
It was as if a chef, finished with his work and heading off for a meal, had casually stuck his knives into a chicken, duck, or fish.
Song Yin couldn't bear it. Spirit power surged from his body, and with a single sweep, he shattered the morphed liquid, but it reformed in an instant.
The corpse was still a corpse, the girl was still a girl, and the knives were still knives.
Song Yin's eyes were red enough to drip blood, and the weapon in his hand trembled ceaselessly.
But the "chefs" morphed again, becoming a tall, burly figure wearing a cloak. The moment he appeared...
Everyone was shocked, because its aura was terrifying.
"Demon King!"
"Fall back!"
Liu Wuren raised his hand and deployed a massive protective shield, while Lin Yong's pupils shone with silver light. Spatial currents surged on a large scale, all locking onto the morphed, cloaked figure.
The people who had already left the conference hall all sensed it. Xie Jiang turned his head and saw the surging black energy over the hall, looking as if some demon had descended.
He was startled and subconsciously thought of the little widow's usual flair. Did she do this?
Though he thought this, Xie Jiang was already running out. But he heard a whoosh. Metal wings had already formed on Cai Wujun's back. A streak of golden light flashed past, reaching Wang Jiu and the others in the blink of an eye. He saw the morphed figure, and he saw Wang Jiu's group.
The powerful had gathered, poised for a battle.
But the masked Demon King spread his hands, his voice as hoarse as a sharpening stone. "Why be so afraid? I've only come to see one of our own."
He looked at Wang Jiu. Beneath that strange, black-energy-wreathed face, it was as if black flames were scorching. He let out a deep laugh, a strange and long sound that dissipated into an insubstantial, ethereal gas. Then he vanished, and the chains and other figures vanished with him.
It seemed as if everything had returned to normal, but while everyone was still dazed and unnerved, the last wisp of smoke suddenly coalesced into a seal. The seal activated, and an illusion replaced their reality.
In an instant, everyone witnessed a square, cruel, underground laboratory.
They saw Zhou Shanren, several of his evil followers, a half-grown, numb-looking teenager sitting dazedly in a chair to the side, and the girl who was hanging there.
They also saw her... Screeech.
Her back was sliced open on both sides by a blade. Another cut was made, splitting it left and right. It was torn off.
The sound was as sharp and final as tearing silk, yet it carried the drawn-out quality of flesh, still connected, being forcibly separated.
Did she scream?
She didn't.
Zhou Shanren and the others acted as if they had found a priceless treasure. Only she was quiet, merely lifting her lowered head.
Revealing a face.
It was a little girl, but not the pampered one from a privileged background who should have been cherished by the whole world.
It was another.
She was facing Wang Jiu.
Face to face.
A silent world, a cycle overturned.
Wang Jiu was utterly silent, but Song Yin couldn't bear it. He stumbled back several steps. "No, no..."
Suddenly, he stopped and reached out, wanting to hug Wang Jiu.
Seventy-eight days. Everyone had speculated on how she had survived, but no one had ever considered why she hadn't died.
What terrifying willpower must it have taken for her to endure until she could leave that hell alive after seventy-eight days?
How much must she have endured?
Wang Shu blocked Song Yin, getting in front of him. Ignoring the possibility of being kicked into oblivion by Wang Jiu, he moved to forcibly hug her.
But they both hugged empty air.
Wang Jiu turned and walked away. Not a word, not a glance. She simply walked away, silhouetted against the light, passing a woman in white who had just descended from the sky.
The latter subconsciously turned to look back at her, only to see this strange woman lower her gaze. Her hair hung down slightly, and the light could not fully illuminate her features.
Even though the world was filled with a magnificent glow.
But some people are born in hell.
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