Chapter 225: Yang Xiao’s New Body

Zou Jun cowered in the corner, his back pressed against the cold metal wall, his voice trembling.

“Wh-what kind of monster are you!”

The figure in the shadows stepped out.

It was the body of a young man—gaunt, but not frail.

His chest, abdomen, and thighs were covered in suture lines, like a doll that had been dismembered and stitched back together.

The stitches were neat and precise, yet they carried a sense of discord that made one’s skin crawl.

Though he was thin, his muscle definition was exceptionally clear.

His ashen skin was completely devoid of color, like a specimen preserved in formaldehyde.

He walked toward Zou Jun.

His eyes held a faint green glow, and combined with his undisguised malice, he looked exactly like a Fierce Ghost that had crawled out of Hell.

Zou Jun’s teeth began to chatter.

Suddenly, the young man stopped, clutched his forehead, and his expression twisted in an instant.

Pain, struggle, suppression—several emotions flickered across his face in succession, as if different forces were tearing at him from within.

Immediately after, he began to slam himself against the wall in a frenzy.

BANG! BANG! BANG—

Each impact made the entire cage tremble.

Dented fist prints and deep scratch marks were left on the metal walls.

“Wh-what in the world are you!!”

Zou Jun’s voice was distorted with fear. He scrambled desperately into the corner, wishing he could embed himself into the wall.

“Stay away from me!!”

He had thought the Xia Kingdom had no Supernatural Power.

But this stitched-up monster before him was more terrifying than many of the veterans in the Dark Council.

The young man stopped his assault on the wall and stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving violently.

His green eyes, filled with brutality and killing intent, stared at Zou Jun.

Zou Jun cowered in the corner, screaming.

“Stay away!”

…

「Divine Peptide Biotechnology Company, Underground Laboratory.」

Jiang Chaosheng sat in a chair in front of a pane of tempered glass, gazing at the scene on the other side.

Rows of petri dishes, sealed chambers, and experiment beds. Precision instruments blinked with lights of various colors, and a network of tubes and wires crisscrossed the ceiling like a giant neural network.

It felt like he had stepped into a sci-fi movie.

He pulled his gaze away.

“How is Yang Xiao?”

A flicker of barely perceptible heartache crossed Xia Li’s eyes, gone in an instant.

“Yang Xiao… is fine. It’s just…”

She paused, glancing at Liu Weiqian beside her.

“It’s just that he’s temporarily locked in the ‘punching bag,’ and it’s a bit of an ordeal.”

“‘Punching bag?'”

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow.

Liu Weiqian pulled a remote control from the pocket of his white lab coat and pressed a button, pointing it at the tempered glass.

An image immediately appeared on the glass.

A metal cage, and inside it, Yang Xiao.

On the screen, Yang Xiao was wildly threatening a young man.

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at the figure cowering in the corner, but his gaze didn’t linger.

‘Not interested.’

Liu Weiqian pointed at the cage in the image.

“This is the ‘punching bag.'”

“This body of Yang Xiao’s is too destructive. The power contained within drives him mad.”

“So I custom-built this cage specifically for him.”

“It’s made of a full titanium alloy. It’s strong enough for him to vent for a while.”

“Once he finds his own point of balance, he can come out.”

He paused, a fanatical light glinting in his eyes, and his mouth stretched into an almost crazed grin.

“Sir, I’ve finally discovered the secret to perfectly controlling cancer cells.”

Liu Weiqian’s voice grew hurried, sounding just like a mad scientist.

“Sir, do you remember that Divine Fungus? The one suspected of being a Divine Bacteria.”

“It can command those rampaging cancer cells.”

“I’ve created a clone of the Divine Fungus. Although it’s still in the experimental stage…”

“But judging from Yang Xiao’s performance, success is very close.”

He took a deep breath, as if organizing his thoughts, or perhaps suppressing his inner excitement.

“Allow me to report on Yang Xiao’s current physical condition.”

“The Divine Fungus clone in his body is commanding domesticated cancer cells, and it can fully sustain the high-strength body I created.”

“This body was developed using a Vampire’s blood, mixed with Yang Xiao’s own, so the compatibility isn’t low.”

He pointed to the dented fist marks on the screen, his voice laced with excitement.

“Titanium alloy. Sir, that’s a titanium alloy.”

“Yang Xiao can tear it apart with his bare hands. His body is already a superweapon!”

Jiang Chaosheng narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting from the screen to Liu Weiqian’s face.

“Are you using Yang Xiao as a test subject?”

On the screen, Yang Xiao was clutching his forehead, his face twisted in pain.

After all, his new body contained a clone of the Divine Fungus.

As the Manager of Antique Shop Zero, Jiang Chaosheng knew all too well—anything related to Deities was never simple.

Liu Weiqian took two steps back, waving his hands repeatedly, his smile a bit stiff.

“It wasn’t forced, he volunteered, Sir!”

Xia Li spoke up then, her voice soft and slow.

“Sir, you know Yang Xiao.”

“As long as he can be of use to you, he’s willing to bear any pain.”

Jiang Chaosheng pursed his lips.

Of course, he didn’t doubt Yang Xiao’s loyalty.

He just didn’t want anyone to exploit that loyalty.

Xia Li stood up, poured Jiang Chaosheng a cup of tea, and offered it with both hands.

The movement was not natural; this Female President rarely poured tea for others herself.

“Sir, according to data projections, Yang Xiao should be able to come out today.”

“If you’re worried about him, you can wait a little longer—”

She paused, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

“It would also give us more time to report our recent research findings to you.”

In the big family of the Taboo Association, if Jiang Chaosheng was the father figure, then Xia Li was the eldest daughter.

She was adept at maintaining the family’s balance, knowing how to make everyone a little more comfortable.

Jiang Chaosheng took the cup, but didn’t drink it, placing it beside him.

“I’m not interested in your projects. That’s not why I’m here.”

He leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

“I came here not only to see Yang Xiao, but also with a gift, and a mission.”

Xia Li and Liu Weiqian’s expressions turned serious at the same time.

‘A gift from Sir couldn’t possibly be anything ordinary, could it?’

It was definitely a treasure that demanded their utmost attention.

‘And… Sir is issuing a mission?’

‘Successfully completing the mission would mean—’

‘A Taboo Item!’

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at the security guard-like Cleaner Fish at the door.

“Bring them in.”

Xia Li and Liu Weiqian both looked toward the door.

Several Cleaner Fish filed in, each carrying a burlap sack on their shoulder.

Eight sacks were neatly stacked on the tiled floor.

Neither Xia Li nor Liu Weiqian knew what was in the sacks.

The Cleaner Fish were commanded only by Sir and Yang Xiao; no one else had any authority over them.

In truth, the Cleaner Fish were stationed at the Divine Peptide Biotechnology Company only because Yang Xiao wanted to place his own spies there.

Two of the Cleaner Fish squatted down, opened the mouths of the sacks, and revealed what was inside.

Xia Li and Liu Weiqian’s expressions instantly turned strange.

‘Inside… are people?’

Eight people lay stiffly on the ground, their postures as rigid as wooden carvings, with black snakes coiled around their bodies.

Their bodies were motionless; only their heads twitched ceaselessly.

Their eyes kept rolling upward, showing large, murky whites.

Liu Weiqian looked at Jiang Chaosheng suspiciously.

“Is this… some kind of strange disease?”

‘If it is a strange disease, then it’s certainly a fine gift.’

Liu Weiqian currently had an almost pathological craving for new viruses and bacteria.

A smile slowly spread across his old face.

“A pathogen sent by Sir must be exceptionally precious.”

“This old man will study it thoroughly.”

“No. It’s not a pathogen.”

Xia Li crouched down, narrowing her eyes to study these “patients.” Her nostrils flared slightly, as if she were sniffing something.

“There’s a… very… very strange aura about them.”

Jiang Chaosheng asked:

“Strange in what way?”

Xia Li pondered for a moment, her brow furrowing deeper.

“It’s a little familiar… It seems close to the power of a Vampire.”

“Remember that feeling of familiarity.”

Jiang Chaosheng stood up, walked over to the eight people, and looked down at them.

“They carry something from Hell.”

Xia Li and Liu Weiqian’s eyes both went wide.

“Hell?”

Hell—that was something from myths and legends, the most popular backdrop in religious stories.

‘Hell actually exists?’

‘And it’s right here in front of us?’

Liu Weiqian’s breathing grew ragged, and his old heart began to pound in his chest.

He was intensely interested in these “patients,” but his scholarly instincts forced him to calm down and begin a rational analysis.

“Are they infected with a virus from Hell?”

“No… perhaps it’s not a virus.”

He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his lab coat.

“The environment in Hell must be vastly different from the Human World.”

“It’s like a modern person, with an immune system that has evolved countless times, traveling back to ancient times. A single sneeze could trigger a viral storm.”

He crouched down, leaning in to look at the convulsing faces, his gaze so intense it seemed it could burn right through them.

“They might be infected with something from Hell, but those things wouldn’t be considered viruses in Hell.”

Jiang Chaosheng’s next words struck Liu Weiqian like a thunderbolt.

He spoke slowly, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.

“Devils from Hell have paid a visit to their corpses.”

He looked down at the rigid bodies, his voice level.

“They look alive. In reality, their shells have long been occupied by Hell Creatures.”

Liu Weiqian’s pupils trembled, his voice dry.

“Wh-what did you say?!”

Jiang Chaosheng said:

“I mean—there are living Hell Creatures inside their bodies.”