Free Web NovelChapter 374: Chapter 105: Hatching
Dark clouds blanketed the sky as a thunderstorm arrived without warning. But a little over ten minutes later, as if all the hastily gathered rain had been dumped at once, the area around the streets and apartment buildings brightened, leaving only soaked pavement and humid air.
A little boy hid under a staircase, craning his neck to peer at the rooftop. During the downpour, the air had been filled with thunder, and through it, he’d faintly heard the sounds of a fierce battle on another roof. But because of the heavy rain and the distance, he couldn’t see a thing.
Just then, a shadow fell over him.
The boy tensed up at first, but then sighed in relief. "Mister." But once he got a clear look, he involuntarily stumbled back two steps.
A huge hole was torn in Wei Wusheng’s chest. A chunk of flesh and bone seemed to have been ripped away, revealing what looked like his beating heart. He carried his hammer in one hand, and from his waist hung two heads, their eyes wide and their faces twisted in grimaces. Their hair was knotted together, stringing them into a single, grisly chain.
The boy couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Just then, Wei Wusheng tossed something to him. He hurriedly caught it and saw that it was a Realm Token. From its design, it was clearly far more advanced than the Second-hand Realm Token he was used to.
"Put it on and come take a picture."
After tossing out the command, Wei Wusheng started walking away. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Oh," the boy mumbled, putting on the Realm Token as he followed. Only then did he notice the dozen or so slash wounds on Wei Wusheng’s back, apparently from a sharp weapon. The flesh was peeled back, a gruesome sight. Yet Wei Wusheng seemed completely unaffected by his injuries; his gait was as steady as ever, and he had already covered a good distance in a short time.
And, he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Wei Wusheng’s frame seemed taller than before. After getting the Realm Token situated, he broke into a sprint to catch up.
In his dorm room at the Profound Palace Building, Chen Chuan had just finished his daily training and was about to rest when a message suddenly came in from Tan Zhi. He didn’t think much of it. Tan Zhi had been going to arena matches recently and often sent him photos of the venue or other things related to the fights, so he opened it without a second thought.
This time, however, it was different. It was just a single, crystal-clear photograph.
A tall, brawny man stood with his back to the camera, dominating the frame. He held a conspicuous hammer, which seemed to be stained with blood. At his feet lay two headless, mangled corpses.
At the top of the photo, two heads were strung together. Their eyes were rolled back and lifeless. From the severed necks dangled blood vessels, tendons, and wisps of Mutated Organization.
The image was incredibly jarring.
Chen Chuan stared at the figure’s back. ’Is that... Wei Wusheng?’
He studied the two heads. Though their faces were distorted, he could vaguely discern a resemblance between them. He had also seen photos of these two on the bounty platform recently. ’These must be the heads of the Pei Brothers.’
He’d read their profile. They were cousins with a wealth of experience and an exceptionally seamless partnership, putting them a cut above any ordinary solo Fighter. They were highly rated in discussion threads, with many believing they had the best chance of taking down Wei Wusheng.
But now, it seemed the opposite was true.
He examined the photo carefully; it revealed a lot of information. Judging from the wounds on the brothers’ necks, their spines had likely been snapped while they were still alive, and then their heads were brutally ripped off.
Also, by comparing him to the objects in the background, he got the sense that Wei Wusheng’s frame was even taller than before. But since it was just a photo, he couldn’t be certain.
’Could this be the reward from the "Heart Thought" that Wei Wusheng mentioned?’
As he was lost in thought, a faint sound came from inside his room. He turned his head and saw the egg in the incubator begin to wobble.
A section of the eggshell split open, creating a small gap. A piece was slowly pushed out, revealing something inside. Then came more sounds of tapping and struggling as the cracks gradually spread.
Seeing this, Chen Chuan got up from the sofa and walked to the incubator. As the egg cracked more than halfway open, a small creature poked its head out and crawled free. It shook the shell fragments from its body, stared at him with wide eyes, and let out a soft, fledgling CHIRP.
He looked at the little creature. He had expected a snake, but it looked more like a cross between a lizard and a bird. It had feathers on its body and claws on its forelimbs, but it also had two membranous wings. Its plumage, which seemed to be multi-colored, was distributed like a bird’s, though it was currently wet and slick.
The little creature chirped at him again. He extended a finger to poke it playfully, and it immediately crawled up his finger and onto the back of his hand.
Chen Chuan could feel the creature’s tiny heartbeat and warmth. After a moment’s thought, he reached for the nutrient solution that the Secret Snake Sect had sent along with the incubator. It was supposedly edible for any of the Sect’s creatures. He grabbed a disposable paper plate and poured a small amount onto it.
As soon as the little creature saw it, it scrambled down from his hand and began to lap it up happily. Once it had eaten its fill, it seemed to grow tired. It crawled back into the incubator, lay down, closed its eyes, and became still.
Chen Chuan used his Realm Token to take a recording, then sent it to Zou Handan to ask what species the little creature was.
A short while later, Zou Handan’s reply came. "Mr. Chen, we’ve named this creature a ’Bird Lizard.’ We originally intended to cultivate it as a combat species, but we were unsuccessful."
"Some of them underwent unknown mutations, while a large batch of them regressed, so the project has been terminated. Most of the eggs were disposed of."
"This one must have been mixed in with the complimentary gifts by mistake. The species currently only has ornamental value and poses no threat. If you don’t like it, you can return it to us. We’ll take care of it and send you a different gift."
Chen Chuan knew what "take care of it" meant. "There’s no need for that," he said. "How do I raise it?"
Zou Handan’s voice was apologetic. "Since this was our mistake, we will send you some tools and a detailed instruction manual shortly, Mr. Chen."
Chen Chuan said, "Alright. I’d appreciate that."
After ending the call, he glanced at the little creature again. It was sleeping soundly, seemingly comfortable in the incubator’s warmth, so he left it be.
He checked the platform again and saw that in just that short time, the photo of Wei Wusheng had already spread everywhere. The comment section below had blown up, with more and more people joining the discussion, pushing the thread to the top in a matter of moments.
The Pei Brothers were, after all, very famous. To die so miserably at Wei Wusheng’s hands was truly unexpected. Some people were analyzing the state of the bodies and the visible injuries on Wei Wusheng, attempting to reconstruct the cause of death and the course of the battle. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Chen Chuan skimmed through a few comments. He found that some of them had substance and even pointed out details he had missed. Most of the discussion, however, was focused on the fallout and the odds of other Bounty Hunters facing Wei Wusheng.
Previously, the consensus had been in favor of the Bounty Hunters, but now people were uncertain. Some even argued that the Bounty Hunters were all hype, that they’d only ever faced weak opponents in the past and were finally being exposed now that they’d run into a truly tough adversary.
This statement, however, drew immediate opposition, and coupled with the Bounty Hunters’ fanbase, a fierce argument quickly erupted around the topic.
But the heated discussion on the platform seemed to attract the attention of one of the parties involved. A Bounty Hunter named "Han the Cat" very publicly stepped forward, declaring that he would kill Wei Wusheng himself and post the photo to prove it.
His declaration immediately sparked another round of intense debate. Some users tried to bait other top bounty hunters into making statements, but none of them seemed as flamboyant as Han the Cat. No matter how people tried to call them out on the platform, not a single one took the bait.
After reading through the threads, Chen Chuan logged off the platform. It seemed Wei Wusheng was growing ever stronger, but he didn’t let any of it affect his state of mind. He simply maintained his training rhythm.
More than ten days passed in a flash. During that time, he made another trip to Rift Wave Valley for a Snake Shedding session. This should be his last one before reaching the Third Limit, so he used the excuse of going home for a holiday and didn’t book any further sessions.
It was a suitable excuse that wouldn’t raise any questions. In fact, booking consecutive sessions was rare. While the physical recovery was quick, the psychological effects were much harder to overcome.
「Late July.」
After a sparring session with Hong Fu, Chen Chuan walked out of the private training room. He had expended a lot of energy and felt thirsty, so he quickened his pace, intending to get a glass of water.
The moment the thought formed, his feet sped up. His body seemed to do little more than blur, and suddenly he was across the living room from the training room. His hand, already reaching for a glass, paused mid-air.
It had all felt perfectly natural, with nothing out of the ordinary. But then he abruptly realized that he had, without thinking, demonstrated an ability that should belong only to a Third Limit Fighter.
The problem was, after his spar with Hong Fu, he had kept his body in a suppressed, low-energy state. He was still maintaining it even now. Yet under those conditions, he had still produced such incredible speed.
He picked up the glass and slowly took a sip of water. ’This undoubtedly means I’m gradually approaching the boundary,’ he thought. ’I might even be on the verge of crossing the threshold.’
He hadn’t really felt it happening. This was probably because no matter how much he improved, Hong Fu’s strength could be raised to match him. While he could have set Hong Fu to a fixed difficulty during their spars, he had removed that limit in order to constantly pressure himself. As a result, he’d become insensitive to his own progress.
After setting down the glass, he relaxed his breathing, closed his eyes, and looked inward. Aided by his Breathing Technique, the condition of every part of his body became clear to him.
He could clearly sense that his earlier judgment had been correct. It felt as if he only needed to take one more step to cross over completely.
And yet, he had a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
He didn’t rush his decision. Instead, he thought for a moment, then activated his Realm Token. A connection was established a moment later. "Uncle Ding," he said, "is Senior Brother Cao available? I have a few questions I’d like to ask him."
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