Free Web NovelChapter 400: Chapter 17: More Than One Playing Card
(Silver Alliance can’t use extra updates for randomness; progress is 46/100.)
With Innate Force of roughly the second tier, Tang Jing could, just like characters from wuxia novels in Yuansheng Country’s culture, traverse walls and leap onto roofs.
Xu Ling easily followed behind Tang Jing.
Soon, the two entered the area covered by the infected’s capabilities within the supermarket.
As for the officers who cordoned off the area with yellow tape to keep the public out, upon seeing Xu Ling and Tang Jing suddenly appear, some officers began to spew racist expletives, while others simply looked the other way.
Handling a case? Law enforcement? Screw that—I’m set on having a good time today, indulging, being myself! Work? The truly free never work!
In such an atmosphere of freedom, Tang Jing realized that he could just stroll right in; there was no need to stealthily sneak around with Xu Ling.
After entering from the elevator section, Tang Jing quickly made his way to the first floor of the Olma Supermarket.
The first floor was mostly related to food, where the majority of customers were found.
Upon entering the supermarket, he saw someone calling their parents for money:
"Did you even get my consent to give birth to me? When you’re showing me off, why don’t you mention how hard it is? Stop beating around the bush and just send the money!" a young person often heard seeking parental support.
Tang Jing whispered to Xu Ling:
"Can you... can you sense him?"
"His presence can spread and has covered quite a few people. I can only sense it when I’m close," she replied.
The aura of humans and Evil Fallen are vastly different, especially when negative emotions are involved.
But the people here... now they all feel ecstatic from their decadence and indulgence. They have never been so "free" before.
Tang Jing nodded and said:
"Then let’s search one by one. I’ll lead the way, and you follow me."
Xu Ling didn’t expect that Tang Jing would appear unaffected.
Or could it be that Tang Jing had developed some resistance?
This struck Tang Jing as odd too.
In fact, in his heart, some ideas were budding. He really wanted to beat up these arrogant Caucasians.
He really wanted to loudly tell Xu Ling, "It was my master you deceived! I didn’t deceive you; I truly consider you a friend."
However, he was able to suppress these thoughts.
While he really wanted to sarcastically ridicule these people who usually think they’re better than everyone else, to curse the teachers who bring racism into schools, and even... to mess up Xu Ling’s face, these were just sudden thoughts that he didn’t feel compelled to act on.
Spiritual power.
Naturally, Tang Jing couldn’t grasp the concept of spiritual power. The stronger the spiritual power of a person, the greater their resistance to such states.
Therefore, Xu Ling was completely unaffected. Being one of the Evil Fallen with strong spiritual power, she was completely immune to this newly awakened spreadable emotional Mutation Entry.
Tang Jing thought to himself that’s good... a tirade against white folks is one thing, but if he were to actually make those moves on Xu Ling, she would kill him, right?
Once he confirmed that he could contain himself, Tang Jing started slowly searching for people with Xu Ling.
They came across a middle-aged overweight woman on an aisle filled with chocolates. She was voraciously devouring chocolate:
"Hahaha, slim my ass! Does my fat bother you? Is it wrong that I love chocolate! You skinny monkeys, how dare you look at me like that! I want to eat, I’ll eat all I want!"
What followed was the sound of her slurping and chomping.
The woman’s neck looked somewhat like the Michelin Man, clearly with several layers of fat.
Once she too had loudly vowed to try hard to lose weight for a healthy lifestyle.
Feeling this person was innocent... Tang Jing knocked her out.
"Eating too much of this stuff will kill you,"
The woman couldn’t respond to Tang Jing, as she had already fainted. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Xu Ling shook her head:
"It’s not her."
Tang Jing continued to look for the next person.
"Overtime? Are you joking with me?" A male office worker in a black suit, originally running to the coffee shop inside the supermarket to buy coffee for his boss, said mockingly to the phone.
"How could anyone enjoy being woken up at five-thirty in the morning, then finish shitting and pissing by six, wash up, and wait for the bus until six-thirty, only to feel sleepy around seven, squeezing themselves dry to make money for others?
"Look at your damned face, always asking me, ’Are you there? Look at the remaining value?’"
"I’m done with your fucking bullshit, I’m not serving you anymore!"
How refreshing, who wouldn’t want to snap at their boss like that? But this person probably just lost his job. You can imagine that anyone who runs out to buy drinks for their boss late at night must be working overtime... maybe not loving their job, but at least trying to survive.
Xu Ling still shook her head and Tang Jing resumed his search.
Fortunately, this wasn’t peak hour; Olma Supermarket was supposed to be closed at this time. There were only a few scattered customers, but if it had been around seven or eight in the evening, it’s likely a homicide would have already occurred here.
In fact, Tang Jing was being somewhat optimistic; a murder had already taken place in this supermarket.
In the toy section, a child found out that his birthday present was not a game console but an educational reading pen and began to smash his mother mercilessly with a baseball bat.
Xu Ling clutched Tang Jing’s hand, not bearing to watch.
The mother was beaten to a bloody mess, and the child who was beating her had a maniacal smile, screaming "Die," nailing the mother to the floor like a nail.
In truth, when the child found out the gift was educational, he was just slightly dissatisfied. But upon arriving at the supermarket, that dissatisfaction began to grow.
A child normally obedient and sensible became a devil at that moment.
Why do I have to study? Why do you enroll me in so many tutoring classes? Why do you yell at me when I do poorly on exams? Why do you always compare me to others?
Deep down, he knew that his parents might have their own expectations, but essentially they cared for him. Yet, he couldn’t control the urge to indulge himself.
Xu Ling covered her mouth, appearing to be in pain.
Tang Jing also knocked the child unconscious; he realized the seriousness of the situation.
If the whole city was like this, letting evil thoughts grow uncontrollably... the city would definitely become a city of devils.
Doomsday had arrived, bringing many strange and chaotic occurrences, much like how Sheng Country was seven hundred years ago.
Back then, people hadn’t realized the terror of distortion. The world would often get sick, and throughout human history, every time the world got sick, a lot of people would die.
But humanity ultimately survived; they thought this time would pass quickly, too.
But distortion... it was the cancer of the world. It wouldn’t be eradicated; it would only keep spreading, intensifying, worsening.
Now, this cancer that had been halted for seven hundred years was spreading again.
Tang Jing and Xu Ling continued to look for people.
There was a teacher who resented that all the students in school were scum.
There was a fitness coach currently harassing female clients on the phone.
There was a spiteful celebrity complaining about how little actors get paid, barely two million a day, and fans being too brainless.
Some people just had their inner evil amplified, while others were unveiling their true selves.
Finally, in the electronics corner of the supermarket, Tang Jing saw someone holding a microphone, shouting:
"Celebrate, step into freedom! Hahahahaha, let this city be completely free! No longer slaves to human nature, fuck human nature!"
The psychologist, McDro.
At thirty-nine, he had diagnosed countless patients and witnessed the twisted pasts of many, and he had subtly lamented how the changes in the social system on a macro level might influence the distortion of human nature on an observable scale.
He had enlightened many people, and although he had only been in this community for a few short years, he was highly respected by the locals. He was supposed to have a beautiful twilight years.
But one day, an old friend came in search of his comfort. This friend had recently been involved in a scandal, sexual assaulting a student.
Therefore, the former university professor was fired and became a homeless man.
McDro thought his old friend came seeking guidance. Although he knew his friend had done something beastly, doctors should not judge their patients, no matter what.
The old friend’s sexual assault of a student was also a sign of mental illness, and he could not ignore it.
But kind-hearted McDro never imagined that his friend came not seeking treatment, but... bringing destruction.
The university professor tied up McDro and then called McDro’s wife and daughter back home, right before McDro’s eyes.
In the end... in front of McDro, he smiled as he killed his wife and daughter.
Negative emotions turned the psychologist into Evil Fallen in an instant, yet even as Evil Fallen, he was still able to suppress the impulse to devour humans. He only wanted revenge, to tear the scumbag to pieces, but he never intended to plunge the entire world into chaos.
Until that former friend took out an alarm clock. The moment the alarm clock rang, more intense negative feelings and hatred for the world completely twisted McDro’s disposition.
And so... he became the source of infection.
An infection source that wherever he went, would cause people to unleash their evil natures.
Right now, he was wearing his everyday work clothes, but without his usual composure and grace, he shouted loudly:
"Fall! Fall! Life is already so tiring, why bother finding a peaceful way? Just give in to your desires, doesn’t it solve everything?"
He had seen many people who were hypocritical, and he had earnestly tried to help them suppress their inner evil and allow goodness to dominate their souls.
Perhaps he was not an exceptionally clever psychologist, but he was definitely a competent one.
But now... because of that incident, he had completely changed.
"Unleash your nature! Do whatever you want to do! There are no more shackles on you in this world! Dance, revel, let your desires boil over, hahaha..."
In his crimson eyes was endless fervor, and Xu Ling for some reason suddenly felt a profound sadness.
She felt a familiar sensation with this professor. But she couldn’t recall why. She just felt... he shouldn’t be like this, it shouldn’t be like this.
"It’s him," Xu Ling said.
In Tang Jing’s hand appeared a dagger. It was bought by Zhao at a high price and was made with the most advanced alloy technology, capable of easily cutting through steel.
McDro, looking at Tang Jing, said:
"It seems you are still restraining your nature; you’re not free enough yet. No matter, I’ll help you!"
As McDro’s words ended, Tang Jing felt a slight distortion in his field of vision.
The next second, those suppressed desires within him burst forth, shattering their restraints.
Tang Jing’s entire demeanor changed.
"Kill, kill, kill! I’ll slaughter all those who discriminate against us."
"Yes! Go do what you want to do! Don’t waste your talent! Hahaha..." McDro was very satisfied.
But the next second, when Tang Jing turned and saw Xu Ling, things took a turn.
Tang Jing looked at Xu Ling, and in that instant, countless thoughts emerged, and in the end—
Tang Jing pulled Xu Ling into his arms, and her face instantly flushed.
"This is my true self! I don’t care if you’re Evil Fallen or a monster! It’s fine as long as I like it, I don’t care if you’re human or not!"
Xu Ling was stunned.
Was he saying... he likes me?
The girl felt her breathing was somewhat labored, and her cheeks were hot. Up to now, she had seen three different Tang Jings.
The first Tang Jing, possessed great strength, was calm and composed, exuding an irresistible charm.
Without a doubt, this one was her favorite.
The second Tang Jing seemed much weaker and a bit green and awkward, but he still radiated a youthful air and sincerity.
This was the third... very domineering, very fierce in temperament, carrying a murderous aura... yet the things he said couldn’t make her feel scared.
Tang Jing laughed loudly but also let go of Xu Ling.
"Did you think I was going to do what I wanted to do? Do you think your abilities are invincible in this world!"
These words were directed at McDro.
McDro too was baffled; Tang Jing indeed was infected, but something was off.
Rare Mutation Entry: Desire Unleashed.
For the early stages of distortion and spread, this kind of entry was already on a bug level, and indeed Tang Jing couldn’t resist it.
Even if God Descent was cast several more times, and his strength increased again, it wouldn’t be enough to withstand it.
So, some of the desires in Tang Jing’s heart were amplified, like wanting to get close to Xu Ling, wanting to yell at those who looked down on others with racial prejudice in their daily lives.
But what he wanted to do even more, was to save the world!
All the strength in his body gathered in his legs and exploded in an instant. Tang Jing didn’t know how to harness the Innate Force, but thanks to one of the many benefits of God Descent, he could remember the way his master exerted his strength!
At that moment, a flash of blade light swept through!
McDro’s head... slid off from his neck, cleanly cut.
With Tang Jing’s own strength, it wasn’t enough to deliver such a clean and decisive slash.
But the equipment Zhao had spent a fortune on provided Tang Jing with great assistance!
The source of distortion at Olma Supermarket on Pike Street in Aulora, eliminated.
The moment McDro died, everyone affected by the Desire Unleashed felt their brains shake.
What followed... were all kinds of screams and shrieks.
There were those who screamed at the top of their lungs, and others who embarrassingly dug their toes into the ground, loudly exclaiming, "Oh! No! God!"
A massive public mortification unfolded.
Even Tang Jing’s face turned as red as a monkey’s butt because just a short while ago, he had done something he wanted but dared not do.
Xu Ling didn’t care about these; her heart was dominated by a great sense of unease.
She walked slowly towards McDro.
Then she pointed at McDro’s body.
Following Xu Ling’s gaze, Tang Jing’s previous emotions suddenly dispersed, and he felt a chilling foreboding.
"It seems this time... it’s just a beginning?"
"Their next target... could it be... me?" Xu Ling said, trembling.
Tang Jing didn’t speak; he just silently looked at McDro’s wrist. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The place Xu Ling pointed to was McDro’s wrist, where a symbol that was familiar yet foreign to her was engraved—
The Four of Diamonds.
(In the next Chapter, the story should return to the main character arc, but there might be a leave of absence tomorrow... It’s hard to say; I hope to avoid it.)
