Free Web NovelChapter 258: Chapter 258: The Parasite’s Origin
Lin En did not notice the system had gone quiet. She was too busy wiping the black blood from her lips with the back of her trembling hand. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps.
"Just... how could they find it?" she whispered, voice cracking like thin ice.
"I made sure no one could even see it. My beautiful pets... they were supposed to stay hidden, doing my mission... killing that bitch Yue..."
Her words grew louder, sharper, bouncing off the silver walls like accusations.
"But who had actually discovered it? And not only discovered it...they killed it? My pets are immortal. They cannot be killed at all. Just who... who did this to them?"
She was almost screaming now. The sound echoed strangely, as if the room itself had swallowed part of it and spat it back twisted.
Her eyes narrowed into slits of pure rage. Then, slowly, they changed. The whites turned pitch black, like two bottomless wells opening inside her skull.
A shadow moved inside those dark eyes, it was thin, writhing, countless tiny strands twisting like the parasite she had lost. It was only a reflection, only a shadow, but it looked alive.
Lin En did not blink. She stared at nothing, lips moving in rapid, muttered curses.
"Sea Empire... yes... I released the first batch there. Only there. That polluted zone was mine. I triggered it perfectly. That bitch Yue Yue was supposed to stay trapped. If she tried to run, the SSS zone would swallow her. If she stayed, the parasites would drink her dry. She must die. Definitely." free𝑤ebnovel.com
Her lips curved into a dark smile that did not reach those pitch-black eyes. The shadow inside them twisted faster, as if excited by her words.
Lin En laughed, it was a broken sound that sent chills crawling up the spine. "Who dared to touch what is mine? Who dared to kill my child? I will find them. I will peel their skin and feed it to the next swarm. I will make the entire Sea Empire choke on polluted blood until that white lotus bitch begs for death."
She paced now, bare feet silent on the cold floor, leaving faint black footprints from the blood she had spat. Each step felt heavier, as if the room was tilting, as if reality itself was bending around her growing madness.
Lin En stopped in front of the transparent panel. The stars outside looked wrong tonight. She pressed her palm against the glass, leaving a black smear.
"Come out," she whispered to her own reflection. "Show me who killed it. Show me who touched my pet."
The shadow in her eyes pulsed once, twice, as if answering her. For a split second the reflection in the glass showed not Lin En, but something else...something with too many thin strands reaching out from her face, reaching toward the viewer like it wanted to crawl through the glass and into the real world.
She smiled wider.
"That bitch thinks she can purify my children? That she can protect her men with her little green light?" Lin En’s voice turned strange, even her speech didn’t make much sense.
"I will send more. Hundreds more. Thousands. The SSS zone is only the beginning. I will make the pollution spread to every empire until there is nowhere left for her to hide."
"And when she is broken and bleeding, I will stand over her and watch my pets drink her dry while her precious five men watch helplessly."
She laughed again, softer this time, almost tender. The sound was worse than screaming.
***
Yue Yue stood quietly in the protected side hall of the Sea Palace.
In front of her stood a group of strong beastmen, Cang Yuze’s trusted soldiers who had gone deep into the SSS rank polluted zone with him earlier.
One by one, she checked them carefully. She let her eyes scan their bodies, searching for any sign of the disgusting black parasite with its countless thin strands.
But surprisingly, she found nothing.
Yue Yue shook her head gently and looked at Cang Yuze. "There is none on any of them. They are completely fine."
Cang Yuze stiffened. His face turned serious, and a heavy silence fell over the hall.
He immediately waved his hand and ordered his men in a low voice, "All of you, leave now. Go back to your posts and rest."
The soldiers bowed quickly and left without asking questions. The moment the door closed behind the last man, Cang Yuze turned to Yue Yue. His voice was tight with worry.
"Yue, are you sure? There was really none on them?"
Yue Yue nodded without hesitation. "Yes. There was none. They are completely fine."
Cang Yuze’s expression fell. He looked troubled, his brows furrowed deeply. He stood there silently for a moment, thinking hard.
Then he muttered, almost to himself, "Then why... why was there only on me?"
He began to pace slowly, his mind racing. "Was it because I went deeper than the others? I entered the SSS level polluted zone first. After that, I went alone to the sacred room where the purified orb is kept. The orb that has the crack..." freewebnøvel.coɱ
His voice grew quieter. "The men followed me into the polluted zone, but they did not enter that sacred room. So maybe... the parasite was waiting there. Inside the room with the orb."
Cang Yuze stopped pacing. His gaze suddenly hardened, cold and sharp like a blade.
"If that is the reason... if the parasite came from near the orb and caused the crack..." He clenched his fists tightly. "Then the danger is much bigger than we thought."
Without wasting another second, he turned toward the door. "We need to go there right now. To the room where the orb is placed."
Yue Yue nodded and followed him with Han Soi. They all moved quickly through the palace corridors.
The sacred room was deep inside the most protected part of the Sea Palace. As they walked, Cang Yuze spoke in a low voice, explaining to Yue Yue.
"The purified orb has been there for generations. It is the heart of the Sea Empire’s protection. If a parasite like that was able to appear near it and even crack the orb... then something is very wrong with the parasite itself."
Yue Yue listened carefully, her heart beating faster. She remembered the disgusting insect and how it had hidden perfectly on Cang Yuze’s neck.
If the same thing or something worse was near the orb, they had to deal with it quickly.
Han Soi walked on her other side, ready to protect her at any moment.
When they finally reached the heavy doors of the sacred room, Cang Yuze stopped and looked at Yue Yue.
"Stay behind me," he said gently but firmly. "If there is any danger, I want you safe."
Yue Yue gave him a small nod, but her eyes were determined. "I will be careful. But if there is any parasite or polluted energy, I can purify it."
Cang Yuze pushed the doors open slowly. The sacred room was dimly lit, filled with ancient carvings and soft blue light.
In the center, floating gently above a stone platform, was the purified orb.
