Mobile Source of Contamination

 Suddenly, Lecter felt a violent jolt deep within his soul.

His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It was fear—pure, soul-deep fear—the kind that bordered on madness.

Iridescent blotches started spreading from his hands.

The madness surged from the depths of his soul, flowing out like a flood.

It was the culmination of human malice, the cancer of the world, the object of hatred by countless beings—

The Abyss.

“You… what did you do?”

Lecter’s first reaction was to look toward the white-haired boy who had just let out a sigh.

He’d never witnessed anything like this.

“You can only blame yourself.

I didn’t do anything at all.”

Sui Ming casually searched Lecter’s immobilized body and retrieved a golden card.

With a flick, his score soared past one hundred, landing at an impressive 156.

Since looted points didn’t count toward team contributions,

Sui Ming now sat firmly at the top of the rankings—

More than twenty points ahead of even Bai Luoxia.

“Why does it feel like… my taunt stat just skyrocketed?”

Just then, Sui Ming felt a sudden weight settle on his shoulder.

He tensed, thinking it might be an ambush.

But a familiar voice chimed in:

“Long time no see, little cutie~”

“Ugh—disgusting. How old are you again?”

“Save it.

Sui Ming, the situation outside is turning ugly.”

“What happened?

Did the oceans swallow the land, or did the sky fall down?”

“Both.”

The Crow then shared a memory directly with Sui Ming.

As the images surged into his mind, his expression shifted in shock.

Above Mingxi City, dark clouds stretched across the sky like a suffocating blanket.

A tide of black water swept across the land, consuming everything in its path.

Low-lying houses had already been devoured without a trace.

From within the tide, twisted creatures emerged—

Stumbling forward like reanimated corpses,

Slaughtering anything alive.

Crimson.

Darkness.

Dread.

These had become the new norm in Mingxi City.

In mere moments, the once-glorious capital of order had fallen.

Its radiance, snuffed out.

“What the hell happened out there?”

Even with Sui Ming’s hardened resolve, the scene before him was difficult to accept.

Life now held no meaning.

Humans were discarded like stray dogs on the roadside.

“This is reality, Sui Ming,” the Crow said solemnly.

“Behind every beautiful thing stands a legion of giants holding the world aloft.

But once the curtain of lies is torn down,

The truth is enough to plunge anyone into despair.”

“Don’t mistake the Abyss inside you as a gift.”

The Crow’s tone turned grave.

“It’s a cancer powerful enough to annihilate everything—

The very existence we all loathe.”

“In the face of catastrophe, individual life is worthless.

But sometimes, it’s those very individuals who must bear the weight of the world.”

“Harsh, isn’t it?

But that’s reality—

An unavoidable truth.”

“No worries.

I’m used to it,” Sui Ming replied without emotion.

“I was born from a sea of blood.

Every blade I’ve touched was forged in the lifeblood of my enemies.

Death?

Disaster?

I’ve seen too much to fear either anymore.”

“Life gains meaning from the journey.

Death gains meaning from the end.”

“I won’t waver,

And I won’t mourn.”

“My path is clear—

And it lies ahead.”

“So…

Where’s the enemy now?”

The Crow gave a small smile as he looked at the determined boy.

He spread his wings and pointed into the distance.

A towering pillar of multicolored light pulsed with madness.

Even from this distance, Sui Ming could feel the ominous aura it radiated.

“That’s the source of the contamination.

Take it down, and the lockdown will unravel on its own.”

“But it won’t be that easy.”

Just as he said this, a venomous arrow shot from a nearby alley.

Its target wasn’t Sui Ming—

But the fallen Fenrir heir, Lecter.

Paralyzed, Lecter could only watch as the arrow drew closer.

He could already feel the phantom pain of it plunging into his chest,

Feel his life draining away,

And the cold embrace of death closing in.

Death itself wasn’t frightening.

But when it truly arrived, no one could face it without fear.

Flickers of memory flashed in Lecter’s fading consciousness—

His birth…

His coming-of-age…

His triumphs…

His downfall.

But in the end,

All of it would fade with death.

As the only son of the Fenrir family,

Lecter had been adored in ways others could never imagine.

In his world,

He was always the strongest,

Always in the right.

To the world, he was a duke’s heir—

A mountain among men.

But today,

He had failed—

And at the hands of someone weaker.

Still, none of that mattered now.

Lecter slowly closed his eyes,

Ready to accept the end.

A flash of blue passed through his mind.

A face—vivid and unforgotten.

So he did have someone he couldn’t let go of.

How laughable.

“Ambushes are supposed to be my specialty.

Honestly, you’re just embarrassing yourself.”

A sudden figure appeared between Lecter and the arrow.

In one swift motion, the arrow was caught and held tight.

“Here.

Have it back.”

[Inch Force—Jade Lotus] activated.

The green-glowing arrow reversed course—

Flying straight back and embedding into a nearby wall.

“You… why?

We’re rivals!

Wouldn’t my death benefit you?”

“Do you really think my death would be meaningful?”

“Do you think being alive is some kind of burden?”

“What do you even see in life, huh?!

You idiot!”

“To give up that easily—

Do you think that honors your own existence?

Or those who gave you life?”

For a moment, Lecter was speechless.

He couldn’t deny that, deep down, he had wanted to end it all.

What the hell was he thinking?

“…Thank you.

I’m awake now.”

A noble’s duty is to stand before the people—

Not to cower behind them.

“Seriously…

Next time, don’t go around sucking other people’s mana,” Sui Ming said, placing a hand on Lecter’s shoulder.

The iridescent blotches instantly began to flow back into Sui Ming’s body, as if drawn by magic.

“What is this power of yours?” Lecter asked, still dazed.

“Don’t worry about it.

Let’s just call it a trump card.”

“Ral,

Can you pinpoint the enemy’s location yet?”

Sui Ming asked offhandedly.

The boy stared at a monitor, eyes tracking even the slightest fluctuations in mana.

“Not yet.

But the moment they attack again, I’ll find them.”

“Good.

Because now… it’s our turn to strike back.”