Chapter 31
Reason, like the strongest layer of ice, roared a warning deep within Lin Yao's mind: Foolish! To abandon the Earth Heart, a power-boosting tool so close at hand, for a worthless, dying old tool?
This went against all the principles of his existence. The optimal solution was always strength; strength was the only foundation for crushing all conspiracies and controlling one's own destiny.
Deep within the stone cave, that strange and powerful spiritual fluctuation had completely locked onto the heart of the earth veins. The greedy will was like a physical tentacle, ready to grab that ball of warm ochre light.
Below the crack, Lu Cheng's weak mental fluctuations were like a candle in the wind. Every struggle brought a heart-wrenching sense of brokenness, sliding into complete silence.
Lin Yao's fingertips were only a millimeter away from the shadow of the stone.
However, his body defied the absolute command of his mind and twisted violently. Instead of charging forward into the stone cave, he slammed into the narrow, moss-covered crack to the side below with a nearly uncontrollable violence.
boom--!
The invisible mental impact was like a tangible hammer, instantly shattering the thick, foul-smelling moss covering the cracks, along with the hard, porous cavity wall beneath. Sticky green juice and gravel poured out like a torrential rain.
Taking advantage of the gap that was opened by the explosion, Lin Yao's eyes instantly locked onto the depths of the crack.
The scene, like the cruelest oil painting, had a destructive beauty.
Lu Cheng leaned against the cold and slippery cavity wall, curled up in the dirty corner.
His face, which used to be handsome and had a smile as warm as the sun, was now as pale as paper and bloodless.
There was a wound on his forehead so deep that the bone was visible. Dark red blood scabs mixed with dirt meandered down along his handsome nose and solidified on his bleeding lips.
The dark blue D City standard combat uniform was already in tatters. Under the torn fabric were several horrific wounds that were deep enough to reveal the bones, with charred and curled edges.
It was clearly the trace left by a powerful energy attack. The residual aura of S-level energy clung to him like a maggot on his tarsal bones.
His breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, and each breath he took was accompanied by a death spasm. Thick eyelashes covered his eyelids, casting deep shadows on his eye sockets.
His body trembled uncontrollably due to blood loss and severe pain, and was as fragile as a piece of glass that was about to shatter completely.
Less than a meter in front of him, a distorted filthy beast that looked like a hybrid of a giant rotten centipede and a bat was raising its hideous mouthparts covered with barbs and sticky saliva.
Deep within its mouth, a dark green poisonous light flickered, emitting a sickening stench. Its countless eyes fixed their gaze on its defenseless prey, its deadly venom ready to be unleashed.
Lu Cheng, however, was completely oblivious to this. He seemed to have given up struggling, or rather, he had completely exhausted all the energy to do so.
The tightly closed eyelashes trembled slightly, and the cracked and pale lips moved silently, murmuring a broken syllable over and over again.
Lin Yao's perception clearly captured the extremely faint silent call from the depths of his soul.
“Yao…Yao…”
Then, that nearly frozen expression of pain strangely relaxed a little. An almost illusory arc of relief, even with a hint of happiness, rose with great difficulty at the corner of his blood-stained lips.
It was as if death was not the end, but a bridge to some warm shore, where he could see again the lover he loved deeply but had passed away.
"I... am... coming... to see you..."
The silent fluctuations of the soul, carrying the last trace of obsession and satisfaction, were faintly transmitted.
boom--!
An unprecedented, cold and violent rage erupted from Lin Yao's heart like a volcano that had been dormant for a thousand years. This rage came without warning, surging so violently that it almost tore apart the absolute rationality that he was so proud of.
It was not because of Lu Cheng's dying, nor because of the fangs that were about to fall, but because of that damnable, dazzling smile on that blood-stained face, filled with relief and happiness.
Why should he be free?! Who allowed him to be free?! Who allowed him to die with such a foolish, false sense of satisfaction?!
Lin Yao didn't even think. His figure disappeared from the spot, and the next moment, like silver lightning tearing through space, he appeared directly above the polluted beast with its fangs raised high.
Buzz——!
It was no longer the precise, efficient, and silent soul-annihilation of the past. This time, the violent spiritual power exploded with him as the center like an uncontrolled tsunami.
The pure, crushing will, accompanied by materialized spiritual shock, was like billions of invisible steel needles, fiercely piercing into the chaotic and filthy soul core of the polluted beast.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a dense, agonizing, muffled thud that made one's scalp tingle. The massive, tainted beast, emitting a terrifying aura, didn't even let out a single wail.
The dark green light in its countless compound eyes instantly went out, and its barbed mouthparts twisted and collapsed like melted wax.
The huge body was like being hit by countless invisible hammers at the same time. Every inch of the shell, every piece of flesh and blood, and every twisted limb exploded, collapsed, and annihilated at the same time.
The sticky and smelly liquid and broken tissues seemed to be compressed and crushed by an invisible force, and finally turned into a pool of dirty liquid with green smoke and a strong burnt stench, which splashed on the ground in front of Lu Cheng.
The anger released by this attack far exceeded what was actually needed, and the mental power consumed was enough to easily wipe out several polluted beasts of the same level.
What a waste!
Lin Yao didn't even glance at the filth. He landed without a pause, and with a chilling murderous intent still lingering in his body, he took a step forward to stand in front of Lu Cheng.
The strong smell of blood and the stench of polluted beasts assaulted him. Lu Cheng's breath was so weak that it was almost gone, and his body was as cold as stone. That blood-stained face, with its illusory smile of happiness, was so close, so fragile that it seemed as if it would shatter completely at the slightest touch.
Save him?
Lin Yao looked down at the dying old tool from above.
Reason once again took over, with a sharp sarcasm: meaningless! A waste who was abandoned by him, severely injured by the enemy, and completely mentally broken.
What would they gain by reviving him, besides wasting precious medicine and energy? A liability? A ticking time bomb that could expose his secret? A ghost of the past that would only bring trouble?
He should turn around and leave. While the mysterious strong man is still in the stone chamber collecting the earth vein heart, he still has a chance to track it down or find other alternative materials.
The longer Qin Feng drags it out, the greater the risk of being exposed. The best solution is always to leave!
The thought was so clear, cold and irrefutable.
However--
Lin Yao's body once again betrayed his thoughts.
He knelt down on one knee, his movements being so stiff that he himself was not even aware of it, yet strangely smooth.
The cold fingertips brushed away the hair on Lu Cheng's forehead that was stuck with cold sweat and blood, revealing the hideous wound.
He took out pure cleaning agent, strong disinfectant spray, cell repair gel, and special energy bandages from the extremely hidden space device he carried with him...
The movements are precise and fast, like the most sophisticated instrument, completely removing dirt and any remaining pollutants and toxins.
When the cold spray touched the wound, Lu Cheng twitched in pain even in his deep coma.
The viscous medicine, emitting a faint glow, covered the rolled up flesh and began to slowly repair the damaged tissue.
The movements were steady, circle after circle, tightly wrapping the most fatal wounds to stop the loss of life.
His fingers were steady, without a tremor, each step as precise and accurate as a textbook, his efficiency astonishing. But when his fingertips accidentally touched the faint, almost vanishing pulse beneath Lu Cheng's cold skin, a strange, subtle feeling of stagnation still caused almost imperceptible ripples beneath the icy surface of the lake.
After completing the bandage, he even used his fingertips to very naturally and gently wipe away the cold sweat that instinctively seeped out of Lu Cheng's forehead due to the severe pain.
After doing all this, Lin Yao stood up and took a step back. He looked down at his hands, as if they had just done something unreasonable.
Then, his gaze returned to Lu Cheng, who was lying on the ground. His breathing seemed to have stabilized a little, but he was still unconscious and dying.
The heart of the earth veins was lost and was intercepted by a mysterious and powerful person whose background is unknown.
Qin Feng had been missing for far too long. His emotionally manipulated protector was probably already in a vortex of panic and suspicion.
Being missing for a long time would inevitably increase the risk of exposure. He needed to go back as soon as possible and come up with a reasonable explanation.
And Lu Cheng...this huge trouble, was lying here like a broken doll.
What to do? Take him away? Abandon him? What to do with him if he took him away? Abandon him… What about his meaningless attempts to save him?
The silver-haired boy stood quietly in the thick darkness and the strong smell of blood, with his unconscious former lover beside him.
For the first time, an emotion called annoyance clearly emerged on his delicate and fragile face, which looked like a creation of a god.
It's not a cold calculation, nor an indifferent weighing of pros and cons, but a real worry, as if entangled by invisible threads, with a hint of confusion and... an indescribable sense of stagnation.
This soul manipulator who once topped the old world's standings, played with people's hearts at his fingertips, could find the best solution in any desperate situation, and always put himself in an absolutely active position, was now dragged into an unprecedented passive situation by an old tool that had long been discarded and a series of out-of-control choices.
The power has not yet been restored, the target material is lost, the protector may be out of control, and I have picked up a dying trouble...
For the first time, the situation went beyond his preset trajectory.
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