Chapter 659: Flame City: Descent into Chaos

A maddening atmosphere was spreading throughout Flame City.

People gathered in every plaza, led by missionaries in fervent prayer rituals.

In the midst of their almost mystical, frenzied chants, the deepest, most devout facets of their hearts were stirred. They strictly adhered to the ceremonies, shouting aloud as their mental power merged into surging waves, like a roiling sea.

Driven by the fervor of the crowd, some rushed into the streets to hunt down those deemed ‘impious’ and burn them alive.

Countless people on the streets were set ablaze on the spot if they failed to join in.

Immense chaos, like a raging river, swept through the entire city.

But Flame City was too vast; no matter how intense the madness, it could not truly grip the entire metropolis.

Many stayed home, indifferent to the gatherings outside their windows, too absorbed in surfing the net or simply living their lives.

Thus, various bizarre incidents began appearing at every level of Flame City.

Some habitually logged onto a website within the city’s internal network, named ‘Fox Immortal Temple.’

Once inside, numerous short videos would appear—videos that everyone knew many were watching, yet no one dared admit it. But this time was different: a unique video dominated the top of the page.

Almost reflexively, they clicked on it, and the screen revealed the shadow of a woman, her features indistinct.

This woman was stunning, though the image trembled incessantly, making it hard to see clearly.

Slowly, a line of red text emerged in the center of the screen: “Look downstairs.”

Those watching were momentarily stunned; their gazes lost focus as they drifted to the window.

There, they saw a luminous white female silhouette standing below, gently beckoning to them.

The impact of the video and the woman’s presence flooded their minds with a powerful surge.

In that moment, they lost all control—a dazed, overwhelming urge drove them to descend from their homes.

They watched as the white silhouette gracefully moved forward.

She appeared to be the silhouette of a beautiful woman in a very short skirt, sporting fox ears and a trailing white tail on her rear. With a swaying gait, and within arm’s reach, she glanced back and smiled at them.

In response to that smile, the eyes of countless men—and even a few women—went wide with awe.

Spellbound, they followed her down the street…

The woman moved from one end of the street to the other, calling people from below each building, and strode forward gently.

Her slender, graceful hand rested on her shoulder as she let out a soft yawn.

The entranced onlookers failed to notice the chains winding around their bodies, binding them subtly.

As the numbers swelled, the crowd grew ever larger.

Eventually, those at the front sank to the ground on all fours, letting her lead them wherever she went.

Ahead, a decaying underground parking lot appeared, its rotting flesh trembling like a living creature as bizarre eyes slowly opened.

Yet no one noticed the decomposing flesh.

Their eyes were fixed solely on the graceful sway of the woman’s hips as she led them step by step toward the parking lot.

…

A gentle violin melody began to play. On a street corner, a young man with pale features, curly hair, and a tuxedo played the instrument with passionate abandon, attracting scores of young women who excitedly stamped their feet, circling around him.

In that soaring melody, a flash of excitement suddenly lit up the young man’s eyes.

…

Inside the massive broadcasting studio of Flame City’s media center,

a megastar of Flame City stood center stage, resplendent in dazzling performance attire.

All the surrounding lights dimmed, leaving only a single beam illuminating his head.

Gripping the microphone, his eyes flashed an eerie coldness, only to transform into a brilliant smile the moment his signal went live.

Facing the camera, he began his performance.

Across Flame City, countless homebound residents had already gathered in front of their televisions, eagerly awaiting the megastar’s show.

…

Suddenly, from a silent, dark building, numerous tentacles emerged and reached out to grab the street crowd.

At a street corner, a crack that seemed almost alive appeared out of nowhere.

This rift popped up intermittently along the streets, swallowing fleeing, panicked people.

On a building rooftop, the lights started flickering suddenly.

The rhythmic flashing of the lights held an uncanny allure; anyone catching sight of it from home soon found themselves drawn in, eventually dangling from their chandeliers.

The Red Moon hung high over Flame City, silently bathing it in its glow.

At some point, the city’s entire atmosphere had transformed beyond recognition.

Countless strange incidents began to occur, and many unreal creatures appeared intermittently.

They stealthily scaled the high-rise buildings.

Giant tentacles and decaying bodies crawled along the walls; from each window, they searched for someone isolated.

Whenever they spotted a person still clinging to consciousness in a room, a rotting face would press close, smiling at them.

…

…

“Commander, what are we guarding against?”

On all major roads circling Flame City, large military units had been deployed, establishing strict perimeter defenses.

They had set up long spears and heavy artillery, forming a wall of steel aimed at the mass of threats looming beyond the city.

“Beware any potential threats…”

The Commander murmured, gazing into the silent, desolate wasteland. “No matter who tries to intervene in what’s happening inside, we must stop them—even if it costs our lives. That is our order…”

“But, but what is happening inside the city now?”

A young Soldier asked softly, unsettled by the indistinct sounds occasionally emanating from the city.

“I don’t know,”

the Commander replied truthfully after a long pause.

After a moment he added in a low voice, “I only know that if we survive tonight, Flame City will wield the power to rule the world.”

…

…

“Flame City is literally destroying the world…”

At the same time that madness and bizarre events overwhelmed this city of 30 million people, Lu Xin and his comrades emerged from the Nightmare of God. From the tall buildings, they immediately felt an unprecedented mental pressure.

Wherever they looked, they saw people.

Every street in Flame City was jam-packed, as if the entire population had poured out onto the roads.

Some people were howling with fanaticism, while others screamed in terror.

Some chased after others, while some fled in panic.

Some grabbed people and placed them upon burning racks, while others were being burned.

Even from afar, they could feel the sheer madness of the people.

It was as if they were staring into an endless, frenzied sea, with no boundaries in sight.

More critically, as Ability Users, Xia Chong naturally sensed it.

Across the city, twisted formations of mental energy emerged—some erupting like volcanoes.

She knew that this was a sign of a powerful Pollution Source spreading.

Instinctively, she glanced at Lu Xin and said, “No one can allow such rampant, uncontrolled mental pollution…”

“If this is hell…”

“Then what Flame City is building must be an unprecedented, large-scale Pollution Source…”

“…”

“This is only the prelude…”

Lu Xin understood Xia Chong’s concerns.

Having emerged from the Nightmare of God, they had already pieced together parts of Flame City’s hellish plan.

Over the years, using mental entities collected from across the world and materials stolen from the Nightmare of God, they had designed—truly designed—a construct unlike anything ever seen before.

Is it best described as a parasitic item or a mental monster?

Or, to be precise, as Xia Chong said, it is a Pollution Source?

But this Pollution Source has the potential to threaten the entire world.

Xia Chong’s judgment was based on what she sensed, yet Lu Xin saw even more.

From atop the high-rises, he could even see gigantic, bizarre mental entities emerging above the city—resembling enormous, pallid faces that stared down impassively at Flame City.

He saw countless skulking figures crawling over towering buildings, witnessed innumerable deaths.

The chaotic mix of pollution types surely wasn’t Flame City’s ultimate aim.

He even faintly felt the aura originally belonging to the Nightmare of God within Flame City.

Thus, Lu Xin believed this was just the appetizer—a prelude to something far more terrifying that Flame City was setting up.

“This is horrifying…”

Immediately, Lu Xin closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them two seconds later.

Black particles swirled in his eyes, only to quickly fade away.

By the time he arrived in Flame City, he had been frightened before.

Whether it was the exorbitant tolls, Flame City’s method of harvesting mental power, the daredevil spirit of the Black Box Priests, or the sheer, frenzied scenes unfolding across the city…

All of it stirred a deep, primal fear within him.

This city was utterly insane!

…

…

“We must stop them…”

While Lu Xin pondered this, Xia Chong hurried a few steps forward, positioning herself at a prime spot.

At the same time, she rapidly tapped on her communicator.

Soon, she heard the report previously sent by the Negative Zero Unit: “Message received, please respond, message received, please respond.”

“Half an hour ago, a massive disturbance erupted in Flame City.”

“Various churches, Ability Users, and some mysterious creatures of unknown origin have been relentlessly polluting the residents of Flame City, leading to widespread deep contamination and coerced sacrificial events. The exact logic behind their actions remains unclear.”

“This intelligence has been reported to the Research Institute. We must, by any means necessary, stop this spreading pollution.”

“It has been determined that the pollution level across Flame City is now incalculable.”

“In response to this sudden, citywide frenzy, even the illicit use of weapons of mass destruction cannot halt it.”

“According to analysis from the Institute’s information group, when the contamination of the populace reaches extreme levels, even resorting to forbidden parasitic items to wipe out the city only shuttles them into a prearranged sacrificial fate.”

“Thus, no cleanup is advised.”

“…”

Xia Chong listened to the report from the Negative Zero Unit, her hands trembling slightly.

Yet the contents of the report were not entirely unexpected for them.

Who could possibly stop the madness of an entire city?

The rapid transformation of Flame City was no accident. The deep foundations laid through years of meticulous preparation meant that no single individual or parasitic item could instantly quell this frenzy—unless an entire army arrived…

“How on earth can we summon an army in such a short time?”

Xia Chong’s voice carried a trace of despair.

But then Lu Xin turned his head slightly and said to her, “Perhaps we do have an army…”

Xia Chong blinked in surprise, “Could it be…?”

Before a single thought could form, a series of beeps—”beep, beep, beep”—erupted from around them.

Lu Xin, along with Nine-Headed Serpent, Night Owl, and Old Wang, quickly rummaged through their belongings and pulled out their communicators.

They then saw Dracula delivering an impassioned message from the platform:

“Brothers and sisters, we’re just here for a get-together…”

“Who would have thought we’d face such an unprecedented disaster!”

“The lives and health of everyone in Flame City are in grave danger…”

“In the name of humanity, how can we stand by and do nothing?”

“So, whether or not you’re in Flame City or can get here in time,”

“I propose that we immediately rescue the residents of Flame City and thwart Flame’s wicked plans. No more hesitations or bureaucratic constraints—effective immediately, all members are to suspend the rules. You are permitted to use mental power to counteract the pollution of Flame City’s residents, and you may employ methods prohibited by the Research Institute. Our sole objective is…”

“…to stop them from sacrificing themselves under coercion.”

“Additionally, as the organizer of this gathering, I will personally award one million to the person who contributes the most to this incident.”

“And don’t forget the title of Red Moon Club’s strongest Ability User—everyone, give it your all!”

“…”

Lu Xin, Night Owl, Nine-Headed Serpent, and the others read this message with mixed emotions. Xia Chong, though without a communicator herself, peered at the message on Lu Xin’s device, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she exclaimed, “How could I forget him?”

“The greatest mercenary, Mr. Dracula, is right in Flame City…”

Her face was filled with excitement and hope as she added, “With him there, there’s no doubt everything will be alright…”

PS: Highly recommend the female-oriented masterpiece ‘Part-time Idol’ by the legendary author Drifting in Melbourne. It’s absolutely fantastic.