Chapter 662: Chaos in Flame City
by xennovelHiss…
In the underground parking lot, a shadow fell silent when it heard the words of the girl hanging upside down from the ceiling. Then, without warning, they lifted their heads—their unreal, flawless features twisting into bizarre expressions—as they sprang upward like ghostly wisps to charge at the one-eyed girl on the ceiling, intertwining like swimming fish.
Hahahaha…
Yet the girl, staring at these twisted, eerie shadows, suddenly burst into a defiant laugh. Her figure streaked across the ceiling like a scarlet blur before rapidly descending from the swirling white apparitions.
Whoosh!
He crashed through the layered floors, landing on the lowest level as he sprinted toward the Fox Spirit Statue.
Ouch…
As the red blur barreled toward him, the statue—which hardly resembled a human—let out a startled cry.
It broke free from its divine pedestal and darted away on bare legs—revealing a man smeared with bronze paint.
But the red blur was clearly swifter. As it plummeted, its red cape unfurled, slowing the descent. Then, with a powerful kick off the wall, she lunged forward, toppling the statue.
“Help me…”
The bronze-painted ‘statue’ reached out, crying loudly.
Countless drifting white shadows, along with a motionless crowd, surged toward the center.
Yet the Girl in Red Cloak abruptly lifted her head, her mouth ajar to reveal sharply pointed little fangs.
Then she let out an ‘a-woo’ and sank her teeth into the sculpture’s scalp.
Swish…
The floating white shadows suddenly stalled, and the dumbfounded crowd froze mid-charge.
In the underground parking lot, the atmosphere turned eerily silent.
A sizzling sound filled the air, and after a few seconds, Dracula suddenly flung his hair back.
“Ugh, smells like copper slag…”
She spat on the ground before slowly rising to her feet.
A naked Dracula appeared on the ground—wearing nothing but bronze paint and a tattered cloth tied around his waist.
His head was bare, marked with two bite imprints, while his eyes remained intact.
His chest jutted out slightly.
Perhaps it was because this Fox Spirit was originally a rather stout man.
Her gaze wavered in confusion for a moment before she silently stood and trailed behind Dracula.
“Let’s go!”
Dracula waved a small hand, leading the other Dracula out. Behind them, the white shadows trembled, their forms sharpening before drifting out. Following them, the once-chained people emerged expressionless in a vast, surging crowd that spilled into the street.
When Lu Xin stood in the middle of the road, he saw faces emerging from surrounding buildings, alleys, and behind windows.
Countless Draculas revealed their faces, as if numerous mirrors reflecting from different angles had materialized all around him.
Among them, the Dracula with golden hair and a black eye patch stood out. She first pulled out a lollipop to mask the taste in her mouth, then gazed at the city as a smile slowly spread across her face.
Under the streetlights, four razor-sharp fangs gleamed.
“Go ahead…”
“Send ten to take on those idiots in that club, and the rest go out and bite people…”
“…”
At her command, all the Draculas bared their teeth, each fang glinting with a chilling, icy light.
Whoosh…
A horde of Draculas howled and charged forward in a frenzy.
The Dracula with the golden wig and lollipop commandeered an open-top Jeep, driving amidst the chaos as if leading an army.
Like a commander of a legion.
………
………
“This is insane! How can these people be so ruthless?”
In South Flame City, a father and son drove a truck.
They had just slipped out of an unmanned bank and were waiting at an intersection for the traffic light.
They watched in shock as crazed individuals paraded ahead—storming into homes to capture those who hadn’t joined the rally, beating or burning them. The father pounded his horn in fury.
“Who exactly are the bad guys here?”
“Even if we kidnap someone, we’d demand a ransom. How can you just tear people apart?”
“…”
Nonchalantly, the child lay on the passenger seat, doing homework without even looking up, and said, “What should we do?”
“Technically, it shouldn’t concern us…”
The father glanced at the city’s skyline and said, “But if we let this continue, the entire city will fall apart. Without order, your teacher could even get killed. And if your teacher gets killed, school would close—no one to check your homework, right?”
“…”
The child paused, his face lighting up with surprised delight.
“So, we need to stop them…”
With righteous determination, the father pounded the steering wheel, grabbed seven or eight silver cases, and leaped out. “Let’s change cars.”
Together, father and son strode to an orange sports car, yanking its occupants out and tossing the cases inside before slamming on the accelerator. The car roared into a wild sprint as his expression turned grave.
The child, disenchanted, asked, “So what now?”
“Weren’t you always pestering me about what Mental Pollution really is?”
The father turned to him and said solemnly, “Today, I’ll show you what the ultimate Pollution is…”
“Pollution is what manipulates people’s will, making them act exactly as you desire…”
Speaking, he suddenly seized a case, hoisted it high, and flung open the lid.
Whoosh…
Countless bills burst forth, swirling wildly in the air.
Everyone on the street—both pursuers and the pursued—stopped in astonishment.
After a moment, they erupted into excited shouts, scrambling to grab the falling cash.
Despite the agitator’s shouts behind, no one paid any heed.
………
………
Elsewhere in Flame City, fierce clashes were unfolding.
A young street artist with a violin filled the air with soulful melodies that intertwined with the surrounding mental power, creating an unprecedented harmony, though he always felt one note short.
He sensed a strange force in the vicinity hindering his progress.
Feeling the pressure, he abruptly switched to a more impassioned tune.
His music swarmed like a buzzing horde, stirring hearts like rippling lake waters with concentric ripples.
But just then, the high-pitched sound of a suona from afar shattered his vibe completely.
………
Someone had discovered the ritual site of a mysterious organization.
Observing countless robed priests delivering sermons in soft yet commanding tones, they gauged their numbers and strength, knowing that if conflict broke out, they’d be overmatched.
After careful deliberation, they stealthily slipped into the back kitchen where Holy Communion was being prepared.
They dumped in two large bags of laxatives and stirred vigorously…
………
………
A certain Fat Man navigated through the sea of mental power and quickly noticed an anomaly among Flame City’s residents—their mental power seemed collectively disturbed. Emerging from the mental ocean, he searched around.
Soon, he pinpointed the disturbance to a flickering light from a nearby building.
“We need to figure out how to switch off that light…”
The Fat Man pondered seriously, then, glancing back, dove again into the sea of mental power.
About ten minutes later, he appeared out of nowhere driving a tank that roared up to the building. Aimed at the eerie, flickering light, a massive shell exploded, almost obliterating an entire floor.
“That building seems troubled too…”
In the distance, he spotted a bizarre building intermittently emitting strange mental power, capturing pedestrians.
The Fat Man barreled over; with a thunderous boom, the building collapsed.
“And what about…”
The Fat Man glanced around furtively and muttered, “Huan Ge promised ten thousand bucks, so I’ve got to give it my all…”
With that thought, he scanned the city with a steely gaze.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he fixed on a strategically important factory building across the river.
That was Flame City’s proud Nuclear Power Station…
………
………
In the midst of Flame City’s madness, countless unsung heroes rose up to halt the spreading chaos.
Yet the situation was beginning to spiral out of control.
Some rode motorcycles wielding plasma guns to hunt monsters on the streets.
One even posted a roadside sign reading “300 bucks for hunting a Mental Monster.”
Others chased down the source, investigating the situation.
Some approached the armed forces guarding the city’s periphery to reason with them.
Among them were even a few elderly ladies at the city’s edge helping direct traffic and assisting other seniors across the road…
………
………
Amid the chaos, Lu Xin weaved through the crowded streets.
After casually dispatching several Mental Monsters, he entered Flame City’s Security Hall, where law enforcement—hiding behind reinforced glass, dressed in protective suits and armed to the teeth—watched the external turmoil with strange smiles.
“Hello…”
He tapped politely on the glass and smiled, “There’s been a massive illegal gathering of a mysterious organization in Flame City.”
“I’d like to ask you—do you care?”