Chapter 851: The Primordial Force Unleashed

Our plan was always simple.

Both the Mentor and the Bishop had confirmed that aside from the Primordial in the Abyss, no one could stand against the Tyrant.

So to kill the Tyrant, we had no choice but to use the power of the Primordial…

The Moon Eclipse Research Institute, desperate for a glimmer of victory against the Mentor and the Bishop, released the Primordial from the depths of the Abyss, granting its power the reach to the first layer. This move greatly affected the authority of our Black Spade Office, yet it wasn’t only us that felt the impact. Also affected was this Secondary Pollution Source of God’s power: the Tyrant.

As a secondary pollution source of the Primordial, he refused to be controlled by it—this was his original sin.

By severing ties with the Primordial early on, it was inevitable that the moment it had a chance, it would devour him…

…

When the black flesh buds began rampant growth around Lu Xin’s body, all images became a tangled mess, disrupted by chaotic mental power. Meanwhile, the man in the Black Spade Cloak silently rose to his feet.

With a cold expression, he explained to those around him, “Releasing a portion of the Primordial’s power is no difficult feat…”

The God’s Power Research Report recorded numerous methods to do just that.

Oh, perhaps you’d be more familiar if I used another name.

Part of the content from the God’s Research Report was compiled by the followers in the Chaos Zone into their Gift Codex.

It is called: the Black Box Codex.

…

“This…”

Even in this very organized meeting, not everyone was aware of the final plan.

The man in the Square Cloak jumped to his feet in panic, exclaiming, “But this—this is the power of the Primordial!”

“You’re really going to unleash it like this? Aren’t you afraid…”

…

“It doesn’t matter,”

the man in the Black Spade Cloak said coolly, “Only a fraction of the Primordial’s power can seep into the first layer of the Abyss.”

“And of that fraction, even fewer can be harnessed by us.”

“So the world isn’t doomed to collapse in an instant.”

“Of course, there will be some impact. Perhaps a few demented souls might appear in this world,”

“but that cost is within our tolerance.”

“The high walls of all the High-wall Cities have been falling into ruin for years—wouldn’t it be a shame not to take advantage of that?”

…

In the meeting room, many people fell silent, their breaths caught in their throats, unsure what to say.

After a pause, the man in the Red Heart Cloak whispered, “I only care—will he really die?”

“His humanity will die.”

The man in the Black Spade Cloak replied, “When humanity dies, it means he’s finished.”

“Don’t worry about him coming back to Qinggang to cause you trouble. He won’t ever have a chance to return.”

“The Primordial’s power surpasses even the Ultimate.”

“So the moment the Primordial touches him, he is already dead.”

“And once no power can separate him from the Primordial, no one will ever be able to save him.”

…

“So that’s how it is…”

As Lu Xin watched countless flesh buds sprout like a vast forest around him, he finally understood.

It turned out that what Number Five had said was true.

In this world, the most terrifying are indeed those driven mad by obsession.

Still, one couldn’t help admiring them—for earning ten billion isn’t easy by any means…

Memories of the Moon Eclipse Research Institute and Doctor An’s explanations flashed through his mind:

He compared the Abyss to a giant pool parallel to reality, separated by a mere wall.

But now, that wall had numerous cracks.

Although not enough to collapse it, plenty of the Abyss’s power had leaked into our world.

Right among these cracks were the Forbidden Zone Creatures.

To us, they were monsters—taboo entities.

Yet in the Abyss, they acted as plugs, as patches.

And those desperate enough to earn ten billion lured themselves to these patches, then used techniques unknown even to themselves to attract the Primordial’s power, inadvertently colliding with it.

“I have to admit—somewhat impressive…”

…

“Swish…”

Thinking this, Lu Xin quickly began to retreat.

Yet as his figure wavered, the surrounding flesh buds were affected at the same moment.

They grew and writhed endlessly, swelling upward like fleshy bean sprouts, each reaching about seven or eight feet tall. As they grew, the flesh kept changing, gradually forming human bodies and arms, their tops fusing into a sphere that developed indentations—a visage resembling a human head, swaying lightly in the air.

Intricate, interwoven mental powers collided and merged, subtly creating a bizarre, chaotic chant.

“Devote yourself to Truth, await the Gods. Endure the pain and transform for eternity.”

“The Gods will descend, and the world will watch. As they come, all shall prostrate.”

…

This chant seemed to possess its own life force.

It seeped bit by bit into Lu Xin’s mind, gradually spreading across his mental energy.

It was as if he were in an empty room, with this chant echoing from every direction.

Then the volume grew, drawing ever closer until it completely drowned him, utterly devouring him.

At the moment the chant began, Lu Xin’s body was quickly ensnared by countless sticky filaments.

These filaments appeared to be intrinsically linked to the black flesh buds and the black particles within him.

Struggling to break free was like peeling a scab off a wound.

The harder he fought, the stickier they became, threatening to pull him entirely into the Abyss.

“Brother…”

At the instant Lu Xin was overwhelmed by endless flesh buds, his sister’s terrified cry rang out.

By then, she had already dragged the nearby children out of the Forbidden Zone; one after another, they tumbled to the ground, dazed and terrified. The Forbidden Zone Creatures, having been obliterated at the surge of the Primordial’s power, could no longer contaminate them.

They lost the desire to venture further into the Forbidden Zone, forgetting where they even were.

His sister barely had time to think as she dashed to Lu Xin’s side, desperately clutching him with her small hands.

Yet, in comparison to the power of the Primordial, her body, strength, and range were insignificant. Not only could she not pull Lu Xin free, but the mental radiation from the black flesh buds kept battering her repeatedly.

This left her mental strength melting away like ice under a blazing flame.

“Swish…”

At that moment, Little Nineteen, who had just eliminated the nearby secondary pollution sources, also rushed over.

She nimbly surged to Lu Xin’s side, her small feet sinking deep into the mud as she forcefully tugged him.

From both left and right, the two little ones pulled with all their might.

This unity slowed the moment Lu Xin was being dragged into the Abyss just enough.

…

…

“Everyone, fall back…”

At that moment, Lu Xin could do nothing but comply.

He felt that ever since he was recruited from Qinggang into the Special Pollution Cleanup Department, he had learned many things and mastered numerous skills; yet now, he felt utterly powerless.

The moment the flesh buds, sprouting from the Primordial, surrounded him, his own black particles resonated in unison with them.

They clung together like the strongest magnet, impossible to break away from.

Or rather, ‘clinging’ hardly does it justice.

They had become one entity.

In that instant, the scene mirrored the time when his Mom had taken him to see the Primordial.

The same danger, the same urgency.

Only then had his Mom, prepared for the encounter, pulled him away from the Primordial.

But now, he was even closer.

And his sister’s as well as Little Nineteen’s strength lagged noticeably behind Mom’s.

So, at that moment, he mustered every ounce of strength to keep his sister and Little Nineteen at a safe distance.

…

…

“Foolish mortals, lost without direction. Obsessive souls remain forever fragmented.”

“Trapped in cages, eyes ablaze and tongues sharp. Sleeping among the tombs, forever accompanied by the stars.”

…

The endless chant nearly overwhelmed his mind, leaving him unable to even sense the presence of his sister and Little Nineteen. He wasn’t sure if they had obeyed and fled, yet he continued to fight back with all his might.

Under the crushing weight of mental power that made one’s nerves go numb, he desperately clung to his sanity, reminding himself of who he truly was.

How can I die?

Mom hasn’t returned yet; this home isn’t complete…

How can I die?

The Old Director’s debts haven’t been settled; I haven’t yet claimed my true fate…

How can I die?

I’m just an ordinary man, yet the most beautiful girl in the world misses me…

They all think I don’t understand, but I do!

Before, I dared not get too close to the Doll, thinking I wasn’t confident enough to covet someone so beautiful…

Who in this world deserves her?

Including me!

…

…

In this desperate struggle, Lu Xin felt as though he were plunging into a deep nightmare.

Everything around him was in chaotic disarray, a cacophony that made his head pound.

Yet at times, it was eerily silent, as empty as a vast, dark ocean floor…

Suddenly, a pair of enormous eyes appeared before him.

They were larger than his body; every cell within them seemed to dwarf him…

Their eternal coldness and silence were overwhelming.

Like the starry sky—immense, void, lonely, and devoid of true life.

Before these eyes, no one could oppose or even muster the will to reason or negotiate…

After all, who would ever argue with the cosmos?

At that moment, Lu Xin was beyond chaos; his nearly nonfunctional mind suddenly sensed something that left him both shocked and absurd: how could anyone in this world believe they had once killed a god?

How could anyone think they might become the master of the gods?

How could anyone believe they could escape?

The cause of these delusions was that they assumed they truly understood the gods…

An ant frantically pushed the mountain before him, toppling it in one great heave, shaking his world.

Then it declared that it had moved the slumbering man before it.

Yet it didn’t understand that the man had merely shifted in discomfort and turned over…

In his eyes, there was no sign of the ant—whether awake or in a dream…

…

…

Time seemed to stretch into infinity.

Lu Xin felt as though he were drifting in this profound dream, yet maybe he hadn’t moved at all.

Here, everything was so vast and limitless that without any reference points, one couldn’t tell if they had moved.

But he must have moved, for he encountered someone.

Or rather, at last he met an ‘awareness’ akin to his own.

A massive, viscous mass of blood and flesh emerged amid the quiet void before him.

Slowly, half of a body began to emerge from that blood mass.

It inched forward, morphing into a man with a complete upper body and a hairstyle reminiscent of a messy nest.

Its expression was blank, or rather empty.

It silently gazed at Lu Xin, who lay still in this world.

“So it’s you, after all?”

Though it did not speak, its thoughts penetrated Lu Xin’s heart.

At that moment, Lu Xin felt his thoughts resonate with the stranger’s, instantly revealing everything about his growth and how he arrived here…

It was a strange sensation, as if every detail here were transparent.

“You’re incredible—you’ve managed to resist the gods’ assimilation…”

After glimpsing Lu Xin’s memories, the stranger seemed both amazed and contemplative as he regarded him:

“How did you do it?”

“…”

“Maybe because I’m a bit foolish?”

Lu Xin couldn’t help but offer a self-deprecating smile at the stranger’s query.

It was because he was ‘foolish’ that he knew there might be traps here yet still barged in.

But it was also his foolishness that made him stubborn—a stubbornness that, through this trial by fire, fortified his mental core to unprecedented strength. Even while so close to the Primordial, he hadn’t been consumed.

“Only the truly foolish would think to use these things…”

That shadow murmured with quiet admiration, “You’re amazing, truly amazing…”

“I’m glad the thing I left outside ended up in your hands…”

…

He raised his hand in a vacant gesture; his empty eyes, though hollow, held a trace of a smile as they pointed to Lu Xin’s head:

“This is the only hope—keep it with you…”

“Don’t become like me, young man…”

…

He muttered words Lu Xin couldn’t understand, then slowly reached out and lightly tapped Lu Xin’s forehead.

It was as if a torrent of words flooded into his mind.

Lu Xin heard a man’s mumblings—reminiscent of someone who had held back countless words for too long.

These words surged into his consciousness, creating an unexpected disruption.

Amid the endless chant that threatened to engulf him, these murmurs were like a scattered noise…

That noise gave Lu Xin a brief chance to breathe.

“Huf…”

Suddenly, he opened his eyes, finding himself entwined by innumerable black flesh buds.

One more step and he would be torn into the Abyss.

So, was it all just a bizarre dream?

Or was it an unreal illusion born from the Primordial’s grasp?

After all, he was still entangled by the Primordial, unable to break free.

He couldn’t escape because even the Ultimate couldn’t rival the power of the Primordial.

Even if Father arrived or Mom returned at that moment, they would be powerless to help him.

Then what method did he have left to shake off the Primordial’s hold?

As Lu Xin pondered these questions, he suddenly heard the roar of a Jeep engine pushed to its limit.

…

…

“Everyone…”

In the mysterious meeting room, the man in the Black Spade Cloak slowly spread his arms and declared, “It’s time to pop the champagne.”

“By the timeline, he should be dead by now…”

“So, everyone, be proud—we just killed the strongest man in the world.”

“And you assassins will each receive a bounty of one billion from the Black Spade Club…”

…

As his words trailed off, the room fell into a stunned silence.

Until he suddenly laughed and added, “And a ticket to the higher-dimensional world!”

…

A long silence followed before relaxed murmurs filled the air, and genuine smiles spread across everyone’s faces.

Yes, though the method might be unpalatable to think about in detail,

we had indeed, by an inconceivable means, killed the Tyrant.

This was a magnificent act destined to be recorded in history.

In this world, the strongest weapon isn’t brute force—it’s theory.

From the moment the Primordial touched him, no one could save him.

Not even the Ultimate could do anything.

Thus, that man was doomed to die, his humanity vanishing as he was assimilated by the Primordial.

The sole consciousness left behind by Lu Tianming was fated to be seized by a generation of researchers behind the Black Spade Office.

And I, too, deserve my share of the reward.

“Ding…”

The blood-red liquid was poured into a glass cup; everyone clinked their cups in a joyful celebration that resonated in the room.

At that very moment, they suddenly heard a sound—an unstable voltage.

Shortly after, an Observer let out a surprised, “Eh?” as they fixed their gaze on the display screen.

The screen, which had been too chaotic to receive any signals moments before, suddenly began replaying live images.

…

…

“So, Number Nine, have you really decided to become human?”

Lu Xin, jolted awake from the nightmare yet still unable to escape, suddenly heard a resigned voice.

It was laced with reproach, yet carried a hint of unspeakable satisfaction and wistfulness.

Startled, Lu Xin looked up to see a tall shadow appear atop the high wall next to the Forbidden Zone.

It was a man with a pale face, hunching over.

Now, in his hand he brandished an enormous chainsaw, raising both arms.

The chainsaw’s sharp teeth screeched like a piercing howl—like the roar of Hell itself—as it tore and pulled.

But what caught Lu Xin’s attention more was the slender, delicate woman lying right behind the burly man.

She looked at him with proud indifference, though her lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

“I really don’t feel like dealing with you…”

She shook her head in exasperation and said haughtily,

“How can someone who grew up in the same orphanage watch our own people get bullied and do nothing?”

…

As she spoke, the burly man leapt high into the air.

He brandished his gleaming chainsaw, which was now intertwined with a strange mental force.

In the next instant, he landed right beside Lu Xin and raised the chainsaw, fiercely swinging it around.

“Chrrr, chrrr, chrrr…”

A dull noise erupted as chaotic mental power swirled,

and even the black flesh buds that not even the black particles could break free from were suddenly sliced by the wildly spinning chainsaw. Chunks of shredded flesh and stained blood splattered, accompanied by a frenzied, muffled scream as all the flesh buds flailed desperately.

“Number Five…”

At that moment, Lu Xin finally tasted freedom, his eyes welling up with excitement.

“That’s right—when fighting a brawl, why wouldn’t you go all out?”

“In our orphanage, we were surrounded by monsters—and we never feared a scrap…”

Voices arose from behind as Lu Xin turned around in excitement.

He saw several figures on the wasteland who had also rushed into the Forbidden Zone, coming to his side.

There was Number Three, tall, handsome, with one hand casually tucked in his pocket.

There was also Number Fourteen, short and stout, clutching two hefty fists and looking outrageously defiant.

And Number Eight, dressed in a crisp white shirt and carrying a black suitcase.

His sister and Little Nineteen rushed over, flanking him on either side, their expressions a mix of exhilaration and fear.

“What are you all doing…?”

Lu Xin, overwhelmed with excitement, could barely contain himself.

“No help out there—we’re just returning the favor for that sumptuous feast you treated us to.”

…

Number Three slipped one hand into his pocket, then reached out and grabbed Lu Xin, pulling him up from the ground.

In one swift motion, he shot his lightning-fast hand out from his pocket and clutched a strand of flesh bud that had been wildly reaching out from Number Five’s side. His fingers gripped it tightly and a cold gleam flickered in his eyes as strange mental power surged into the flesh bud, causing it to wither rapidly.

This sight left Lu Xin utterly stunned.

These flesh buds were the manifestation of the Primordial’s power.

Level and quality-wise, they even surpassed the Ultimate and himself.

Yet regardless, both Number Five’s chainsaw and Number Three’s grasp could inflict damage upon them.

…

…

“Number Nine, I think the message left by the Old Director can finally be shared with you.”

At the same moment, Number Fourteen and Number Eight stepped forward, interposing themselves between Lu Xin and the Primordial flesh buds. Despite their abilities and the heaviness of their mental power being far inferior to his, they showed no fear towards the flesh buds.

With a mysterious and smug expression on his chubby face, one of them even winked at Lu Xin:

“The only thing that can affect you is the power of the Primordial.”

“And the only ones capable of resisting—or at least counteracting—the Primordial’s power are us…”

“In other words, this is the Old Director’s greatest secret!”