Chapter 1548 - 80: Out of Control

When Bologue arrived at the Undying Club, the place was in chaos, like someone had just had a drunken brawl here. In fact, someone had fought, and if not for Sai Zong’s mutation, they probably would have continued fighting.

Stepping over overturned tables and chairs, he ascended the stairs, and at the entrance, Bologue saw Olivia in a black gauze dress. Bologue hadn’t expected her to be here, and recalling the bar counter’s mess, Bologue already had an answer in his heart.

Looking forward, at the end of the hallway, Serey sat on the floor, nervously holding Sai Zong in her arms.

Serey’s feelings were extremely complicated at the moment. First, she had a series of pointless conversations with her rebellious daughter, nearly triggering a string of family conflicts. Wanting to escape these troubling annoyances, Sai Zong had fallen, and the sense of crisis emanating from him was far more serious than the issues of her daughter’s education.

"So strange..."

Serey muttered in her heart, unable to remember the last time she had such intimate actions with Sai Zong, unsure when it had happened. She couldn’t imagine that the usually silly one, seeming like a cat or a dog, hiding under a comical costume, would have such a body.

As far as the eye could see, Sai Zong’s body was covered with sword scars, with some wounds still unhealed, occasionally a flame would spark from his dried flesh. His body was scorching, like a piece of iron heated to a red glow.

"Where’s Bode?"

Bologue noticed a regular member of the Undying Club was missing. Logically, with Bode’s steady character, he shouldn’t be disappearing at a time like this.

"He went to the Order Bureau," Wei’Er provided a surprising answer, "consider it asking for help."

"Order Bureau? Asking for help?"

Palmer exclaimed in shock, "I’ve always felt that between you, even if it’s not a hostile relationship, you wouldn’t count as allies, would you?"

The name Undying Club evokes a sense of lawlessness and chaos, and it truly was. When the Undying Club first moved to Oubos in Oath City, these undead often roamed the city at night, causing much trouble and leading the Field Operations Department to grind their teeth in hatred. Some inexplicable rules were set specifically against these guys.

They were a concern, but in comparison to conventional enemies, these undead felt like harmless little animals. Over time, the Order Bureau coexisted peacefully with them, even establishing certain contacts.

Just like when Bologue first joined the Field Operations Department, he was introduced here.

"You can think of it as allies that aren’t really allies," Wei’Er said, "but this is the first time we’ve proactively reached out to the Order Bureau."

As Wei’Er spoke, she looked concernedly at Sai Zong not far away, recalling the series of mutations brought about when Leviathan descended here. She witnessed firsthand as the peaceful club transformed into a bloody battlefield.

"Everything comes at a cost."

Wei’Er whispered mysteriously, not knowing what happened but guessing it was time for their group of undead to pay rent, paying the price for the peaceful years to the Undying Club.

Bologue quickly crossed the hallway, arriving at Sai Zong’s side, and exchanged a glance with Serey, who spoke first, "He is very weak... yet very powerful."

It was a paradoxical description but was Serey’s intuitive feeling about Sai Zong.

Leaving Sai Zong, Serey stood up, only to find more burns on her exposed skin, and the cotton pajamas were charred in patches.

"He specifically asked to see you."

Serey stepped back a few steps, distancing herself from Sai Zong, leaving the space for Bologue.

"Sai Zong, what’s wrong with you?"

Bologue knelt down, trying to support Sai Zong, and the moment his palm touched Sai Zong’s body, he felt as if his hand reached into a fire, the scorching pain striking fiercely.

Immediately, Bologue understood why Serey described him with such contradictions.

Possibly due to his role as a holder of Original Sin Armament, Bologue could be seen to some extent as a debtor to the Eyes of Eternal Fury, a champion of blood. He clearly sensed the violent killing intent surging within Sai Zong, like waves crashing against his body, as if it would burst forth from his scarred body at any moment.

With the support of this killing intent, Sai Zong was very strong. Even bearing the primitive Alchemy Matrix, with this absolute killing intent alone, he could effortlessly annihilate living beings.

But Sai Zong didn’t want to accept this rising killing intent. He was striving to restrain his desires, his Original Sin instincts, almost turning all his willpower towards self-control.

Thus, everyone present was still alive, rather than turned into a heap of corpses.

Bologue immediately realized where the problem lay, "Damn it, is he about to awaken?"

Those eternally furious eyes, after a long slumber, were about to open once more.

Where the eyes could see, all was scorched earth.

Sai Zong struggled to open his eyes, his gaze rolling with eerie flames. He tried to extricate a thread of clear consciousness, his voice haltingly speaking.

"Bologue?"

"Yes, it’s me, not an illusion, nor the world after death."

Bologue tried to help Sai Zong up, but his body felt as hard as iron, as heavy as a hill.

"Lock me back in, quickly lock me back in."

Sai Zong painfully pointed to the door behind him, and in the next second, his finger stopped trembling. He half-kneeled, his body tilting forward at a strange angle, as if some invisible force was pulling at him, forcing him forward, while Sai Zong was valiantly resisting.

Bologue wanted to help Sai Zong, but suddenly, Sai Zong fiercely grabbed Bologue’s throat, so fast that Bologue couldn’t react. His five fingers locked in, and Bologue heard a crisp sound from his throat. He suspected he might have broken a bone.

Luckily, before completely twisting Bologue’s neck, Sai Zong reined in his strength, his arm trembling violently, as if out of control.

Bologue cautiously stood up, noticing that within Sai Zong, there seemed to be two wills struggling for control of the body: one longing for slaughter, the other craving peace.

"Everyone stay back!"

Bologue shouted toward the people at the other end of the corridor, as Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid rushed out from his sleeve, quickly sweeping across Sai Zong’s body, solidifying into chains tightly adhering to his skin.

The metal further transformed into fibers, becoming incredibly thin steel needles that not only penetrated Sai Zong’s joints but also nailed into his muscles, trying to restrict him.

If someone had the ability to see through, they would be amazed to find the strange metal like roots, deeply embedded into Sai Zong’s body.

Grabbing the Fang of Grievance from his waist, Bologue felt a sense of security holding the familiar weapon in hand. He then felt relieved that, out of caution, he had kept the Vengeful Saw Axe in the Order Bureau rather than bringing that Original Sin Armament along today. It would likely have caused Sai Zong to lose control instantly.

"Out of control..."

Bologue’s mind flashed to his missing team member, York, and the simultaneously missing Original Sin Armament: Thorn Binding Pain Lock.

The outline of the entire situation became clearer.

With great effort, Bologue pulled open the door, resisting the increasingly intense aura emanating from Sai Zong as he dragged him inside. During this time, Sai Zong fiercely resisted, shouting "Lock me," while struggling to crawl outside, as if his will and body were completely separated, transforming into two utterly contradictory entities.

Bologue had imagined what it would be like behind the door countless times, but upon stepping inside today, he found it was not mysterious at all. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of gray-white concrete, with a simple single bed tucked into a corner. Heavy chains lay scattered on the floor.

This was everything inside, more like a cell than a guest room.

Back in the cell, Sai Zong’s emotions stabilized significantly. Bologue laboriously moved him onto the bed, then tightly wrapped the room’s chains around him, one after another, binding him securely.

After completing these tasks, Bologue was exhausted and sat in a corner.

Sai Zong let out low, hoarse growls, his body trembling and convulsing in pain, a scene reminding Bologue of his early work hunting ordinary demons.

Every time Bulimia Nervosa hit, the demons experienced pain and temptation, responding in a manner strikingly similar to Sai Zong’s now.

Fortunately, with layers of restraints and the passage of time, Sai Zong’s struggles gradually weakened, and the growling ceased. Bologue cautiously approached him, noticing the fury in Sai Zong’s eyes gradually extinguished, returning to clarity.

This cell seemed to blur one’s sense of time; Bologue didn’t know how long had passed, so he carefully opened his mouth, "Have you calmed down now, Sai Zong?"

"Still... alright," Sai Zong’s voice started off stuttering but gradually became fluent, "I managed to get through this time."

Bologue then asked, "Do you need some time to rest?"

"Yes."

Sai Zong seemed very tired, unwilling to say another word.

Bologue did not retract the Deceitful Snake Scale Liquid; it still penetrated Sai Zong’s body like probes, providing Bologue real-time feedback on Sai Zong’s status as he quietly opened the door and retreated to the hallway.

"How is Sai Zong?"

"You’re still alive? Not killed?"

"What exactly is going on?"

The questions came one after another, making Bologue feel dizzy and annoyed. As he was considering whether to reveal the truth about the Undying Club, footsteps echoed from the staircase.

Bode arrived, bringing his reinforcements.

A tall and familiar figure emerged from behind a skeletal rack, and Bologue felt a hint of surprise when he saw the face of the newcomer, followed by delight.

Bologue said, "I was planning to visit you this afternoon."

"There’s nothing worth visiting; I’m a Seeker of Glory."

Even with bandages and guards on, Nesanel stubbornly displayed his resilience, "Seekers of Glory only die on the battlefield, not in hospital rooms."

Bologue had nothing more to say, spreading his hands. When Nesanel approached, he whispered, "Deputy Director, if a battle breaks out here, your current injuries won’t hold up."

Bologue wasn’t underestimating Nesanel; he deeply understood Sai Zong’s power, appearing as an enraged Chosen One, but in truth, Sai Zong was the embodiment of fury, the wielder of authority.

Bologue even suspected that if Sai Zong completely lost control, he’d flatten Oath City: Opus in a mere breath.

"I’m not here to fight."

Nesanel shook his head, "Solving problems requires more than blades and swords."

Bologue felt that Nesanel could say this simply because he couldn’t wield blades or swords anymore.