Chapter 198 - 133: Qi Zhen and the Assassin Insect Strike, the Blood Eye Blade Unsheathed, the Parasite Slain

Chapter 198: Chapter 133: Qi Zhen and the Assassin Insect Strike, the Blood Eye Blade Unsheathed, the Parasite Slain

At that moment, everyone in the room felt a strange sense of dread well up from deep within their hearts.

It was an indescribable feeling, yet it carried a terrifying pressure that even overshadowed the shock of the recent slaughter.

Even Qi Zhen and Wang Biao, both already A-Level Transcendents, couldn’t help but shoot a sidelong glance at the Blood Eye Blade, their eyes flashing with astonishment.

It was because they sensed a hint of a threat from the blade...

"Found you."

Chen Chong muttered, bent his knees slightly, and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

A flash of light from the blade!

A female student, her face pale and her eyes filled with the same terror as most of the others, suddenly convulsed violently as a thin line of blood appeared on her neck.

The next second, her head separated from her body. As her torso toppled straight to the floor, blood gushed out.

In that instant, all life left her.

A young man beside her was completely stunned, staring blankly as the girl he’d had a crush on became a corpse on the floor.

He then snapped his head up, his eyes bloodshot as he roared,

"What are you doing? Why did you kill her!?"

Chen Chong ignored him, merely pointing the tip of his blade at the corpse on the floor.

The crowd stared and saw several vines squirming out from the stump of the girl’s neck, writhing amidst the flesh and blood.

Just like the vines that had emerged from the Unihorn Catfish’s wound.

With their host dead, the vines tried to escape the body. But having not yet found a new host and fearing the outside, they retreated back into the corpse.

"Wh-what?"

The young man who had just been shouting questions froze completely.

The surrounding looks of confusion and doubt all morphed into shock and horror.

"She... she was infested by the vines, too?"

"You’re kidding. There was another person with that damned thing inside them? What the hell is going on?"

"Holy shit, two of us were Parasites. Fucking hell, don’t tell me there are more..."

At that moment, the crowd erupted.

Everyone was instantly gripped by a paranoid panic, scrambling back to put distance between themselves.

Even the members of the Fishing Club, normally as close as brothers, now stared at one another with unconcealed fear.

A sense of self-preservation swept the room. Everyone feared that the person standing beside them was the next monster to be infested by the terrifying vines.

Only Chen Chong remained perfectly calm.

His gaze slowly fell back to the Blood Eye Blade in his hand.

When he had slain the girl just moments ago, the blood on the blade had been completely absorbed in the blink of an eye.

As its wielder, he could clearly feel the blade had... grown a little stronger.

The boost was minuscule, but it was definitely there.

’Could this be the Blood Eye Blade’s ability... Devour?’

Chen Chong wondered silently. ’Did it devour the flesh and blood of an ordinary girl, or the fully parasitic Bloodthirsty Vine inside her?’

He glanced at the two corpses on the floor, where blood was still slowly pooling.

From the stump of the girl’s neck, a few vines struggled to squirm out, only to retract back into the corpse again and again.

It was as if they could only find a momentary sense of security by hiding inside it.

Chen Chong paid them no more mind.

Based on his knowledge of the Bloodthirsty Vine, the creature was bizarre and tenacious, but it would lose all vitality and die instantly if chopped into pieces.

Even if left alone, its vitality was severely diminished once the host was dead.

It would be unable to pose a threat for some time. It couldn’t launch the ferocious attacks it did when the host was alive; it was now weak, as if on the verge of death.

As for how to deal with the aftermath...

’Just burn it all to ash.’

"Everyone, calm down. There’s no one else here infested with the Bloodthirsty Vine."

Chen Chong’s voice was steady and powerful. At his words, many people’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and a great weight was lifted from their chests.

Still, some remained hesitant, a lingering wariness in their eyes as they glanced at one another.

Zhong Fang quickly walked up, his face filled with anxiety and his voice trembling.

"Bro, I... I’m not infested, am I?"

"I remember I was standing pretty close to those two Parasites."

Chen Chong gave him an exasperated look. "Relax. It’s not that easy for a Bloodthirsty Vine to complete its infestation. If you were really a host, it’s impossible you wouldn’t have felt anything."

Hearing this, Zhong Fang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But his relief quickly turned to deep guilt, and he said remorsefully, "I’m so sorry, man. I just wanted to bring over the people willing to follow you so everyone could get acquainted."

"Who could have guessed there were two people infested with those vines mixed in? It was almost... it was almost a catastrophe!"

Chen Chong didn’t say much, just raised his hand and patted his shoulder.

He knew Zhong Fang meant well, and there was nothing wrong with his original intentions.

After all, an ordinary person couldn’t possibly tell who at the school was infested with the Bloodthirsty Vine...

But this incident was also cruel proof of a harsh reality...

The Bloodthirsty Vine’s infestation of the school had become all-pervasive.

’The Bloodthirsty Vine is spreading even faster than I expected!’

After all, there were two Parasites hidden among the dozen or so people Zhong Fang had just brought with him.

’There are probably many more hidden in other places...’

What was even more chilling was that the girl hadn’t joined the attack when the male Parasite struck. Instead, she had feigned being a normal person, retreating with a look of terror on her face.

’Was that her genuine reaction, completely unaware that she was being controlled by the Bloodthirsty Vine?’

’Or is this what’s so terrifying about the Bloodthirsty Vine—its ability to perfectly mimic human emotions and disguise itself as a perfectly normal person?’

Chen Chong recalled the report on the Bloodthirsty Vine he’d read that morning. It specifically mentioned that the creatures could learn, imitate all human behaviors, and continuously evolve.

The current situation aligned perfectly with the report.

A chill quietly spread through his heart.

’This damned thing is creepy as hell!’

If not for his "Primal Instinct" ability, which had given him a faint, almost imperceptible sense of danger the moment the group arrived, he probably never would have noticed the Parasites hidden among them.

Combined with Xu Jun’s "Scent Tracking" and the Lion-headed Goose’s precise targeting of the Bloodthirsty Vine, his suspicions were finally confirmed.

That was how he’d caught the second Parasite before she had a chance to strike...

’A normal person probably wouldn’t even have time to react before a vine was already on them.’

"Brother Chong, are you okay?"

Xu Jun, Wang Biao, and Qi Zhen hurried over, their eyes filled with concern.

Chen Chong shook his head. "I’m fine."

Just then, a cold gaze landed on him.

Ning Yu had also turned to look, but her gaze wasn’t on Chen Chong. It was fixed on the blood-red blade in his hand.

From the moment the blade was unsheathed, all her attention had been captivated by it.

A feeling both familiar and strange lingered in her mind.

’This blade resembles a Tang Blade, yet it’s completely different.’

Recalling what Chen Chong had mentioned in the Underground Cave, she began to wonder. ’Could this be an Extraordinary Weapon?’

’It really is... special!’

’If I could get my hands on one, my own power might increase significantly.’

’I’d be more confident dealing with Extraordinary Creatures, too...’

Chen Chong noticed Ning Yu’s gaze but didn’t say anything.

He scanned everyone present, looking at their faces, still pale with shock, and spoke slowly.

"You all saw what just happened with your own eyes. Was it terrifying?"

Almost no one spoke, but many nodded slightly, their expressions saying it all.

"This is the very reason I’ve gathered you all here!"

"Aside from our dozen or so newcomers, I trust the rest of you haven’t forgotten what I told you before."

"Right now, the school is facing an unprecedented crisis. One of the Extraordinary Creatures, the Bloodthirsty Vine King, has successfully infested some of the students."

"And these controlled Parasites are, in turn, secretly spreading the vines to more people!"

"They hide among us, waiting for the right moment to strike. Those two from just now are the perfect example!"

"If we do nothing and let this situation develop..."

Chen Chong paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"Before long, everyone in the school will be infested by the Bloodthirsty Vine!"

"The entire school will become a breeding ground for the Bloodthirsty Vine!"

"When that happens, this disgusting, damned thing will be squirming inside every single one of us!"

BOOM!

His words hit the crowd like a clap of thunder!

Everyone’s faces instantly turned deathly pale. Their eyes filled with utter horror, and a profound fear bloomed from deep within...

...