“It’s better not to be human, isn’t it? If we’re not human, they won’t look down on us… But she actually hurt you! Look here, your arm is all scraped up… your knees are covered in blood too… Ahhh! So many wounds! What do we do? Does it hurt?”
“Haha, it’s fine! At worst, I’ll return the pain she’s caused me tenfold or a hundredfold. What do you think, brother?”
“Sure, whatever you want.”
“But the more I fight her, the more I like her. Why not turn her into a doll? With her condition, she probably won’t decay quickly, right? How do I put this… it just seems like such a shame to leave such an interesting opponent out there. Besides, she already looks like a doll, doesn’t she?”
“Whatever makes you happy…”
If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes but only heard the conversation, it would be nearly impossible to imagine that this dialogue actually came from the same mouth.
Whether it was the male or female voice, there was not a trace of pretense to be heard. Each voice had noticeably distinct tones and personalities. Compared to the almost obsessive indulgence in the male voice, the female voice was willful and domineering. Just hearing her utter such chilling words in such a sweet and innocent tone was enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine.
At this point, the silhouette became fully visible. Upon seeing this person, Ling Mo was mostly unperturbed, but Tang Hao’s face immediately changed. His chatter ceased, and he stared blankly at the figure, utterly stunned by what he saw.
While listening to “their” conversation, Tang Hao had clung to a thread of hope deep in his heart… No matter how bad the injuries seemed, maybe they were just superficial wounds? Sure, the situation looked dire, but who could say for sure who had the upper hand?
However, the moment Tang Hao got a good look at Qi-Ge’s (Butterfly’s) appearance, that final sliver of hope was shattered completely. These weren’t mere injuries-these were horrifying, catastrophic wounds! Calling them scrapes or scratches was absurd, considering the blood-soaked state of Qi-Ge’s entire body.
But when Tang Hao’s gaze landed on Qi-Ge’s face, he was startled once again. Compared to the battered and torn body, the face was far more terrifying…
“That thing on his face…” Tang Hao said, his voice trembling.
“What’s wrong?” Ling Mo asked without turning his head. His brows slightly furrowed as he fixed his gaze on the figure while also Sensing Yu Shiran’s location. Ever since he’d heard news about Yu Shiran, he had been acting calm and composed, largely because his psychic link with Black Silk showed no signs of disturbance. So no matter how alarmist Tang Hao’s words sounded, Ling Mo wasn’t about to fall for them.
However, now that he had arrived at the scene, he realized the battle was far more complicated than he initially thought. Contrary to Tang Hao’s assumptions, Ling Mo had indeed noticed how severely Qi-Ge was injured, but surprisingly, Qi-Ge’s mental state appeared extraordinarily sharp. This was clearly unusual, but it meant that Qi-Ge was unlikely to go down easily anytime soon.
The fight was far from over…
Tang Hao continued, “That Butterfly… that thing,” he said hesitantly. As he spoke, Ling Mo nodded slightly, making it evident that he’d already noticed. Yet, something in Tang Hao’s voice clued Ling Mo into something unusual. “It didn’t used to look like that…”
The Butterfly scar that covered the center of Qi-Ge’s forehead, occupying almost half of his face, was now blood-red! At first glance, it looked disturbingly as if the Butterfly was about to emerge from within his body. The scar’s distinctive raised texture and lines made the altered Butterfly appear even more grotesque and ghastly, exuding a sinister chill that made one’s skin crawl.
Moreover, thin streaks of blood had spread out from the original scar, adding to its eerie transformation and making it seem as though the Butterfly was coming to life. In addition, Qi-Ge’s eyes were bloodshot, with the crimson veins fanning out precisely along the Butterfly’s unfolded wings. Compared to this chilling mark, Qi-Ge’s original appearance seemed almost trivial. However, it was still possible to tell that his features were quite delicate and refined. Paired with his slender, almost frail physique, Qi-Ge had an androgynous quality that made it difficult to discern his gender at first glance.
But when his voice shifted between male and female tones, so too did his expressions and demeanor, making the transformation utterly seamless. There wasn’t a single flaw to be spotted, yet this perfect shift only made the entire situation feel even more unnervingly surreal. 𝙍ÅΝȏΒΕŜ
“Come to think of it, Butterflies are said to be one of the easiest creatures in which to observe traits of both sexes…” Ling Mo murmured softly. Given the current circumstances, perhaps referring to him as “Butterfly” was the most fitting choice.
At that moment, Ling Mo and Tang Hao both noticed Butterfly’s arm. As blood trickled down, countless blood-red butterfly markings emerged across his pale hand and arm. These grotesque patterns overlapped one another, densely packed as they stretched all the way up toward his shoulder.
“So this is his mutation system ability…” Ling Mo thought to himself.
“Heh, more guests have arrived,” Butterfly said suddenly, his head twisting abruptly to glance in the direction of Ling Mo and the others, as if he had sensed their presence out of nowhere. Even at such a distance, Ling Mo could swear that the blood-red butterfly on Butterfly’s forehead seemed to flutter its wings at him for just a split second. The eyes embedded within those wings exuded a deep, sinister malice and cunning, locking onto him from afar as if marking their prey.
This wasn’t even a person anymore-it had fully transformed into a humanoid butterfly monster!
Ling Mo couldn’t help the chill that crept up his spine. However, before he could say anything, Tang Hao suddenly cried out, “Qi-Ge… Ah!”
Before Ling Mo could react, Xiao Bai had already grabbed hold of Tang Hao and flung him in one swift move. What appeared to be a casual gesture had, in fact, inflicted significant pain, causing Tang Hao to let out an uncontrollable scream.
“When I haven’t asked you to speak, it’s better for you to stay quiet,” Ling Mo said flatly, his tone calm but carrying a certain weight of authority.
Butterfly, on the other hand, merely watched this interaction with a smile. He made no move to interfere, nor did he ask any questions.
As Tang Hao’s screams echoed through the open space around them, another voice suddenly pierced the air.
“You really are hard to kill.”
The crisp voice belonged to Yu Shiran. Coming from a diagonal direction behind Ling Mo and the others, it caused Ling Mo to instinctively turn his head. There, he caught sight of the zombie Loli dangling from the edge of a residential building. She hung in mid-air, her arms resting at her sides, though one of her hands was soaked in fresh blood. Ling Mo’s gaze shifted to Butterfly’s chest, where a gaping hole marked his torso. Only then did Ling Mo breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the little Loli wasn’t injured… However, even so, an unusual flush had crept across her face. Black Silk, draped around her neck, also appeared listless and sluggish. Ling Mo now realized why he had been unable to switch perspectives earlier. He had assumed it was because she was in the heat of battle, but now it was clear-it was simply a result of overexertion.
For them to push both a Leader-Level Zombie and an Advanced mutation creature to such a degree of exhaustion… Ling Mo’s wariness of Butterfly instantly grew several notches.
“Ah… Sausage Humans!” Yu Shiran immediately spotted Ling Mo but still let out an exaggerated exclamation. She raised her small hand to cover her nose and said, “This Butterfly stinks so much! It’s so bad that I can barely pick up any other scents anymore! But I did know you were coming, I just didn’t think you’d already be standing right here! Oh, I get it now, you must’ve found me by tracking Black Silk…”
“Could you not yell out sensitive intelligence like that so loudly? And selling yourself out is bad enough, but why are you dragging me down with you the second you open your mouth?!” Ling Mo was utterly speechless.
After finishing her complaint, Yu Shiran had already turned her attention to Butterfly. Her expression was icy as she furrowed her brows and said coldly, “Didn’t you promise to pay me back tenfold, a hundredfold? Well, here I am-I’m waiting for you.”
“Oh…” Ling Mo was momentarily stunned before feeling a small wave of relief. “I didn’t expect this little idiot to actually start leveraging her strengths… No matter how powerful that opponent’s combat skills are, there’s no way they can float and swing through the air like she can, right? But then again…”
As this thought crossed his mind, Ling Mo found himself suddenly holding his forehead in exasperation and muttering under his breath, “Why didn’t you just head straight to a zombie-infested area instead…”
After all, for zombies, the most effective place to handle humans is precisely where their own kind dominate!
This little idiot…