"This time, I've found another good seedling... Hehehe!"
The silhouette twisted with glee.
Several black pieces stealthily advanced in the mist, like snakes flicking their tongues.
Fate wove a complex and bizarre net, responding to those with intense desires.
"When a person's desire reaches a certain intensity, the gaze of the divine falls upon them. This is the origin of the pieces in our hands, meaning a piece represents that person's desire."
"But people often overlook that pieces can be white or black, and among the gods... Hehehe, there are also evil gods like me."
The silhouette provocatively looked at Wu Suowei, "What will you do next? Great divine being, my piece is about to make a killing move on Duan Chen, Hehehe..."
Duan Chen glanced at the chessboard and couldn't help but frown slightly.
...
East of the city, abandoned factory.
Duan Chen, holding a gun, gently pushed open the rusty iron door.
From the moment he got out of the car, Duan Chen had keenly sensed that he was being locked onto by a strange gaze.
He tested the waters twice, deliberately exposing a weakness to lure the opponent into striking. However, the opponent, either too cautious or not wanting to reveal themselves yet, did not launch an attack.
Tsk, this is interesting.
Duan Chen began to move nimbly, sticking close to the walls and steel pipes.
Through the refraction of sunlight, he noticed a faint shimmering ripple at the third-floor level. As he approached slowly, he could also hear faint sounds of water.
Screech—!
A sharp honking sound made Duan Chen frown.
"Duan Chen, you've finally arrived."
Zhong Xingwen's voice echoed from all directions, transmitted through the pipes scattered throughout the factory, making it impossible to pinpoint the source.
"This is where you will be buried," Zhong Xingwen cackled, his voice somewhat distorted, unlike a human's.
Had Zhong Xingwen mutated? Was it not the true 'Zhong Xingwen' but a sea monster in human skin?
Duan Chen harbored this suspicion.
"Die." Zhong Xingwen's laughter turned cold, emitting a terrifying tremor.
The horn blared again—
In the darkness, three ghoul-faced monsters lay in ambush.
Their bodies were like sea monsters, with long, scaled, crocodile-like torsos. Their limbs, however, resembled twisted humans, agile and equipped with claws sharp enough to cut down trees.
They crawled on the ground, slinking through the shadows of steel and concrete, relentlessly inching closer.
Sensing the danger, Duan Chen's eyes locked onto the darkness. He tensed his body and simultaneously reached into his pocket.
In his pocket, a cool hairpin emitted a faint hum, as if responding to his touch.
Duan Chen gripped the hairpin, infusing it with spiritual power. Immediately, a red light shot out, and the bride in red gracefully appeared amidst the crimson glow.
"One day apart feels like three autumns. My dear, I've missed you."
The fluttering red veil was the only splash of color in this gray and black world, creating a post-apocalyptic panorama with the steel and concrete.
Three ghoul-faced monsters charged from the shadows, their terrifying aura descending. The bride in red, however, grew displeased.
"How dare you interrupt our hugs and kisses! Die!!"
Sleeves flailed, and flames blazed brightly.
With a flick of her toe, she danced towards the grotesque monsters. Red lotus karmic fire bloomed like delicate roses, piercing through claws and scales, igniting wails of agony.
Duan Chen's eyes lit up. This bride in red had considerable combat power. Moreover, she existed through his spiritual power, a 'summon.' As long as his spiritual power was abundant, she would be his most loyal warrior.
The bride in red unleashed her full fury, a fiery dance igniting blood-red lotuses. She let out a soft cry—
"Fire Dance: Annihilation!"
Boom!
The burning flames exploded, shattering scales and instantly reducing the three ghoul-faced monsters to ashes.
Though this grand move was spectacular, it drained Duan Chen's spiritual power in an instant.
It seemed good, but it was a bit too taxing on spiritual energy.
Before the bride in red could seek praise, a laser beam shot out from the second floor.
Duan Chen's gaze sharpened. He forcefully pulled the bride in red to dodge. Their bodies pressed close together as they evaded in the cramped ruins.
Feeling Duan Chen's warm, strong chest and hearing his powerful heartbeat, the bride in red suddenly felt flustered. She tried to struggle with dignity, but Duan Chen's arm tightened around her back.
This, this is...
As the next laser wave struck, the bride in red seemed to have lost the ability to think and obediently allowed herself to be pulled by Duan Chen.
Boom, boom, boom—!
Staircases collapsed, walls crumbled, and the falling sand and stones transformed into pink love bubbles in the bride's eyes.
Looking at the hand Duan Chen held tightly, warm, sensual, and strong, the bride in red lowered her head shyly.
Fleeing desperately... a fugitive couple!
This is love!
The hairpin suddenly emanated a warmth. Duan Chen looked in confusion and found that the hairpin's affection level had increased.
[lv1/10 — lv2/10.]
A faint glow emanated from the bride in red, as if this power had integrated into her, breaking through some invisible taboo.
"My dear, lift my veil."
As she spoke, she placed a balance pole into Duan Chen's hand.
Under the frantic swaying and amidst the jungle of laser beams, the veil fluttered precariously, revealing fair skin and tempting ruby lips within.
Duan Chen, holding the balance pole, flicked it upwards. The red veil flew into the air. As a surge of fiery energy rushed into his heart, he saw the bride in red's face.
Her skin was like congealed fat, her eyes like stars, her cheeks a rosy hue, and her lips alluringly plump. She was a peerless beauty.
"My name is Hong Ying. My dear, don't forget it."
With that, Hong Ying gracefully leaped onto a collapsing windowsill, instantly drawing the attention of all the laser devices.
"My dear, go and destroy them. Let me be your bait."
"Alright!"
Duan Chen turned with swift decisiveness. Three shots destroyed the laser devices, and the world fell silent.
Hong Ying placed her hands behind her back, looking at Duan Chen playfully.
"My dear, am I beautiful?"
"Beautiful."
Duan Chen praised her sincerely and gave her a thumbs-up.
At just level 2, she possessed such combat power. Duan Chen couldn't help but anticipate what she would be like at max level.
The two traversed the ruins and found a half-broken path leading upstairs in the fractured and collapsed staircase.
This Zhong Xingwen was determined to kill him.
With traps of this magnitude, without a helper, during the pursuit by the ghoul-faced monsters, a slight misstep could lead to being hit by a laser, and then becoming a meal for the monsters.
A stronger killing intent flared in Duan Chen's eyes.