Run

The entire factory was consumed by a raging inferno.

Flames flickered with a macabre dance, painting the surroundings in a bloody hue.

Amidst this hellish landscape, the monster reveled in its slaughter, its actions attracting the attention of the elongated specters lurking outside. After tirelessly patrolling for an extended period, they had finally discovered a refuge for the living. However, upon entering, they were crushed like ants in the clutches of the monstrous beings.

Even the gaunt specter began to cower, retreating in fear.

It had never felt such a heightened state before.

Every cell in its body pulsated with exhilaration as the virus within was rapidly eradicated. Genetic mutations catalyzed, and the recently ingested sustenance swiftly transformed into a continuous flow of nourishment, coursing through every part of its being.

Its existence could no longer be confined to the limitations of humanity.

Monster was the most fitting name.

Evolution relentlessly dragged it deeper into an irreversible abyss.

This was a grotesque carnival of death.

Until a certain moment, it halted before a young girl who stared at it with vacant eyes.

Slowly, it lowered its head, blood-red eyes fixating on the child before it, yet it refrained from initiating the slaughter.

Miraculously, the girl neither screamed nor fled. Instead, she extended a hand, as if longing to touch the monstrous being in the sky.

Splattered with blood, her tattered dress bore witness to the violence, yet she clutched a piece of chocolate tightly in her other hand.

But she was too small to reach.

In that moment, the monster paused, its blood-red eyes silently observing her. A shade of something contrary to madness gradually emerged within its gaze.

This process persisted for a considerable duration before it suddenly retracted its massive wings, descending from the heavens. It landed amidst the blazing factory, gasping heavily.

It was not awakened by some latent emotions; rather, its own abilities and extreme mutations had brought about a change. Devouring, monstrosity, cannibalism... Through this journey, it had gained a modicum of clarity within its consciousness.

Bai Motong smiled. "Let's go, big brother..."

In a hoarse voice, he questioned, "Aren't you waiting for your parents?"

"They won't come." The girl regarded him solemnly. "I've actually known."

"I've actually known."

With a radiant smile, she raised her head. "I've actually... understood everything."

"I've taken so many lives. Are you still willing to follow me?" Lin Mo turned his gaze towards the desolation that surrounded them. Deep within his eyes, a subtle transformation seemed to be unfolding.

The girl, her head still slightly raised, gradually faded her smile. "I understand."

Lin Mo gazed deeply into the girl's eyes, then without a word, he extended his hand, gently grasping hers, and together they walked out.

One hand, covered in scales. The other, delicate and white.

However, as they reached the factory gate, Lin Mo's footsteps abruptly halted. He released the girl's hand and unfurled his immense wings. His dark form soared into the sky with lightning speed, his vigilant gaze fixed on a singular direction.

That direction led to Yuan Liao City.

The earth trembled.

Three colossal figures, towering at twenty meters in height, akin to grotesque stitched monstrosities, traversed the shattered wasteland, hurtling toward their location with alarming speed.

Amidst the previous chaos and madness, Lin Mo had failed to detect their approach.

Yet, in the distance behind them, a withered shadow gradually made its way from the farthest reaches of the sky towards their position. Its state was peculiar, advancing in a flickering manner. With each step, it vanished into thin air, only to reappear meters away in the sky, its form sometimes blurred, sometimes corporeal.

During its blurred state, it seemed as though it existed outside the realm of this world. In the darkened sky, one would struggle to perceive its presence without careful observation.

Yet, when it materialized, it became startlingly distinct, radiating an aura that disrupted the very essence of the world, exerting an unprecedented pressure upon all who felt its presence.

If Su Chen were present, he would discern that the pressure was illusory, a consequence of the desiccated shadow nearly causing a detonation of dark energy within this space. The stable dark energy intensified and collided, resulting in drastic fluctuations.

With each transition between the shadow's ethereal and tangible states, it lingered immobile in the sky for a brief period. Thus, despite its current distance of a kilometer, it would require a substantial amount of time to truly arrive.

Meanwhile, from the darkened skies in two different directions behind Lin Mo, deafening screams reverberated, emanating from the depths of darkness.

Under the somber sky, amidst the raging flames of the Hecheng factory, two colossal, pitch-black monsters gradually came into focus.

A clash of celestial forces and earthly beings.

Lin Mo cast a profound gaze at the approaching withered shadow, his eyes narrowing as he gradually descended, pointing toward the gap between the monsters. The blood-red pupils reflected the grimness of the ground. "In five minutes, you will run over there. Run with all your might, run as far as you can. And I... I will find you."

Bai Mo lifted her head, her voice filled with a haunting resemblance. "Grandpa and grandma... Mom and Dad... They all said the same thing to me. None of them returned to find me. Big brother, are you leaving me too? I'm not afraid of death. If you die, we can be reunited. So, big brother... Please don't leave me, okay?"

A tremor coursed through Lin Mo's heart, and he sternly replied, "I am a damned individual. I'm just allowing you to escape. It serves no purpose for both of us to perish here amidst these monsters!"

Without turning back, he abruptly raised his altitude, his dark wings spreading wide in the sky, as if preparing for an imminent decisive charge.

However, at that very moment, a burst of fire erupted to his right from a squadron of military aircraft. They streaked through the sky at tremendous speed, engaging the pitch-black giants in a deadly aerial formation. Simultaneously, from another direction, the sky illuminated with the brilliance of missile launches.

The missiles, launched from a nearby military base, blanketed the ground where the colossal giants stood.

Meanwhile, within the shadows, behind the ground, a rapid march of over thirty individuals swiftly closed in.

Leading the way was an elderly man adorned in a black combat uniform, fully equipped. Upon closer inspection, one could discern the faint hint of white hair peeking out from under his tactical helmet.

Though aged, his pace was swift, guiding the team with urgency as they closed the distance. And in that very moment...

He lifted his head, his eyes reflecting a fiery scene of devastation.

In the distance, the desiccated shadow suddenly lifted its hand. In an instant, it transitioned from ethereal to corporeal, exerting control over the unseen dark energy within the space. Under its commanding power, dozens of missiles, poised to engulf the colossal three-headed behemoth-like colossal giants on the ground, detonated in mid-air. Flames billowed like a cascading curtain, descending upon the battlefield.

Three twenty-meter colossal giants emerged from the inferno, roaring with fury and striding forward.

Lin Mo's heart plummeted, and he bellowed, "Run!"

His massive wings quivered, propelling him forward like a bolt of lightning.

Meanwhile, the desiccated shadow seemed to sense something amiss. Its cold gaze suddenly swept in this direction. In that brief glance, those present felt as though their very souls had been laid bare, sending shivers down their spines.

However, the desiccated shadow merely cast a fleeting glance before swiftly turning its head, fixating its attention on a specific direction further away in the sky.

In that moment, amidst the astonishment of the elderly man and countless onlookers, even the other suspected superhuman monster halted its advance and redirected its gaze, as if confirming something. A faint smile flickered across its face, followed by an enraged cry.

The conviction of certain death subtly transformed into an indomitable fighting spirit.

And then, in the sky, a solitary crimson light materialized, trailing a fiery tail as it carved a breathtaking path through the darkness. Its timing was impeccably precise—it coincided with the instant the desiccated shadow shifted from corporeal to ethereal.

It was a rocket launched by the "Crack" of the magic alteration.

Further back, Su Chen burst forth in full splendor. Emerging from his off-road vehicle, he pursued the missile he had launched, his armored suit operating at maximum capacity. Sensing the dispersion, he surged towards the battlefield.