Chapter 152: Hidden Ulcer

Chapter 152: Hidden Ulcer

In his final moments, Ma Kusi's consciousness rarely felt so clear.

He recalled his life—the agonizing days spent in his brother's laboratory, the forced "modifications" and "enhancements."

Aolifu had never regarded him as family, treating him merely as an expendable test subject.

Each "extraction" stole another fragment of his soul, distancing him further from humanity.

Initially, the experiments were mere foundational testing—the pain tolerable.

But as Aolifu's ambitions grew, so did the cruelty of his procedures.

Ma Kusi remembered that endless night when Aolifu first pierced his brain with tendrils.

He'd felt memories and knowledge ripped from him—pain transcending the physical, a soul-shredding torment.

From that day onward, he'd known there was no return.

His awareness fractured, his personality disintegrated, leaving only shards of memory and emotion.

Aolifu's "improvements" grew increasingly frequent, reshaping him into grotesque forms as though searching for some perfect recipe.

Ma Kusi thought himself long resigned to this fate—until the day he saw Luo Enlalf's figure in his brother's scrying crystal.

That man who'd once clashed with him over a servant... though reasonably speaking, Ma Kusi's conflict with Luo En had been orchestrated by Aolifu himself.

His brother's obsession with Luo En intensified daily, tinged with pathological jealousy.

Ma Kusi had even overheard his brother murmuring, "Imagine if I could obtain his alchemyspecial Innate Talent."

He knew Aolifu would eventually target Luo En, just as he'd devoured every other coveted "material."

But this realization planted an illogical thought in Ma Kusi's mind: Luo En had indirectly caused his wretched existence.

Without Luo En, perhaps Aolifu wouldn't have plunged so quickly into madness. Perhaps he himself wouldn't have become this twisted experiment.

This irrational yet perfectly reasonable resentment in his mutated spirit became Ma Kusi's final spiritual pillar.

In some ways, it might have been the only emotion keeping his shattered self intact.

"Luo En..."

Through the flames, he saw a blurry figure.

It was the golden-haired Noble Andie, armored in scaled plating, sword in his right hand. Dragon breath erupted from his mouth like a flowing torrent, forming a dazzling yet lethal column of fire.

In Ma Kusi's distorted vision, the golden-haired figure merged with Luo En's image.

He remembered Luo En often appearing alongside this noble—two inseparable companions, supporting each other.

"It's you!" Ma Kusi's fury surged: "It's all your fault!"

Amidst the inferno, his bones suddenly emitted a series of sickening cracks, then reassembled into a posture optimized for charging.

Black veins beneath his skin writhed violently, channeling one last surge of mana into this dying body.

The burning corpse erupted with astonishing strength, moving at impossible speed to burst from the flames and lunge at Andie.

Andie clearly hadn't expected this half-charred monster to move. He barely twisted aside, but Ma Kusi's teeth sank deeply into his arm.

"Damn it!" Andie cried out in pain, then drove his sword into Ma Kusi's skull.

The blade pierced the brain, protruding from the back of the head, splattering blood.

Yet even with his brain impaled, Ma Kusi's teeth clamped tighter, digging deeper.

"Help me get this thing off!"

Andie roared at the Enforcement Team, struggling to break free, but Ma Kusi's jaw gripped like a steel vice.

Several Enforcement Team members rushed forward. Some fired beams from staffs, others hurled mana ropes to ensnare Ma Kusi's body.

"We have to sever the head! Its central nervous system has mutated!"

A High Apprentice commanded:

"Ordinary injuries won't work—you must completely disconnect!"

Gritting his teeth through pain, Andie yanked his sword free, then swung downward with full force at Ma Kusi's neck.

Simultaneously, another Enforcement Team member slashed their mana blade at the same spot.

With combined strength, Ma Kusi's head finally separated—but his teeth still clamped Andie's arm, refusing release.

Blood dripped down Andie's arm, staining his sleeve and boots.

The wound oozed black liquid mixing with crimson blood, creating an unsettling dark red.

"What about the body?"

Andie growled, his face pale from pain.

"Completely incinerated—no movement detected."

An Enforcement Team member replied, warily watching the twitching head.

"Someone help me get this off", Andie pointed at the head attached to his arm:
"I need to treat the wound."

Several Enforcement Team members joined efforts, finally prying Ma Kusi's head loose after tremendous struggle.

The wound revealed horrifying damage—muscle tissue nearly shredded, exposing white bone.

More disturbingly, black patterns already spread around the injury, like some corruption or curse creeping outward.

"You should seek the Mentors immediately for treatment."

The medical apprentice retrieved potions and bandages:

"This wound might carry deep contamination—I can only provide initial care."

Andie glanced at his injury, then the expensive healing potions, finally nodding:

"Appreciate it. I'm a Bloodline Knight—this'll heal soon."

"But the contamination might... you'd best consult a Mentor..."

The medical apprentice hesitated mid-sentence.

Seeing Andie's troubled expression, he understood.

"I'll provide basic care first..."

"What about Ma Kusi's head? Should we dissect it?" someone asked.

"No—incinerate it immediately."

The Enforcement Team leader ordered decisively:

"This case is too dangerous for ordinary apprentices. Valuable data will be extracted by Mentors—you're not to interfere."

The group nodded, tossing Ma Kusi's head back into the flames.

The head released an eerie hissing sound amidst the fire, as if making a final protest, before being consumed.

Andie watched silently, his expression complex.

Pain seared his arm, but he forced calm.

As a royal family member, he'd been taught to maintain composure under any circumstances.

Besides, for a Bloodline Knight, this injury truly wasn't severe.

Resting a few days would let his bloodline powers naturally regenerate the damaged tissue.

He failed to notice, however, that the black contamination hadn't stopped spreading from the bandaged wound.

Instead, it crept steadily upward, like an invisible venomous snake slithering into his bloodstream.

"Report the situation."

The Enforcement Team leader approached Andie.

"Upon receiving the notice, I rushed here. Ma Kusi had already exited the tower, wandering the central area. His condition was extremely unstable—highly aggressive—and already caused minor injuries to several Elementary Apprentices."

Andie summarized:

"I attempted to corner him with dragon breath, but his resistance proved stronger than expected. I had to resort to physical attacks."

"Well done." The Enforcement Team leader nodded:

"What about Aolifu? Any clues?"

"Clear the area for important personnel!"

Suddenly, a commanding voice echoed from the crowd's rear. The assembly quickly parted, revealing a tall figure in deep purple robes—Fuyuanzhang Hayek.

Everyone stood respectfully, including the Enforcement Team leader.

"Fuyuanzhang sir!" The leader stepped forward respectfully.

"What's the situation?" Hayek asked directly, no pleasantries.

"Aolifu West has defected. He released experimental subject Ma Kusi, causing chaos, then fled into Edge Forest. The pursuit squad tracked him deep inside, but..."

The leader hesitated before continuing:

"We've lost contact."

"Lost contact?" Hayek's brow furrowed deeper: "How many?"

"Three Intermediate Apprentices, one High Apprentice." The leader's voice lowered slightly:

"The last message showed them spotting Aolifu in Edge Forest's northeast sector, preparing to surround him..."

"And then?"

"Then nothing."

The leader bowed his head:

"We tried contacting them through spirit links, but connections severed one by one. The last member reported Aolifu had begun Awakening, displaying extreme aggression and some special ability."

Hayek's expression darkened:

"Take me to where Ma Kusi was discovered—I must inspect personally."

"Yes, sir."

As Hayek and the leader departed, the atmosphere eased slightly.

Andie prepared to leave when an Enforcement Team member blocked his path.

"Andie, please wait. Fuyuanzhang has ordered detailed records and checks for all personnel involved tonight—just in case."

Andie nodded. Though his arm throbbed, he knew the protocol was necessary.

He couldn't take field missions now with his meager income already strained by a Bloodline Knight's massive appetite.

He glanced at his bandaged wound, blood already seeping through the wrappings—though bleeding had slowed.

The Bloodline Knight's self-healing was working. The wound should heal soon.

"Tomorrow I'll visit Luo En—he always has solutions..."

The reason he avoided Full Mages wasn't just due to inability to afford Mana Shard Fragments, but also because of his instinctive trust in his genius Potion Master friend.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end