Chapter 335: Hatching
Chapter 335: Hatching
Dark clouds filled the sky, and a sudden thunderstorm erupted. Just over ten minutes later, as if the hastily gathered rain had been emptied, the streets and residential buildings regained their brightness, leaving behind only wet ground and slightly damp air.
A little boy hid under the stairs, peeking out at the rooftop. During the rain, thunder rumbled, and he faintly heard the sounds of intense fighting from another rooftop. But due to the heavy rain and the distance between the fighters, he couldn't see anything clearly.
At that moment, a shadow suddenly descended.
The little boy tensed up, then sighed in relief, saying, "Sir." But after getting a clear look, he involuntarily took two steps back.
Wei Wusheng had a gaping hole in his chest, as if something had torn away a chunk of his flesh and bones, revealing his beating heart within. He held a hammer in his hand, and at his waist hung two hideous heads with eyes wide open, tied together by their hair, forming a macabre chain.
The little boy swallowed hard.
Wei Wusheng suddenly threw something over, and he quickly caught it, finding it to be a Boundary Token, but it looked much more advanced than the second-hand one he had.
"Put it on and come take a picture."
Wei Wusheng tossed out the words and headed outside.
The boy exclaimed, "Oh," and as he walked, he put on the Boundary Token. It was then that he noticed Wei Wusheng's back had over a dozen wounds from sharp weapons, with his flesh curled up, looking terrifying. Yet, he seemed unaffected by his injuries, walking steadily as usual, and soon he was a distance away.
Moreover, the boy felt that Wei Wusheng's stature seemed to have grown taller than before,” and after adjusting the Boundary Token, he dashed after him.
At the Mystic Palace Dormitory, Chen Chuan finished his training for the day and was about to rest when he received a message from Tan Zhi. Without much thought, he opened it, as Tan Zhi often sent him scenes from the arena tournament and related content while attending the matches.
But this time was different. Only a single picture was sent, and it was quite impactful.
A tall, muscular man stood with his back to the camera, occupying most of the frame. He held a striking hammer in his hand, seemingly stained with blood, and beneath him lay two headless corpses.
At the top of the photo were two heads hanging together, their eyes rolled back, devoid of life. The severed wounds showed dangling blood vessels and strands of altered tissue.
The image was indeed shocking.
Chen Chuan stared at the man's back, thinking, "Is that... Wei Wusheng?"
He examined the two heads; although their faces were somewhat distorted, he could vaguely discern a resemblance between them. He had seen their photos on the bounty platform, and they were likely the heads of the Pei brothers.
He had read their introduction; the brothers were cousins with extensive experience, and their exceptional teamwork made them formidable opponents. Many believed they had the best chance of defeating Wei Wusheng.
But now, it seemed the outcome was the opposite.
Chen Chuan scrutinized the photo, noticing many details. Judging by the brothers' neck wounds, they had likely been beheaded while still alive.
Comparing the surrounding objects in the photo, Wei Wusheng appeared even taller than before, but as it was just a photo, he couldn't be sure.
Could this be the result of Wei Wusheng's "heart intent" as he mentioned? As Chen Chuan pondered this, he heard a faint sound from the room. Turning, he saw the egg in the incubator shaking.
A part of the eggshell cracked open, revealing something inside. A small creature emerged, shaking and tapping, gradually breaking free from the shell.
Chen Chuan rose from the sofa and approached the incubator as the egg cracked open further. A tiny creature poked its head out, shaking off the shell fragments. It stared at him with wide eyes and chirped a soft, innocent sound.
Chen Chuan observed the creature, expecting a snake, but it resembled a combination of a lizard and a bird. It had feathers, claws on its forelimbs, membrane wings, and bird-like feather patterns with varying colors.
The little creature chirped at him again, and he extended a finger to tease it. The creature climbed onto his finger and then onto the back of his hand.
Chen Chuan could feel the creature's heartbeat through its body. After a moment's thought, he reached for the nutrient solution provided by the Serpent Sect and the incubator. It was said that this solution could be consumed by all the sect's creatures. He poured some into a disposable paper plate.
Upon seeing this, the creature immediately climbed down from his hand and happily licked the solution. After eating its fill, it seemed to feel tired and returned to the incubator, lying there with its eyes closed.
Chen Chuan recorded this with his Boundary Token and sent a message to Zou Handan, asking what this little creature was.
After a while, Zou Handan replied, "Mr. Chen, we named this creature 'Bird Lizard'. It was originally intended to be bred as a combat species, but the project was unsuccessful.
Due to unknown mutations in some and mass devolution in others, the project has been terminated, and most of the eggs have been disposed of.
This one may have slipped into the gift package because of this. Currently, this creature only has ornamental value and won't pose any threat. If you don't like it, you can return it to us, and we will recycle it and send you a replacement gift."
Chen Chuan understood what was meant by 'recycling', so he said, "No need for recycling. How should I take care of this creature?"
Zou Handan apologized, "Since this was our mistake, we will send you some tools and detailed instructions shortly, Mr. Chen."
"Alright, thank you," Chen Chuan replied.
After ending the call, he took another look at the little creature, which seemed to be sleeping soundly. Apparently, the temperature in the incubator was very comfortable for it, so he didn't bother with it further.
He checked the platform again and noticed that in just a short while, Wei Wusheng's photo had spread all over the place. The comment section was buzzing with activity as more and more people joined the discussion, quickly pushing it to the top.
The Pei brothers were indeed famous, but their deaths at Wei Wusheng's hands, and the tragic nature of their demise, were unexpected. Some people analyzed the two brothers' death conditions and the injuries on Wei Wusheng, attempting to reconstruct the cause of death and the combat process.
Chen Chuan browsed through some of these discussions and found that some were quite insightful, revealing details he hadn't noticed before. However, most of the comments focused on the aftermath and the odds of other bounty hunters against Wei Wusheng.
Initially, they all favored the bounty hunters, but now there was some uncertainty. Some even believed that these hunters were overrated and had only succeeded against weaker opponents, only to be exposed now by a real challenge.
This comment sparked opposition, and with the addition of fans of other bounty hunters, a heated debate erupted around this topic.
The platform's discussion seemed to catch the attention of the parties involved. A bounty hunter named Han Laomao boldly stepped forward, claiming that he would personally kill Wei Wusheng and post the photos afterward.
Chen Chuan finished reading the comments and exited the platform. He noticed that Wei Wusheng's strength seemed to be growing stronger, but it didn't affect his own emotional state, and he maintained his training rhythm.
Time flew by, and more than ten days passed. During this period, Chen Chuan visited the Wave Splitting Valley again and underwent a Snake Molting service, which was likely his last before achieving the Third Limit. This time, he used the excuse of taking a vacation to go home and didn't continue to purchase the service.
This reason was plausible, and no one would think too much of it. In fact, continuously purchasing the service was uncommon, as most people recovered quickly physically, but the psychological impact was harder to overcome.
It was late July.
After sparring with Hong Fu, Chen Chuan left the private training room, feeling a bit thirsty due to the intense exertion. He quickened his pace slightly, intending to get a drink of water.
As he thought of this, his steps naturally quickened, and his body seemed to flicker, transporting him from the training room to the other end of the living room. He paused, holding the cup in his hand.
Everything felt natural, and there was nothing abnormal about it. However, he suddenly realized that he had unknowingly displayed abilities akin to those of a Third Limit fighter.
The issue was that he had just finished sparring with Hong Fu, and his body was still in a state of post-training fatigue. Yet, even in this condition, he had exhibited incredible speed.
He took a sip of water slowly, confirming that he was gradually approaching the boundary and was on the verge of crossing that threshold.
However, he didn't seem to feel much difference, possibly because Hong Fu's strength always kept pace with his own. During their sparring sessions, he could maintain her at a fixed level, but to push himself, he removed this restriction, making him less sensitive to his own progress.
After putting down the cup, he relaxed and closed his eyes, using the breathing technique to assess his physical condition. With each breath, he gained a clear understanding of his body's state.
He could sense that his initial judgment was correct; it seemed that taking one more step forward would allow him to completely surpass that boundary.
However, he had a nagging feeling that something was still amiss.
Without rushing into a decision, he pondered for a moment and contacted Ding Shu. "Uncle Ding, is Senior Cao available? I have some questions for him."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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