Chapter 455 - If You Don't Adapt, Then Die

The royal stable was about six hundred meters away from the fencing hall, and Sachi only took a few minutes to cross half the distance. He continued along a quiet alleyway, a few dead leaves drifting from the treetops beyond the wall.

Swish...

Someone suddenly lunged from the corner shadows, a cloak billowing behind them like a tumbling dark cloud. He closed in on Sachi at top speed, a fierce glint in his eyes.

Crack!

His thick arm abruptly swelled to nearly double its size, five fingers splayed like an eagle's talons and veins bulging beneath the skin. His palm swept sideways and the air was abruptly torn with a sharp rip.

In an instant, the airflow gave way as five claw-like fingers raked at the figure ahead.

Bang!

But at that critical moment, Sachi the Silver Pistil Sword, who had been facing away from his attacker, somehow sensed it and leaped forward, his body shooting forth like a sword.

Five narrow slash marks ripped the refined noble attire on Sachi's back. It looked as though razor-sharp blades had slashed it. Luckily, he had dodged quick enough to avoid being hurt.

Sachi spun around and saw a figure cloaked entirely in black standing quietly before him. He lifted his left hand slightly, revealing a refined, razor-sharp silver rapier. While Sachi had evaded the strike, the weapon he relied on for combat had been taken, drastically reducing his fighting ability.

"You are..." Sachi frowned and retreated a couple of steps.

"Sachi, come along quietly." The man in black lowered his hood, revealing a weathered face crowned by white hair. One of his eyes was blind, hidden behind a slanted black pirate's patch. His remaining eye was dark as ink, and radiated a chilling sense of oppression.

He spoke with utter disregard for Sachi, his eyes tinged with scorn. "Can you still bring out even half your strength without your rapier? Do the smart thing and surrender now. Otherwise..."

Thud!

The ground suddenly quaked, and a few fallen leaves were swept forward as a figure rushed in.

The man in black had unleashed another surprise attack. His words moments ago had not been idle chatter. He had sensed something unsettling about Sachi's aura. Thus he had observed for a few seconds and then decided to launch a sudden assault anyway.

The man held one arm diagonally upright and the other horizontally across his side, forming a cross-like position in midair. His arms crossed and they slashed through the air at great speed like two knives grinding together, compressing the air with a shrill whistle. The black-robed man appeared in front of Sachi in less than half a breath, descending from above to strike.

Slash!

Up until that moment, Sachi had seemed dazed, but he suddenly raised his head in slow motion to meet the black-robed man's stare. A strange smile appeared on his face, and the noble attire covering his upper body abruptly burst into tatters.

His body swelled inch by inch as densely packed black runes formed a twisted, ghastly totem. A cracking noise rang out as bones extended out of his back and four extra arms stretched outward. Together with his original two arms, six limbs reached skyward.

It looked as though he meant to envelop the black-robed man completely in an embrace. The man's pupils abruptly constricted.

Boom!

The air roared in a sudden backdraft in the alley, like a fierce gale sweeping away fallen leaves and debris. A combat artist's Qi erupted like lava spewing from a volcanic crater.

A figure standing 1.8 meters tall collided with one standing 3 meters tall. The air blurred as though it had been heated to a boil. While the wind howled, a stream of blood suddenly burst forth, splattering across half the wall.

The black-robed figure let out a wretched cry as he hurtled backward. Struggling to right himself and coughing up blood, he vaulted over a wall and fled in panic.

The Evil Mother stood quietly in place as the chaotic airflow dispersed. She was tall and powerfully built, her three pairs of arms behind her raised skyward like a crown.

One of her palms held a severed arm. One exchange had led to the man in black paying the terrible price of losing an arm. Had he not acted decisively at that desperate moment, using all his Qi and trading injury for survival, he would likely have died then and there. Of course, part of it was also the Evil Mother's deliberate choice.

The instant they clashed, she had placed a tracking mark on him. It was something Cassius had instructed her to do: if they encountered Gate Organization members, do not slaughter them completely. It was better to make them pay a grievous price and then let them escape, so they could locate other Gate Organization bases.

The Evil Mother watched in silence as the black-robed man fled, a certain totem glimmering faintly on her skin. Then she slowly turned and headed in another direction.

***

Cassius had only been in his new post in the Treatment Ward for half a day. The Treatment Ward now teemed with fresh life, its previously empty administrative hall suddenly brimming with people.

Many individuals in the Ward's hunter uniforms bustled back and forth, looking quite busy. Yet they did not resemble hunters so much as inmates once dragged to cells by hunters. Their expressions and demeanors radiated a savage aura.

They looked fierce and intimidating, with black markings on their faces resembling tattoos. Their builds were abnormally muscular, even deformed. They certainly did not seem like ordinary humans.

On the second floor, Cassius stood in the corridor along a wooden gallery, arms folded across his chest as he gazed down impassively. He had spent a hundred Golem Seeds to free all the inmates of the Savage Beast Den and employ them as his capable subordinates.

Their combat strength was beyond question. They were all experienced veteran hunters well-practiced in killing. Their sacred marks had reached saturation, or they would not have been pushed to the point of dark creature transformation. Combined with the power boost from beast transformation, they formed a truly ferocious force.

Of course, they were not without flaws. While Cassius had purged the calamity that had clouded their minds, traces of beast transformation remained. For instance, they were unusually irritable, prone to brawling at the slightest disagreement, and quickly provoked with rash temperaments.

An example was the dispute unfolding below.

"Hey punk, you just ran into me?"

"Yeah."

"Then you can go to hell!"

Bang, bang, bang...

A flurry of blows rained down, the sound of fists and flesh echoing through the first-floor corridor. Two hulking men, obviously no do-gooders, grappled each other fiercely.

Swish!

A figure suddenly dropped from the second floor like a swath of black cloth.

A single kick per person.

Bang, bang.

Both hunters were booted in different directions.

Coincidentally, they were in a long hallway. One went skidding toward the window at one end while the other toward the door at the other end, about forty or fifty meters apart. Both troublemaking hunters collapsed to their knees, arms shaking as they propped themselves up, coughing up bile in the process.

A distinct bootprint marred the front of their uniform shirts. Trembling, they looked up to the middle of the corridor, where a tall, imposing figure stood like a tower.

His cold gaze swept across them. Both hunters instantly lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

"Get yourselves to the Savage Beast Den for punishment—three days." Cassius spoke in the same icy tone as ever.

"Yes." They got to their feet and slunk out of the administrative hall.

Truthfully, they had not wished to start fights over trivial matters, but the calamity that had led to their beast transformation had lingered for so long that their minds had become agitated and unstable. They frequently and almost reflexively caused trouble.

Cassius's way of dealing with this was punishment. A first offense meant three days in the Savage Beast Den, a second meant ten days, and a third time meant execution.

Indeed, he had neither the patience nor the energy to supervise these newly freed inmates, so he enforced a direct, brutal system. If they would not learn, they would simply die. After all, they had already been on death row.

Surprisingly, Cassius's draconian approach caused the beast-like hunters to substantially restrain themselves. What had been dozens of clashes per hour dropped to about one every few hours, as they now followed the rules.

Cassius turned slowly and walked toward the director's office. The previous Director of the Treatment Ward, Soul Scythe, had been severely injured for half a year and been bedridden during her recovery. The entire ward had nearly collapsed, with no real order.

Some of its functions had even been delegated to other institutions. Thus, a huge backlog of documents and tasks had piled up at the Ward's headquarters.

Cassius had released these thugs from the Savage Beast Den to control violence with violence, relying on their extensive experience to deal with fellow inmates. For example, he was looking for that fugitive target, Blood Shark.

The Number Four Shadow Hunter, Soul Scythe, had sustained grievous wounds in her pursuit of Blood Shark, who likewise had been injured in that chase and had stayed hidden from the Hunters' Association's sight for six months. If it had been captured by the Treatment Ward, it would have been confined to the Savage Beast Den's third underground level.

Ten minutes later, Cassius sat with his elbows propped on the desk in the Director of the Treatment Ward's office, gazing quietly at the four before him. Fog Man, Hermit, Nine Serpents, and Odo were once ferocious inmates on the third underground level, and ideally suited for fighting fire with fire.

He pondered for a moment, then glanced down at the information on Blood Shark lying on the desk. He slowly turned it around a full circle to face the four.

"The target is Blood Shark. The previous Director of the Treatment Ward, Soul Scythe, was injured by him. You, who have interacted with Soul Scythe, should have a sense of his strength." Cassius raised his head slowly. "In this new era for the Treatment Ward, everything is starting from scratch. Though I freed all the prisoners from the Savage Beast Den to fill the manpower gap, we still need a triumph—a major success..."

"Fog Man, Nine Serpents, Hermit. Take the relevant records, along with the latest intel from the Hunters' Association. Starting now, hunt down Blood Shark no matter the cost. No matter which corner of the Hongli Federation it flees to, bring it back to me as an example..." Cassius's gaze shifted slightly, finally resting on Odo.

"Odo, you won't be going with them. There's much that needs doing here at the ward, and I need your assistance. You will remain."

"Yes, sir," Odo responded immediately with a nod.

Cassius rose to speak further, but suddenly sensed the Golem Seed he had planted within the Evil Mother coming closer. He waved them off at once. "Go do what you must."

"Yes, sir." The four exchanged glances and quickly departed.

Cassius waited a moment, then left the director's office himself, heading out of the administrative building and beyond the Ward's main grounds.

Two minutes later, Cassius strode into a secluded alleyway and peered toward a shadowy corner of the wall.

The Evil Mother ceased hiding and emerged. She regarded Cassius with a slight squint. "Why do I sense your aura has grown even stronger? The danger you pose feels many times greater than before..."

Cassius's expression did not change, neither confirming nor denying it. "No matter how strong I am, I can't suddenly vault to the level of the Totem King. Besides, I'm the one leading this partnership. I don't need your consent or for you to 'feel safe.' You only need to know that in critical matters, I never fail to deliver..."

Evil Mother fell silent for a while and eventually let the subject drop. "We've made progress. The Gate Organization couldn't hold back any longer. They made a move on me in my guise as Sachi the Silver Pistil Sword. They suspect that some mysterious force attacked the dark creature test site. I did as you said, and merely injured him so he could get away..."

The Evil Mother fixed her black pupils on Cassius. "I placed a tracking mark on him, and now he's fleeing beyond Florence's main city..."

She paused briefly, then asked, as though reading his thoughts, "Shall we go together and trace his path? Find some answers?"

"Let's go," Cassius replied curtly.

The Evil Mother immediately darted through the shadows in the direction of the fleeing Gate Organization member, with Cassius following behind at a measured pace.

Half an hour later, the day had advanced into the afternoon. Two figures were in quiet pursuit of one person. They had already left Florence, and had entered the borders of Farr County and were rushing toward Rika City.

***

Meanwhile, in a remote woodland on the outskirts of Florence...

"The sensing disc just lit up! The target is leaving Florence at high speed, heading southeast!" exclaimed a young man with a black totem wrapped around his neck, holding a disc bestowed by the Totem King.

They could sense remnants of the Evil Mother's totem aura. Even her "killer" would bear traces of that aura.

"Move out! Let's pursue!" Two elders who had been sitting by an ancient towering tree with eyes closed suddenly snapped them open, their sharp gazes flashing briefly. They sprang to their feet, one hovering in midair while the other's pants tore, revealing thick bestial legs.

Bang!

A group of dozens of figures bounded over the hills, setting off in pursuit.