Chapter 576
The Incarnation of Fear Walking in the World
Chapter 576 The Incarnation of Fear Walking in the World
The room was pitch black.
The red glow of distant neon lights shone through the window, casting an inconspicuous light and shadow on Fang Cheng's face.
He sat upright in the chair, his eyes lowered, calmly watching the strange thing wriggling on his skin.
There was no fear or disgust in his eyes.
It was as if this thing wasn't some terrifying monster at all, but a novel toy to play with.
It appears to have no physical form, more like a gelatinous life form existing between energy and matter.
At this moment, it clung tightly to Fang Cheng's skin, wriggling incessantly, trying to burrow into the pores of his arm.
However, Fang Cheng's body had been tempered through countless trials, making his skin even tougher than the densest rubber.
As for the pores all over his body, under his control, they were like countless tightly closed one-way valves.
The terrifying pressure formed by the internal true energy prevents any external object from penetrating even a fraction of its depth.
The red liquid seemed to have hit an insurmountable wall; no matter how much it was bumped or squeezed, it could not penetrate.
After several fruitless attempts, the parasite inside the mask seemed to become even more agitated.
Its climbing speed suddenly increased, following Fang Cheng's arm and neck, all the way up, heading straight for his face and features.
Finally, it stopped in front of Fang Cheng's nostrils.
This is the most direct path to the brain, and also one of the most vulnerable parts.
If it can successfully crawl inside, it will be able to take over this incredibly powerful body.
Fang Cheng watched quietly as the red liquid shaped and coalesced in front of his nose.
You can even clearly feel that the thing is radiating an extremely excited and greedy aura.
Finally, it seemed to make a decision, its tip transforming into a sharp probe, which it then thrust into the nostril.
And just as this red liquid entered and was about to touch the nasal mucosa...
Fang Cheng's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
A surge of powerful true energy instantly rose from the dantian and surged upwards.
"Ho-"
A concentrated aura, as white as a rainbow, suddenly burst forth from his nostrils.
In an instant, it was as if thunder had exploded, its booming sound echoing in the bedroom.
This pure yang energy, generated by a master-level qigong technique, struck the red parasite solidly, like an invisible hammer.
"squeak--"
A sharp shriek from the level of the soul suddenly rang in Fang Cheng's mind.
The blob of red liquid, like an insect scalded by a red-hot iron, suddenly bounced off his face.
Then, it trembled violently in mid-air and fell limply onto the desk.
It twitched and wriggled on the table, as if it had suffered a severe blow.
Fang Cheng's body was brimming with vitality, like a blazing furnace.
Such sinister things are the most deadly threat in themselves.
Just getting close to it made it feel as if it had fallen into the blazing sun and was being burned by flames.
This thing clearly possesses intelligence and can clearly feel emotions such as fear and pain.
Under Fang Cheng's burning gaze, it dared not linger for even a moment, instantly transforming into a streak of red light, hastily rushing towards the desk, and burrowing back into the clown mask.
As the red light on the mask's surface faded completely, the flowing blood gradually solidified, eventually resembling a layer of red paint.
In the blink of an eye, the bedroom returned to peace.
The bizarre scene I just witnessed seemed like nothing more than a hallucination before I went to sleep.
Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he reached out again to pick up the clown mask that had returned to normal.
It was cold and hard to the touch, and I couldn't feel any signs of life.
If one hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, it would appear to be just an ordinary work of art to the average person.
Fang Cheng frowned slightly, recalling his conversation with the Masked Man on the rooftop of the Silverwing Building.
According to the Masked Man, the mask was a rare artifact he obtained from an ancient civilization ruin controlled by the military.
He was on the run when he discovered an ancient corpse that had not decomposed, and he peeled the mask off the person's face.
Fang Cheng still clearly remembers the scene when he unleashed the Qilin Arm and charged up for an attack.
Originally, he had shattered the opponent's psychic storm with a single punch, but it was blocked by a sudden appearance of red light, which neutralized part of the force.
That's how the masked man managed to survive and avoid being blown up on the spot.
Looking back now, that red light must have been something that was parasitizing inside that mask.
It appears to be able to switch between two forms: organic life and inorganic matter.
Normally, it sleeps soundly, blending seamlessly with the mask, appearing completely normal.
Once activated when encountering danger, it will unleash special energy, giving the mask amazing defensive capabilities.
Based on the brief contact just now, Fang Cheng could also make a judgment.
This thing has an incredibly strong desire to devour human flesh and soul.
Like a prehistoric beast that has been starving for millions of years, it instinctively wants to hunt any living thing that can move in front of it.
Fang Cheng had no idea how the Masked Man had managed to control this thing back then.
Was it forcibly controlled through mental power? Or was some kind of symbiotic agreement reached?
As he pondered, he turned the mask over and tapped it lightly with his fingertips, producing a dull tapping sound.
The mask's material looks ordinary, with a texture similar to modern chemical polymers, namely plastic.
Its strange defensive effect clearly comes entirely from the red parasite.
This reminded Fang Cheng of the monster in the Bloodthorn Mercenary Group, who was like a mountain of flesh.
The Masked Man confessed that the monster and he were used as experimental subjects when they entered the ancient ruins, where they were infected by an unknown virus.
Originally just an ordinary mercenary, he underwent a drastic mutation.
Not only did it lose its mind, but its body size also expanded wildly, and its strength and defense increased dramatically. It even developed a craving for cannibalism.
Perhaps there is some common connection between the two.
In the darkness, Fang Cheng's eyes gleamed brightly, and a thought immediately came to mind.
He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a completely black tactical dagger.
This dagger was a trophy seized from some unlucky fellow last time. Its blade gleamed with a chilling light, clearly indicating its extreme sharpness.
Fang Cheng gripped the dagger and, without hesitation, stabbed it into the tip of his left index finger.
However, due to his extremely high physical strength, when the tip of the dagger touched his skin, it felt like it had pierced a piece of highly resilient rubber.
The skin has sunk inwards, but it's impossible to pierce it.
It wasn't until Fang Cheng frowned slightly and increased the force in his wrist that a small opening was finally torn in the tough skin.
A drop of bright red blood seeped out.
He pointed his bleeding finger at the clown mask on the table and squeezed it gently.
pat.
Blood dripped precisely onto the mask's exaggerated red lips.
In the quiet bedroom, Fang Cheng held his breath, his eyes fixed on any slight movement.
The next second, another anomaly occurred.
The moment the drop of blood touched the surface of the mask, it was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil.
The entire clown mask suddenly glowed with an eerie red light. The previously solidified crimson background seemed to come alive, boiling and writhing wildly.
The red liquid that had just been forced back into the mask now surged out impatiently, swallowing the drop of blood in one gulp.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
A faint yet sharp cry rang directly in Fang Cheng's mind, filled with excitement and longing.
The red liquid writhed wildly on the mask, transforming into various ferocious shapes, sometimes turning into claws, sometimes into fangs.
It bared its teeth and claws at Fang Cheng, seemingly eager to pounce on him again and devour him completely.
But it ultimately dared not take the risk.
The intense, fiery energy emanating from Fang Cheng's body, like a furnace, was both a deadly poison and an unparalleled delicacy to it.
This extreme sense of contradiction plunged it into a bizarre state of mania and timidity.
They could only flutter restlessly behind the mask, yet never dared to cross the line.
Is that all you've got?
Looking at its blustering yet cowardly appearance, Fang Cheng's lips curled into a cold smile:
"Since you're useless to me, I might as well destroy you!"
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly attacked.
A swift chop struck the clown mask with lightning speed.
Clap!
The force was just right, and the mask shattered into pieces.
"squeak--"
The red parasite let out a terrified scream.
It then shot out from the shattered mask, transforming into a red streak of light that shot towards the demon mask placed beside it.
It wants to repeat its old tricks and find a new host.
Fang Cheng's eyes sharpened, and he was about to reach out and grab it, but his movement suddenly stopped in the next instant.
The white demon mask that had been lying quietly on the table suddenly began to show signs of abnormality.
The two red gems that were originally somewhat dull now emitted two eerie red lights, resembling the eyes on the mask.
That gaping mouth, which was almost stretched to the ears, seemed to have widened even further.
Like a demon awakening from its slumber, it unleashes an aura of evil and violence.
The red parasite, which was shooting towards them at high speed, seemed to sense the deadly threat and let out an even more shrill scream than before.
It forcibly changed direction in mid-air, no longer caring about finding its host, only wanting to desperately escape this room full of monsters.
However, it was too late.
The white demon mask floated up directly, like a white lightning bolt, arriving first and instantly catching up with the red streak of light.
At the same time, countless translucent, thread-like substances shot out from the back of the mask.
Like slender yet resilient tentacles, they rapidly intertwined and coiled in the air, transforming into a vast net that instantly and firmly captured the red parasite.
"Squeak! Squeak squeak squeak!"
The red parasite struggled desperately in the cage made of tentacles, but to no avail.
Those transparent tentacles seemed to have a life of their own, tightly binding it and beginning to absorb and devour it at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The whole process is like the most primitive law of the jungle in nature, following the natural law of survival.
As the absorption proceeded, those transparent tentacles gradually became stained with a bright blood-red color.
In just a few breaths, the red parasite was completely absorbed, leaving not a trace of its life force.
After devouring their prey, the tentacles quickly lost their blood color and became translucent again.
Then, it slowly retracted into the mask like a wisp of silk, as if it had never existed.
Fang Cheng's heart stirred slightly as he stared in astonishment at the unbelievable scene.
At that moment, the demon mask that had finished "feeding" trembled slightly in mid-air.
As if sensing its master's intentions, it took the initiative to fly slowly towards him and finally hover in front of him.
Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then stretched out his palm to hold it in his hand.
The feel of it is subtly different from before.
It's no longer just cold and hard; you can feel a faint tremor in your palm, like a pulse.
There was also a faint but powerful aura lingering around the mask.
He looked up and saw that the mask's original pale white base color had now been completely stained with an eerie dark red.
The facial features on the mask have become more defined and three-dimensional, with sharp and cold lines.
Two red lights still flickered faintly in the darkness through the holes around the eyes.
It looked as if it might unleash hellish flames at any moment, devouring everything in its path; the sight was chilling.
And that wide-open mouth, with the corners of the mouth curving upwards in an even more exaggerated arc, almost tore the jaw apart, revealing two rows of fine, sharp fangs.
The entire mask seemed to have transformed from an inanimate object into a living being.
Like a demonic artifact from the abyss, it transcends all mortal things, filled with endless violence and evil.
Fang Cheng stared at the scarlet mask in his palm.
The blood-red color on the mask's surface rippled slowly, like a living thing, resembling a beating heart.
A cold, yet endlessly seductive voice echoed deep within his mind.
"Put it on me..."
"You will gain the power to destroy everything..."
"Your enemies will howl and tremble in your shadow, turning to dust..."
"You will become the embodiment of fear walking the earth, the sole apostle representing the will to kill..."
Fang Cheng's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this.
After only a slight hesitation, he slowly raised his hand and put the brand-new mask, which exuded an ominous aura, on his face.
A cold touch came through him; the mask fit his facial contours perfectly.
However, the moment Fang Cheng put it on...
boom!
A violent will, like a volcano that has been accumulating for thousands of years, suddenly erupted and rushed into his mind.
Countless chaotic images flashed before Fang Cheng's eyes.
Mountains of corpses, seas of blood, wails, and savage laughter...
Scenes that seemed to originate from the deepest hell transformed into a torrent of consciousness, violently assaulting his mind.
The most primal and pure desire to kill grew wildly deep within his soul, attempting to completely devour his reason and turn him into a monster who only knew how to kill.
however……
Fang Cheng's mental world is not a dark place that can be eroded at will.
Here, a massive island with a golden palace floats in the air.
And in the sky above this island, a bright and blazing sun hangs high, radiating boundless light and heat.
That was the martial will he had forged through countless trials and tribulations.
(End of this chapter)