(Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)
(The Mermaid's Lake- Forested Outskirts)
"Chen Xiao! Chen Xiao!" Gong Li yelled in panic as she saw all the blood that was covering the young teenage boy's body.
He was not responding to her voice.
Chen Xiao lay helplessly on the ground with his eyes closed as Gong Li placed two fingers on his pulse.
Oh, thank goodness… he was still alive…
Liu Yifei ran over and snapped her fingers. Dozens of bandages and medical supplies appeared out of thin air.
"Go wake up Sister Lan! I'll see if I can treat him…" Liu Yifei hurriedly spoke as she ripped apart Chen Xiao's shirt.
Gong Li nodded and ran towards the tent where Qin Lan was sleeping peacefully in order to wake her up.
The young teenager's skinny body came into view, but Liu Yifei did not care about the awkwardness of the situation.
She grabbed a white cloth and poured some water on the fabric. She began to wipe Chen Xiao's bloody chest and a look of confusion soon flashed across Liu Yifei's face.
Why did he appear to have no injuries?
Liu Yifei did not believe her eyes and continued to wipe down Chen Xiao's body, but she could find no external trauma, bruises, or cuts.
Then where did all the blood come from?
Liu Yifei was a bit unnerved by the strangeness of the situation, but she could not bring herself to move away from her friend.
It was this hesitation that proved to be a mistake…
Chen Xiao's eyes flicked open, and one could see his dark pupils staring at Liu Yifei with a hungry glint in his eyes.
He stretched out his hand to gently brush against Liu Yifei's shoulder which got her attention.
"Chen Xiao… are you okay?" Liu Yifei asked with concern evident in her voice.
Chen Xiao simply smiled and gestured for her to lean in closer as if he was about to whisper in her ears.
Liu Yifei thought that he was having difficulty speaking so she slowly lowered her head until her face was mere inches away from Chen Xiao.
"Don't worry… I'm listening…I… ARGHHH!" Liu Yifei's words were cut off by a shriek of pain as Chen Xiao tightly grabbed her arm and twisted.
She desperately moved back but Chen Xiao's grip was like iron, and it was impossible to get her arm out of his grasp.
Snap!
Liu Yifei could feel her arm break as Chen Xiao applied more force. She let out a hoarse wheeze of pain before opening her mouth to scream.
Her piercing cry echoed through the camp site which caused Qin Lan and Gong Li to immediately rush out of the tent.
Qin Lan wasn't sure what was going on as she saw Chen Xiao holding Liu Yifei's arm that was now bent at an awkward angle.
"He… he… broke my arm!" Liu Yifei screamed as tears ran down the sides of her face.
"Chen Xiao let go of her arm!" Qin Lan yelled angrily as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify.
Chen Xiao seemed to be unaffected by her ability and his grip continued to get even stronger as he lifted Liu Yifei into the air.
What the hell?
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ Qin Lan quickly reacted by taking out a knife that was attached to a sheath on her hip and rushing forward.
She swung her knife at the young teenager and his body contorted in a weird way to avoid her attack.
If he was not affected by her ability, then that could only mean one thing… that was not the real Chen Xiao…
It had to be some kind of monster…
Qin Lan drew out her pistol and this time Chen Xiao reacted to the threat by flinging Liu Yifei across the camp site and then jumping away.
Liu Yifei flew through the air and slammed into a nearby tree where she then slid to the ground with a painful thud.
Gong Li hurriedly ran over in a panic and wrapped her arms around the injured girl's body.
She bravely took out a small pocketknife from her handbag and pointed it in the direction of Chen Xiao with trembling fingers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chen Xiao shrieked in pain as three bullets penetrated his body. Blood splattered on the ground and an expression of disbelief flashed across his face.
Unlike Liu Tao, Qin Lan was an expert marksman, and this was not the environment of a dark cave but rather a sunny afternoon in the forest.
Qin Lan did not hesitate to take the opportunity to rush forward and face this imposter in hand-to-hand combat.
Chen Xiao swung his fists wildly, but Qin Lan could avoid all of his attacks with frightening ease.
She tilted her head to the side and Chen Xiao's fist passed mere inches away from the side of her cheek.
Pierce!
Qin Lan's knife entered Chen Xiao's eye and she twisted the blade to cause maximum damage before letting go of the handle.
She did not hesitate to kick the young teenager's legs and he fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
Qin Lan began to rain down a series of heavy blows on Chen Xiao's vital body parts from the joints that connected his limbs to his more sensitive areas.
There was no mercy in her fighting style. Qin Lan fought like a violent animal on the brink of death…
She was cold. She was ruthless. She was merciless.
Eventually Chen Xiao's body trembled, and Qin Lan stepped back warily. She watched in disbelief as the young teenage boy's appearance slowly shifted to reveal his true form.
His body grew shorter, hairier and a long brown tail emerged from his behind. Chen Xiao only took a few minutes before he was fully transformed into a monkey.
The bullet wounds on his chest and the injuries that Qin Lan had caused were still present on his new form.
A mutated animal with the power of shape shifting…
Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she poked the monkey's body and held her hand over its nostrils.
She discovered that the creature was no longer breathing which meant that it had succumbed to its injuries.
But now a darker possibility emerged…
What had happened to the original Chen Xiao? And by extension… what had happened to Liu Tao as well?
Were they even still alive?
"My… arm…" a painful groan snapped Qin Lan out of her train of thought as she saw Liu Yifei try to sit up.
Gong Li was supporting her as the two girls walked over and stared at the corpse of the monkey on the ground.
"Sister Lan… he…" Liu Yifei hesitantly spoke with gritted teeth.
"Not now… let me treat your arm first…" Qin Lan replied sadly as she forced herself to look away from the corpse.
She needed a distraction. The horrific possibility that two more members of their group were now dead was too much to bear.
Qin Lan could not help but think of herself as a failure. Would these kids have been better off if she had just left them in the supermarket?
It was impossible not to go to a negative place as she did not have anyone by her side to comfort her in her hour of need.
"Eve…" a soft whisper left Qin Lan's mouth before she had time to register what she had just said.
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