Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1482 Aftermath
The divine fluctuations in the sky were fading. Lu Ning only sensed them briefly before beginning to examine Edward's body.

No one can survive being hit by the Plague Hybrid Injection Gun. Its armor-piercing ability and divine destructive power after armor penetration are effective against everything living in the world, unless one can dodge it or is simply a substitute.

Lu Ning is currently checking whether it's a stand-in or something similar. And it's clear that Danxi's tracking ability is accurate enough; this is indeed the real person.

Lu Ning found a large number of book pages on him, as well as a handwritten notebook.

“Edward…it was you.” Lu Ning glanced at the signature on the notebook and suddenly realized.

This guy was also on the Savior's wanted list. Lu Ning had seen him in the pharmacist's memory. She just didn't expect that when she pulled out her ultimate weapon, a rather famous plague apostle would die like that.

Lu Ning put the pages away first, then opened her notebook.

Ed Wilde conducted a long study of the gods, and all the results of his research were poured into a plague called "Heterodox".

There is no fundamental difference between the gods venerated by the Church and the Plague Lord. If there is, it is only that the Church's gods are suitable for our environment, while the Plague Lord is not. The existence of gods requires the expansion of their divine kingdom, and the divine kingdom of the Church is just right—or not just right, as this is precisely the derivation of the divine kingdom of the Church.

However, the constancy of the earthly divine kingdom is a real problem. Just as the death of the Plague Apostles causes most Plague Prototypes to become ineffective, because they are inferior creations of the relationship between gods and divine kingdoms, the few that survive are worthy of study. To this end, I have been constantly seeking out these fortunate or geniuses of my kind, and after careful communication, I have analyzed them from flesh to bone to find the key.

I conceived a theory: the divine realm is not the sole element constituting the existence of gods; something beyond that, something else, sustains its preservation. It is not something ephemeral like faith or divine power, but something far more enduring. In this respect, I disagreed with the conjectures of some of my colleagues, so I chose 'inheritance' as the link and attempted to create an 'alternate version'.

Fortunately, I have dealt with many Plague Apostles and have a certain understanding of the Plague Lords, so I can create multiple samples corresponding to each Plague Lord for comparative analysis.

"Drinking the Rotten Juice," "The Overgrown Nursery," "The End of Thirst," "The Queen's March," "The Glow of the Brain," "The Predicament of the Skin," "The Ritual of the Silent Night," "The Mystery of Immortality," and "The Invitation of nnn." I am certain that these works will continue to circulate even after my death, and that the people described in them will become legends, even the flesh of gods.

However, the research still has imperfections.

The notebook had many corrections and alterations, and many key parts were blurred, suggesting that some form of anti-theft measure had been taken. Lu Ning only glanced at it briefly before putting the notebook into her pocket.

If what this guy says is true, then the plague probably won't disappear just because he's dead. These plague apostles are all such troublesome fellows.

Afterwards, Lu Ning didn't find any weapons or anything like that. After all, Ed Wilder had modified his body, and his body itself was a weapon. With the addition of magic, it wouldn't be so easy to kill him normally.

"Reporting this should earn the pharmacist a lot of credit. The divine fluctuations have also disappeared; they should have left. I didn't sense the Plague Lord's aura, so it seems they wouldn't dare to take the opportunity to invade." Lu Ning tidied up her things. "Now the most important thing is dealing with this alien creature... Hmm?"

She suddenly felt the pages of the book in her arms getting warm.

Lu Ning hurriedly took out the pages; the original text on them was becoming distorted and emitting a red light, as if some switch had been triggered.

"Outbreak period?"

Lu Ning almost immediately realized the significance of this change, stemming from the pharmacist's intuition.

Meanwhile, the church members who had finally driven away the god suddenly discovered that the infected and monsters they had previously cleared from the streets had all disappeared, even though there were still some daring to move around outside when the god appeared in the air.

"Don't withdraw the defenses! Something's wrong—cough!"

Just as the leader of the group, the basic cultivator, uttered a shout, he was pierced through by a black root that suddenly grew from the ground, hanging above everyone's heads. Blood splattered down, causing fear to appear on the faces of the younger cultivators.

"Spinning Stars" was ultimately a beautiful object chosen by the Serpent Dragon. Although it possessed a powerful sense of oppression, its transformation into foam made it less horrifying and thus less likely to instill fear in these cultivators. However, the most primal, bloody thrill was a different story.

The roots spread wildly, and a burning wooden figure rose up, carrying an entire factory building with it. He howled loudly, making a sharp sound like sawing wood. In response, the northwest cemetery and a large area around it collapsed, and foul-smelling pus gushed from the ground. People covered in fungi crawled out of the lake, and the liquid dripping from their bodies quickly corroded the ground.

"Weren't these guys wiped out?" Elty couldn't sit still any longer when she saw this from the window. "We cleared every single tunnel we found before!"

"Simple, there's something we haven't discovered yet." Burdi picked up his coat and weapons. "Where's Liu? Did she go to answer the call?"

"The summons from the Burial Pivot is necessary because the gods need them to oversee the battle; it's normal that she left. The problem is, what about us? This feels like something completely different from those few puddles we encountered before!"

"There's no other way but to stop the spread first."

=
Kyrios's team was blocked in a large event square.

He was originally going to follow the command to the location of the deity, but someone blocked his way, a single person.

The man blocking the way was dressed in tattered clothes and wore protective gear that offered only a meager level of defense. He looked like a gladiator in an underground fighting arena, risking his life to earn a meager living. But now, his entire head was glowing, and the light from his veins and bones was clearly visible through his skin—not dazzling, but very distinct.

Is there only one?

Kyrios didn't go up recklessly. His hunting experience reminded him that this person was very dangerous, and he needed to go all out from the start.

“You’re the strongest of these people.” Iron Hammer pointed at Kyrios. “I challenge you to a duel.”

"Are you aware of your own problems?" Kyrios asked loudly.

"Of course, I'm different from before, but I've gotten a lot better. I saw that thing in the sky, and you drove it away. A monster, right? So you've become stronger... I want to know how big the gap is between me and you. I know I can't win, but that's okay."

The man walked up, his steps steady, his eyes burning. If it weren't for his strange appearance, he didn't seem like there was anything wrong with him.

"Then... answer me a question, how many of your kind do you have?" Kyrios tapped his fingers on his waist, and finally drew a bone dagger.

"I don't know, there must be several, since we can't sense each other."

"Let's finish this quickly then." Kyrios assumed a fighting stance.
In the neighborhood Lu Ning had visited, Roman Knight and his men finally located Lugo. But just before they rushed in, a thick, foul-smelling cloud of blood suddenly exploded in the basement where Lugo was hiding. Then, red blood vessels gushed out, protruding like spreading coral reefs, and pierced directly into the bodies of Roman Knight and his men.

The halos around the knights overlapped, causing many of the blood vessel attacks to leave only a trace of blood on the surface. However, some who were not strong enough were directly pierced and quickly transformed into "servants." Immediately afterward, the monsters lurking underground ripped up the soil, crimson liquid dominating the already shattered flesh. Several thick blood vessels sprayed blood mist into the sky, while even more blood surged towards the Roman knights' ranks.

The Roman Knight swung his sword, and under the holy light, the blood mist hissed. But his holy light alone was not enough; the radiance generated by the paladins behind him was even weaker, and the sky was also covered in crimson. In the blood-red gloom, the light grew increasingly faint.

Roman also felt his blood surging, and it seemed that even a small wound would activate his blood.

Just then, the halos around them suddenly shone brightly again, and from two other directions, reinforcements rushed into the blood mist.

"Sir Roman!" came the voice of Grand Knight Commander Quirina. "We have wiped out the servants on the road, and reinforcements have arrived!"

Arrows of light pierced through the thick fog, and the Roman Knight suddenly felt full of strength. He roared and leaped into the ground.

=
Minutes from the church, at dawn, the damp scent of morning dew made Vanessa, who had stepped out early, feel a bit more awake.

Last night's terrifying divine sensation, and the subsequent abnormal ground tremors, would have likely caused many people to suffer if Father Thorne hadn't forcibly ordered everyone to stay indoors.

"call……"

A haggard-looking man also walked to the church door. He let out a breath, and his face showed some joy.

“Mr. Skye, are you feeling better? Did you have a dream last night?” Vanessa asked.

“Much better… I haven’t had those strange dreams anymore, thank you so much,” Skye said hurriedly. “If I can get a good night’s sleep these next few days, I think I’ll be fine…”

"Are you in a hurry to go home? It's alright. I'll have someone find your relatives to stay at the church temporarily when it gets a little brighter. You need to understand that Violet City isn't particularly safe right now."

"Yes, I'll do whatever you say, I'll do whatever you say."

Skye's cooperative attitude was quite satisfactory; at least Vanessa felt she was much easier to deal with than some of those who were clearly sick but still quite self-willed—she had seen plenty of such people when she was treating the plague.

Just then, Vanessa suddenly sensed something.

The colonies she laid around the church were scattered and inconspicuous, so that almost no one could tell that they were stepping on them.

Normal trampling is fine, but if the temperature drops drastically where it's being trampled, then there's a problem. Vanessa looked out at the empty road, raised her right hand, and the bacteria spiraled up her arm to her palm, quickly transforming into the shape of a pistol.

“Mr. Skye, are you still afraid of the so-called invisible monster you saw in your dream?” Vanessa asked.

Skye saw her action and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

“Hesitation indicates lingering fear,” Vanessa smiled. “Then I will kill that fear before your very eyes.”

The trigger was pulled, and the bullet left the chamber. The green bullet exploded thirty meters away, and a figure materialized in the air, its chest already covered in numerous blotches from the bacterial colony. Vanessa followed up with several more shots, and under the corrosive effect of the colony, the invisible person was immediately torn to pieces, collapsing to the ground and writhing, trying to return to its original state, but the colony devoured it even faster.

“See, if you have the courage, you can kill them,” Vanessa said.

Skye still looked somewhat frightened, but she was no longer as terrified.

"Thank you... thank you so much."

"Go back and rest first."

Vanessa sent Skye back, then looked at the "person" who had just been devoured by the bacteria with some suspicion.

The bacteria only work this fast when they consume dead things. As for the effect on living people, judging from the one she sniped and killed before, it can only be used as a powerful bullet.

Her understanding of the "wild plague" is not yet complete, but the current situation may be an opportunity.

More coldness set foot on her fungal carpet.

"Plague, shotgun mode, triple launcher, six rounds loaded, fire simultaneously."

Vanessa stretched her right hand forward, and the pistol rapidly transformed, its barrel extending and becoming double-barreled before splitting into three points. Without her needing to speak, the barrels automatically pointed to the locations that emitted the cold feedback. Then, the volley began instantly.

After three volleys of fire, Vanessa suddenly sensed something and quickly retracted her shotgun into the shape of a hunting knife, parrying the attack from the side.

"Oh... if you avoid the ground, you can't feel it. Your adaptive ability is quite strong. But where are you from? You've already reached the Clockwork River District. Can we assume that the blockade has failed?"

Vanessa swung her sword with all her might, leaving a deep gash on the invisible enemy, while her own arm was covered in tiny ice shards. If the stalemate continued any longer, she might get frostbite.

However, the colonies are quite effective at controlling these invisible corpses. The coldness on their bodies is not enough to reach the low temperature at which the bacteria cannot grow. So no matter how strong their vitality is, they will only become nutrients.

After waiting for a while, Vanessa did not find any more of the attacking Unseen Beings, which was even worse news. These guys had a tendency to act in groups, but they did not form a group in size. Either they had not been around long enough to develop a large number, or there were too many of them and some had already leaked out here.

She wouldn't make overly optimistic judgments.

(End of this chapter)