Beast Taming: I can evolve indefinitely

Chapter 276 The Culprit

Seeing Jason slowly walking towards him, dragging a large machete, Bai Qi broke out in a cold sweat.

Jason, one of the four most notorious serial killers in Western film history, is sent to his grave in every episode, but he always manages to rise from the grave and wield his machete once again.

Back then, Bai Qi felt quite sorry for this tireless young man who had killed a hundred people. After all, among the four major serial killers, this guy was probably the most hardworking.

"But why is Jason even here? This isn't an infinite flow story..."

Bai Qi sighed helplessly and immediately started running.

Even though I know it's probably just a dream, I'd still be a little scared if it actually happened to me.

If this thing is real, he's in big trouble...

But before Bai Qi could run very far, he stopped on his own, his face full of a wry smile.

The reason was simple: along his escape route, another strange man appeared with a scar on his face and razor-like fingers.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger.

Not only that, two strangely shaped figures appeared on either side of Bai Qi. Including Jason from the beginning, the entire Western serial killer F4 has arrived.

"Even in a dream, you can't play it like this! Would it kill you to have a sweet dream?"

Bai Qi sat down listlessly, concentrating his mind on trying to activate the Evolution Egg.

As a qualified "golden finger" (a powerful, influential person), there should be an insurance mechanism. If the F4 (a group of four) leave psychological trauma, it will affect Bai Qi's future development.

Unfortunately, the Evolution Egg seems uninterested in anything other than its pets and completely ignores them.

"How about we go all out against F4?"

Looking at the F4 members around him, each one taller than the last, Bai Qi completely abandoned the idea as soon as it arose.

However, F4 clearly had no intention of letting Bai Qi go. Wielding their respective equipment, they quickly approached Bai Qi. Just as they were about to make their move, Bai Qi suddenly heard a scream. The F4's figures began to slowly dissipate, and the surrounding forest and Crystal Lake began to blur.

Is this... the dream shattered?

Bai Qi looked around at the changes with some confusion, then a tingling sensation suddenly spread throughout his body, and his consciousness returned to his body once again.

Wang Wang!

(See, I told you electric shocks worked!)

Click-clack.

(But Beta, you seem to have gone too far. Gamma feels that Master is getting too hot.)

Bubbling.

(The owner's cells are not quite at the level of a minor burn; the cells are almost completely undamaged, so they should be fine.)

Listening to the chatter of the pets around him, Bai Qi gradually understood what was going on. A smile appeared on his face as he gently patted Beta's head.

"Thank you so much, Beta. If it weren't for you, I would have been scared to death in my dream."

Awooo...

(You're welcome, this is all what I should do...)

Before Beta could finish speaking, Bai Qi suddenly threw a punch.

"But shouldn't your Demon-Slaying Cry or Soul Whisper be able to break through this kind of hypnotic ability?"

"If you use this voltage again next time, I won't mind having an extra meal tonight, understand?"

Awooo...

(I understand...)

Seeing Beta admit his mistake, Bai Qi finally released his grip. The electric current, twice the limit that a normal person could withstand, was intended to stimulate his own awakening, but it was also somewhat driven by personal grudges.

"Speaking of which, have you found the source yet?"

Bai Qi looked around. Most of the ferocious beasts around him had been dealt with, and the few remaining ones were blocked outside the valley by the metal wall conjured by Shuke, so they couldn't get in at all.

These hypnotized beasts weren't very high-level; they were only left behind because Bai Qi suddenly fainted and the three pets lost their will to fight.

"We don't know the source, but Alpha seems to be making a comeback."

Shuke looked into the valley and saw Alpha flying towards them with an unidentified object in its hand.

Crackling.

(Boss, it seems like this is what caused all this trouble.)

Alpha threw the unknown object in front of Bai Qi, and upon seeing the scorch marks all over Bai Qi's body, the Soul Flame began to flicker violently.

Crackling.

(Boss, are you injured?)

Alpha dared to venture into the valley to investigate with peace of mind because it had three pets guarding Bai Qi's side. However, in just a short while, Bai Qi was injured!

"It's nothing, just a superficial injury."

Sensing the guilt emanating from Alpha, Bai Qi waved his hand dismissively and then began to examine the little creature before him.

Unlike the dream vines that Bai Qi had expected, the little thing in front of Bai Qi was more like a large insect, but its body was covered with colorful vines, or it looked like some kind of plant.

"What's this, cordyceps? Grass worms?"

Bai Qi tried to pry open the tentacle-like vines covering the creature, but it didn't move at all. He looked at Alpha in confusion and asked, "Alpha, did you knock it out?"

Crackling.

(No, he was already unconscious when I found it.)

Alpha shook his head, indicating that he had not made a move.

"You fainted? That sounds so weak..."

Bai Qi looked at the cordyceps in front of him with some surprise, unable to connect it with the terrifying beast that had caused the strange phenomena around them.

Huh?

Just as Bai Qi was wondering, Beta suddenly moved closer to the cordyceps, sniffed it, and then took a bite.

Achoo!

Just as Beta was about to bite the cordyceps, the cordyceps, which should have been unconscious, suddenly let out a sharp cry. Its colorful vines instantly transformed into tentacles, quickly avoiding Beta's big mouth and trying to run away.

Before it could get far, Alpha's sword of death was pressed against the head of the caterpillar, and the terrifying aura of a monarch-level creature surged towards it without reservation.

Achoo!

Seeing this, Cordyceps gave up resisting without hesitation and lay down on the ground. At the same time, an unfamiliar voice rang in the minds of the one person and four pets.

"Hero, spare my life!"

Hearing the voice in his mind, Bai Qi was immediately puzzled and asked Beta, "Beta, was that you speaking just now?"

Wang Wang!

(I would never speak in such a cowardly tone.)

Crackling.

(Boss, it wasn't me.)

Click-clack.

(It's not gamma either.)

Bubbling.

(Delta didn't say anything either.)

The four pets all shook their heads in denial, and Bai Qi immediately looked at the strange cordyceps in front of him.

"Little thing, was that you who was speaking just now?"

Achoo achoo!

(Yes, it is I.)

Cordyceps cautiously turned around and nodded, wanting to say something more, when Alpha's Death Sword pressed tightly against him.

Achoo!

(Could this hero please move the Crystal hero's sword a little further away from me?)

"You? From which era did you travel here?"

Bai Qi was speechless. He picked up the cordyceps and said, "Were these strange phenomena, including my dream just now, your doing?"

"If I say it's unrelated, would you believe me, hero?"

Cordyceps glanced cautiously at Bai Qi, but before Bai Qi could reply, she felt a murderous intent coming from behind her.

"I confess, I accidentally disturbed the creatures around me while I was sleeping. I absolutely did not do anything immoral. I only pulled the hero into the dream to scare him away. I had no malicious intent!"

The concise, clear, and quick reply surprised Bai Qi, who was prepared for severe torture, while Beta looked on with disdain.

Awooo!

(A true man should not be subdued by force; this guy is such a coward!)

"You weren't much better before."

Bai Qi rolled his eyes and continued, "Then why did you suddenly cancel the dream just now? Did you have a change of heart?"

Upon hearing Bai Qi mention the dream, Chongcao instinctively shuddered and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, it was because your nightmare was so terrifying that I was frightened."

Goodness, is the F4 really that intimidating?

Looking at the cordyceps in front of him, which seemed visibly shaken, Bai Qi reluctantly accepted the explanation. He then examined the cordyceps' strange shape and asked, "By the way, what kind of cordyceps are you? I've never heard of you before."

He had heard of other bloodlines being incorporated into insect-type beings, but this was the first time he had ever seen an insect-type being combined with a plant-type being.

These days, are there really any Zerg that would consider their food?

Cordyceps was taken aback upon hearing this, then a conflicted look appeared on his face, and he said, "This matter is a long story... cough cough, there is also a simple version, heroes, please follow me."

Sensing the sword tip behind his head, Cordyceps immediately changed his tone, pointed in the direction of the valley, and gestured for Bai Qi and the others to go in with him.

"Fine, let me see how you control so many ferocious beasts."

Bai Qi tossed the cordyceps to Alpha, and then, guided by the cordyceps, headed deeper into the valley.

As he saw from the outside, the vegetation in the valley was quite lush, and the further in he went, the better the plants grew. Some of the weeds were as tall as Bai Qi himself.

"This place...it feels a bit like Nicholas's Emerald Valley."

Sensing the abundant vitality around him, Bai Qi became increasingly puzzled.

Could it be that there is a green dragon living here as well?

No, that's not right. If the Green Dragon were here, this coward wouldn't have a chance to cause trouble.

Soon, led by Cordyceps, Bai Qi arrived in front of an enormous withered tree. Although it had no leaves left and its crown was almost completely withered, Bai Qi could still imagine how magnificent it must have been when it was alive.

Crackling.

(Boss, I just found him here.)

Alpha offered the explanation first, and Cordyceps nodded, saying, "That's right. Originally, I hid here hoping to scare the hero away, but the hero's dream is just..."

Cordyceps paused, then continued, "I was startled and accidentally revealed myself, which allowed this great hero to discover me. I intended to play dead and get away with it, but..."

"Alright, stop with the nonsense and tell me what you are, or I'll dissect you myself."

Bai Qi waved his hand, interrupting Cordyceps. Cordyceps didn't waste any more words and said, "Actually, I don't even know what I am."

(End of this chapter)