Chapter 2

Blood seemed to flow in reverse within his body, and Bai Lang felt utterly powerless, his left hand throbbing with intense 'burning pain' that was spreading up his entire arm. He felt an invisible force constricting his body, his toes gradually lifting off the ground, like a marionette suspended in the air, every bone and muscle aching.

If someone were to observe from a special vantage point, they would notice that the pedestrian walkway was enveloped by an invisible barrier. Passersby subconsciously ignored and avoided it, walking around it.

Bai Lang's body and limbs were entangled by hundreds of fine 'blood threads,' each as thin as silkworm silk, connecting to some invisible entity above. They were taut, making him feel like a salted fish taken out of the sea, hanging in the air, unable to breathe.

These 'blood threads' were attached to different parts of his body, their ends piercing beneath his skin, formed from the blood within his body.

...

A silver-haired woman stopped about a meter away from him, looking up with a vividly red lip that stood out. Her eyes, beneath her bangs, showed a curious expression, like a child pausing in a mall to watch a novel toy.

Finally, her gaze fell on Bai Lang's left arm. A few blood threads were manipulated by an invisible force, lifting his left hand high, his forearm hanging limply and swinging back and forth, revealing a 'brand pattern' that was twisting and deforming on the back of his hand.

After confirming the 'cargo,' the woman nodded slightly, still with a strong sense of curiosity, and spoke: "I didn't expect it to be a big boy? I thought it would be some formidable monster. Welcome to Somago, lucky little guy, I won't kill you this time."

Bai Lang had no idea what she was talking about.

He struggled hard but to no avail. The 'luck' she mentioned seemed 'very unfortunate' to him.

"What... do you... want to... do?" he asked painfully, his voice hoarse.

The woman did not answer but instead observed the changes on the back of his hand.

...

The pain from the left-hand brand pierced his soul. The 'fangs' were gradually breaking apart and reorganizing into a blood-red circle. Just as the silver-haired woman was about to proceed to the next step, a gunshot rang out in Bai Lang's ear, shattering the invisible barrier, followed by a sudden ringing.

The deafening explosion echoed like rolling thunder in the passage, startling the numb and dazed passersby. The barrier disappeared, and a person was seen hanging in the air, causing chaos at the exit!

Women screamed, and people shouted in panic, fleeing in all directions, pushing and shoving each other, causing the passage to become congested.

The woman controlling Bai Lang trembled violently at the sound of the gunshot, her head hit by a bullet, and she dramatically leaned back, her white neck bending backward with a crisp sound like a potato chip being crushed. Her legs took two steps back to maintain balance.

At the same time, several of the blood threads entangling Bai Lang snapped, allowing him to breathe slightly more easily and giving him a bit more strength to struggle.

...

Bai Lang tried to move his fingers, but it was like a drop in the bucket; he was still firmly suspended in the air, feeling helpless.

It was like a young salted fish just out of the water, still harboring hopes and dreams, thinking that by struggling, it could turn things around. But the truth is, 'even if a salted fish manages to turn over, the other side is still a salted fish!'

Before the first gunshot had even faded, a series of bullets rained down on the woman. Terrified people scattered to both sides, clearing a path.

Bai Lang felt the pain of his blood flowing in reverse intensify, his muscles spasming, veins bulging on his forehead, and he let out a painful cry: "Ah—!"

He was being used as a 'blood bag' by the woman, and more 'blood threads' shot out from his body, weaving a net in the air to intercept, cut, and deflect the bullets, scattering them. The bullets ricocheted off the walls and floor of the passage, leaving sparks and affecting the innocent.

...

The woman, now supporting her neck with her right hand, snapped her head back into place with a 'click.' A trickle of blood ran down her forehead, but there was no visible wound.

Her expression was extremely ugly as she glared at the black figure approaching, complaining in a low voice: "Annoying hound, your sense of smell is really sharp."

Then she shouted: "This is an internal matter of Xiangye, it has nothing to do with you, please leave!"

The woman's warning was to buy time, accelerating the ritual process on Bai Lang. At this moment, his wrist felt like it was being branded, the pain piercing deep into his soul.

"Ha, the entire city is under the shelter of the sanctuary, there's nothing we can't handle! The spatial disturbance half an hour ago, was it caused by you? You made me come all this way. Underground organization's annoying pests, there must be a conspiracy behind this... Hmm? Are you deliberately stalling for time?"

As the man spoke, he suddenly crouched, then pushed off the ground with great speed, causing the ground to crack. A dagger shot out from his sleeve, and he burst forward, his body transforming into a gust of wind, leaving a purple trail in the air as he passed by Bai Lang.

Immediately, the blood threads holding Bai Lang snapped, and he fell heavily to the ground, rolling twice before regaining some mobility. However, he had lost a lot of blood, and his entire body was in intense pain, his limbs weak and sore, making it difficult for him to get up, like a salted fish out of water, his eyes weak and his mouth opening and closing.

...

"Looking for death!"

The woman severed her connection with Bai Lang, then flew into a rage, more blood threads shooting out from her back, like arrows, bending in the air with a will of their own, raining down on the man.

The man's expression remained unchanged as he crouched and punched the ground, instantly raising a purple defensive barrier that deflected most of the red threads, but a few still pierced through.

He took the opportunity to retreat, accelerating in two stages, and in the process, grabbed Bai Lang and dragged him away.

"Huh? A transformation ritual?"

The man was drawn to the burning mark on Bai Lang's hand, then paused: "Your target is him? What's so special about him?" He carefully examined Bai Lang, indeed sensing something different about him, and his eyes, previously indifferent, turned greedy: "An interdimensional being! Is that true?!"

His heart raced as he quickly swung his dagger, a purple blade flashing, severing Bai Lang's left arm, blood gushing out, rising in a blood-red mist?

"Aaaaaah!"

Bai Lang, having endured so much torture, opened his eyes in anger, looking at his severed arm in front of him. Filled with uncontrollable rage and hatred, he glared at the black-clad man and shouted: "I! F*ck! You! F*ck! You!!"

Bang!

Before he could finish, the man kicked him into a corner, forcibly protecting him. The corner was the safest place, least likely to be affected by the chaos.

"Leave the person behind, or don't blame me for unleashing a massacre!" The woman, who had been cautious, now radiated killing intent, charging forward without restraint.

"Female pest! Go ahead and kill, see if you can escape! As for this guy, I've claimed him!"

The man's expression grew serious, and he suddenly threw his dagger, pinning Bai Lang's right hand to the floor, preventing him from moving.

A dark purple substance seeped from the wound, slowly covering his hand, moving irregularly; it also rapidly penetrated his flesh, causing pain no less intense than the previous left arm.

"Damn it!" Bai Lang gritted his teeth, his mind frantically questioning why he was so unlucky.