Chapter 20: The Heartworm

This must be settled quickly, or every resident in the building will suffer.

Ron thought this, and his hands no longer held back.

"Sinful Penalty of Absolute Power" is a continuous buff. Under the effect of this domineering skill, if you are weaker than me, it is only right that you be bullied to death. Although Wang Dekang’s strength was only slightly inferior to Ron’s, weak is weak. Under the relentless suppression of the slowing effect, Wang Dekang gradually fell into a disadvantage.

By now, Ron had completely familiarized himself with the physical attributes of the Demon Warrior. With the added combat experience of the Demon King from ten years ago, his movements appeared increasingly effortless. With a heavy kick from Ron, the blade in Wang Dekang’s hand was sent flying.

Wang Dekang seemed to have completely lost his sanity, transforming into the Butcher Lizardman from the Spirit World resonance. He roared loudly at Ron, charging forward with bared fangs and brandished claws. He was fast, but not fast enough. Under the gaze of the Demon King Meow, his speed gradually slowed. As Ron grew more accustomed to the Demon Warrior’s body, the gap between his strength and Wang Dekang’s widened, making the slowing effect of the Sinful Penalty even more pronounced.

Ron easily dodged Wang Dekang’s pounce. For some reason, a trace of disappointment rose in his heart. The opponent’s combat lacked any technique, relying purely on physical instinct. As Ron tapped into the combat experience deep within his memories, the personality of the Demon King seemed to be returning.

Wang Dekang roared, yet he was helpless against Ron. All his attacks seemed like futile rage before him. Under the blessing of the Demon King’s Eye, every weakness on Wang Dekang’s body was laid bare before Ron. After several precise strikes to these vulnerabilities, Wang Dekang’s aura grew weak. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with madness and resentment. At this moment, he had completely lost the rationality of the real-world Wang Dekang, becoming a pure, butcher-like madman. This poor man had thoroughly transformed into a monster of the Spirit World.

Ron stepped forward and restrained Wang Dekang with one hand. The next step was to execute the Gatekeeper and then close the Gate to the Spirit World.

By this time, the Spirit World had fully descended into the dungeon. A cave of flesh and blood covered the room, and countless blood-colored monsters crawled in the murky mire. They let out shrill, infant-like cries, salivating at the flesh of Wang Dekang’s wife and daughter. Seeing these monsters, Wang Jiajia was terrified, her entire body trembling violently. Although she was well-behaved and calm, she was, after all, only a seven or eight-year-old girl. Her mind shattered under the fear, and she broke into hysterical sobs. However, her crying only made the surrounding monsters more excited.

Finally, one of the monsters could no longer restrain itself, shrieking as it lunged toward Wang Jiajia. Ron’s eyes flickered, and a red glow appeared on the monster’s body. But the moment the Sinful Penalty was about to fall, the monster vanished. No, to be precise, the entire cave of flesh and blood was melting and dissipating.

It wasn’t his doing. Ron understood in an instant. He looked down at Wang Dekang, whom he had pinned down for execution. Wang Dekang had somehow regained his human appearance. His recovery of rationality had closed the open Gate to the Spirit World, instantly purging the monsters and the scene of the Spirit World.

"Tell Jiajia... I’m sorry..." Wang Dekang’s eyes streamed with tears, his lips trembling from the fear of death. He looked toward his wife, who was already dead, his eyes still filled with confusion, bewilderment, and resentment. Why had his once understanding wife turned into this? He had given her all his savings. He had even put the house in her name. Why was she still not satisfied? He had been working overtime every day for this family, yet she told Jiajia that he had another woman outside... Why? Why?

A miserable laugh appeared on Wang Dekang’s face, then his left cheek began to melt, turning into viscous flesh.

Thump.

His body slumped down, becoming a corpse. The flesh from his left cheek detached itself from his body and, as if possessing a will of its own, rushed toward Wang Jiajia. They scrambled to fill the gap in Wang Jiajia’s left cheek, which had been gnawed away by the monsters. As the Spirit World dungeon dissipated completely, a physically intact Wang Jiajia lay unconscious in her living room, her parents’ bodies beside her.

Ron watched this scene, his expression slightly dazed. Once upon a time, this family was the kind of harmonious household he had envied so much.

As Ron felt a pang of emotion, the Demon King Meow on his shoulder suddenly let out a cry and darted out. Following its leap, Ron saw something fly off Wang Dekang’s wife. It was fast, but the Demon King Meow was faster. By the time it landed, there was a small golden beetle in its mouth. The Demon King Meow walked toward Ron with a proud and elegant gait.

Ron leaned over and grabbed the beetle. At that instant, countless memories flooded his mind. They were memories belonging to the couple—from their meeting in high school to the bitter yet sweet long-distance relationship in college, and their joint efforts after graduation. However, after Wang Jiajia was born, this sweet and warm love began to develop cracks.

[A woman spending a man’s money is a matter of course!]
[We deserve a better man!]
[The domineering CEO falls in love with the forty-year-old me!]

...Articles, novels, short dramas... Countless words and images twisted into a terrifying vortex. When Ron came to his senses, the golden beetle in his hand had turned into a card.

******
Name: [Heart Worm (Mature)]
Category: Disposable Item Card
Effect: You may choose one of the following effects to activate: ① The attributes of your chosen character card gain a permanent increase; ② For three minutes after activation, your chosen character card unlocks all of its abilities.
Note: A Heart Worm raised by someone, implanted into the hearts of others through media such as text and images, and nourished by desire.
******

A Heart Worm raised by someone... Ron felt a chill. Looking back at the situation just now, if not for the Demon King Meow, this Heart Worm would have long since escaped, perhaps returning to the culprit. Implanted and spread through text and image media?

Ron immediately thought of what Bai Lu had once told him. Words have power and can infect readers. There are Gate-Crashers who deliberately use their own words to infect readers and lead them to depravity.

The Demon King Meow scratched Ron’s pant leg gently with its paw. Ron looked down and saw a card spat out from the Demon King Meow’s mouth. This was the reward for clearing the dungeon. Even though Wang Dekang had closed the door himself in the end, it was still credited to Ron’s contribution.

This was a disposable skill card named [Severed Tail Substitution]. It could negate one instance of severe injury or even death. Wang Dekang had likely used this skill to revive Wang Jiajia.

Ron looked at the unconscious Wang Jiajia again. This lovely girl had lost her parents in a single day, all because of a tiny Heart Worm. Ron toyed with the [Heart Worm] card in his hand and dialed Bai Lu’s number.