Chapter 98: A Gift

“This hospital is your experimental base. You wanted to know what humans would do in the apocalypse, but unexpectedly discovered that when desire and emotion erupt, people become degenerates.

You’ve always known what Niu Ben and Zhao Mingyu were doing—even deliberately tolerated it—just to find out where the critical point of emotional eruption lies. So many people provided you with data, letting you realize the power of degenerates. You wanted to become one yourself… but another part of you disagreed, wanting to stop this madness.

Maybe you thought Li Cheng was in the way, or perhaps he did something that forced your hand. So you killed him. With Li Cheng dead, your good side vanished, and you became a pure degenerate, growing immensely powerful as your sequence talent evolved into a mutation.”

Liu Yiran maintained his usual smiling demeanor, hands tucked into his sleeves, his gaze never leaving Tang Yu’s face.

Fang Tang and the others listened nearby, feeling somewhat bewildered.

When did the captain learn all this?

[Gah gah gah… Smiley Eyes is a monster. I warned you from the beginning, but you didn’t take it seriously. Someone who frequently enters the Door of Evolution can’t possibly be as simple as he seems. What’s truly frightening about Smiley Eyes is that he can deduce a third of the truth from the information you gathered. But that’s where it ends—the degenerate didn’t leave clues for the remaining third. You have to admit, Smiley Eyes is impressive.

Fang Tang, you should learn from him. Use your brain for once, stop thinking about curvy waves all the time—you’re corrupting me!]

Fang Tang:!!

Aren’t you the one thinking about curvy waves?

But still, the captain is amazing!

The composure on Tang Yu’s face faded, replaced by a blank expression. He looked at Liu Yiran, lightly clapping his hands, his eyes filled with admiration.

“You’re quite impressive.”

“I know!” Liu Yiran nodded.

Tang Yu: …

He took a deep breath. “With what you just said, your exploration progress has reached sixty percent… Still not enough.”

“Only twenty percent more?” Liu Yiran sounded disappointed, then shook his head and squinted at Tang Yu. “Then I’ll have to force you to submit?”

“Heh!” Tang Yu laughed, looking at Liu Yiran with disdain. “You are strong, true, but you can’t beat me.”

He returned the words to Liu Yiran.

The atmosphere grew tense, Liu Yiran’s smile widening.

He stepped forward, pulled his hands from his sleeves, and reached out.

“If you weren’t a degenerate, I’d really enjoy being friends with you.”

Tang Yu smiled slightly. “Perhaps you could become a degenerate too.”

He extended his hand.

Their hands clasped tightly, and signs of decay suddenly appeared on Tang Yu’s body.

Sequence 123: Corrosion.

Tang Yu’s expression flickered; he narrowed his eyes, radiating danger.

Liu Yiran smiled, gripping Tang Yu’s hand even tighter.

Just as Xu Lin and the others thought the confrontation was ending, the decay on Tang Yu’s body abruptly halted, with faint signs of healing—though progress was slow, only temporarily slowing the corrosion.

Perfect Mutation: Hyper-Regeneration.

Liu Yiran’s gaze sharpened. Tang Yu smiled.

Tang Yu taunted, “It seems your sequence talent isn’t working anymore.”

Liu Yiran smirked. “Fang Tang.”

Hearing the captain call his name, Fang Tang understood, drew the Great Xia Dragonfinch, and flashed behind Tang Yu.

A cold glint swept across Tang Yu’s neck.

Without even activating decapitation, Tang Yu’s head instantly flew off.

The head landed face-down, tendrils of flesh sprouting from the neck’s cut.

“Haha, it’s useless—I am immortal!” Tang Yu laughed maniacally, dripping with mockery.

Fang Tang looked at Liu Yiran. “Some kind of ultra-fast regenerative mutation, you seem to be restrained.”

Liu Yiran smiled indifferently. “It’s fine. Try your lava armor and Xie Ling’s extreme cold armor.”

Fang Tang raised his eyebrows, saying nothing.

He donned the lava armor and approached the severed head, leaving orange magma footprints behind.

Without using the reverse blade, he lifted his foot and spewed magma.

The thick, scalding magma quickly engulfed Tang Yu’s head.

Blue water solidified on his arm, forming a square hand cannon.

The freezing gun scattered frost, causing the magma to cool rapidly and harden into stone.

“And then?” Fang Tang looked at Liu Yiran.

Liu Yiran replied, “Shatter it.”

Fang Tang nodded. The bear’s strength surged as he stomped down, shaking the whole building.

The stone on the floor exploded, revealing only fragments where Tang Yu’s head had been.

To be sure, Fang Tang spewed more magma, burning away the remnants bit by bit.

Tang Yu’s body remained standing, his neck sprouting dense flesh tendrils.

Liu Yiran nodded to Xie Ling.

Xie Ling donned the extreme cold armor, her arm forming a blue blade, which she drove into the degenerate’s heart.

The blade pierced through, icy cold slowly freezing Tang Yu’s heart.

The tendrils on his neck continued to grow.

Liu Yiran frowned. “Destroy his kidneys.”

Fang Tang approached, his reverse blade enlarged, and he swiftly sliced Tang Yu in half at the waist, burning his organs with magma.

At last, Tang Yu’s regeneration ceased.

Liu Yiran released his grip, took out a handkerchief, carefully wiped his hands, and tossed it onto Tang Yu’s body.

“Remember this: even after becoming a degenerate, certain traits remain. Abilities like super regeneration are still tied to organs—head, heart, kidneys. Destroy these, and you can greatly inhibit a degenerate’s healing, enabling you to defeat them. Of course, this only applies to most mutations. Some special mutations strengthen every cell—against those, even I can’t completely destroy them. If you encounter one, I advise you to run.”

He was mainly speaking to Fang Tang and the others.

After all, the three were newcomers, unfamiliar with many things.

Fang Tang pondered deeply, taking careful notes. These were hard-won lessons from Liu Yiran, forged on the edge of death—extremely valuable!

After finishing, Liu Yiran stepped onto Tang Yu’s body.

Tang Yu’s body gradually turned to powder.

When Tang Yu was nothing but lifeless ashes, Liu Yiran stopped the corrosion.

Suddenly, a beam of intense white light enveloped the ashes.

Liu Yiran glanced at everyone and said, “This is the reward. Fang Tang, you go first—you contributed most this time.”

Fang Tang nodded and reached into the white light.

When he withdrew his hand, he held a white orb, which immediately burrowed into his body.