Chapter 80: Degeneration

As he lost himself in thought, the scene outside the prison cell shifted again.

……

This time, it was a dim corridor, where a little girl, no more than three or four years old, sat on a bench, clutching a faded teddy bear.

The toy was clearly old, yet meticulously cleaned.

The girl bowed her head, sitting quietly, her small face filled with confusion and fear.

Nearby, in a room beside her, the door stood half-open, revealing an office inside.

“According to regulations, a child may only be placed in our orphanage if both parents provide proof of exceptional hardship or health-related incapacity, and both must jointly consent. Ms. Zhao, your situation clearly does not qualify…”

“Director… Director, please listen to me.” The woman’s voice trembled with agitation and dread. “She can’t stay with me—she’ll die. She will definitely die…”

“This…”

“Please, she’s well-behaved. She won’t cause you any trouble.”

The director saw the woman’s panic and frowned. “Ms. Zhao, I’m sorry…”

“Ahh!!”

The woman’s calm expression shattered. Suddenly, she screamed hysterically, tearing at her hair, ripping open her collar, and snatching a vase from the desk to smash it against her own head.

Thud~ Crash!

The scene erupted. Guards and teachers rushed into the office, trying to restrain the mad woman.

The little girl sat silently on the corridor bench, head bowed, as people passed by, voices shouting and screaming—none of it reached her.

Long moments passed, and the room gradually fell quiet.

Creak~

The door opened. A woman with disheveled hair stepped out, stood at the threshold, perhaps glancing at the girl—or perhaps not.

She stood there for a while.

Then, she turned and walked toward the distant light.

The sunlight stretched her shadow longer and longer, yet her figure perfectly blocked the light ahead, plunging the corridor into deeper darkness.

“Zhao Enqi, your mom’s a lunatic!”

“We’re not like you—you were abandoned by your mother…”

“Your mom hurt the principal. She’s gonna get executed.”

Unnoticed, several children of the same age appeared beside the girl, pointing and laughing, one after another.

“Zhao Enqi, why are you so naughty?!”

Teachers from the orphanage, their gazes fierce and hostile, now surrounded her.

“Who taught you to lie? You’ve been a compulsive liar since you were little—what’ll you become when you grow up?!”

“Zhao Enqi! Why are you running away again?!”

“Zhao Enqi, are you just like your mother? Are you crazy too?!”

……

“Can you help me?”

Lin Xian blinked, and the children and teachers in the corridor vanished.

He was back in the black prison cell, facing the little girl on the opposite bench.

Now, three girls appeared inside the cell.

Lin Xian knew: these were three different versions of Kiki.

The little girl bowed her head, nervously fidgeting with the teddy bear in her hands.

But she did not cry—only silently played with the toy.

As if she were just waiting a moment, and someone would come soon to take her away.

“Help you with what?” Lin Xian suddenly changed the question, no longer asking if she recognized him.

The girl raised her hand, just as before, waiting for Lin Xian to give her something. Lin Xian frowned—he finally realized something was wrong.

His expression shifted from calm to grave. He shouted suddenly: “Do you want to kill the principal? Or your classmates? Or your mother?”

The girl said nothing.

“No, Kiki.”

Lin Xian’s face grew serious, his tone now tense. “Listen to me—those people before? They deserved to die. But your classmates and teachers at the orphanage? They’re just…”

Lin Xian’s voice faltered.

His lips felt dry; he was trapped in a logical dead end, thinking halfway through.

“They’re just annoying… but they don’t need to die.”

All of this seemed like fragmented memories of Kiki—but for some reason, Lin Xian now felt an overwhelming certainty.

If he killed all these children, teachers, and mother,

then Kiki would cease to exist.

Because a single word came to him:

Hatred.

!

Why was he seeing these images?

Was something happening to Kiki right now?

“Whether from the Phoenix Society’s records or rumors among the wanderers, nearly all abilities follow three things: some object, some physical or psychological transformation, and some specific condition.”

As he thought of this, Lin Xian suddenly grew icy cold—a chilling dread raced from his spine to the top of his head!

He recalled the word Kiki had mentioned in the “Angel Project.”

“Degeneration.”

“According to collected case data, evolution isn’t inevitable or guaranteed to produce a specific result—it may… go wrong!”

“Kiki is now on the brink of death. Could it be… her ability is undergoing some kind of change?”

“Emotion… spirit…”

“Evolution gone wrong…”

“What is degenerating her?”

Lin Xian frowned and stepped back several paces.

He remembered the white monster he’d seen earlier, and the black ink in Kiki’s eyes—his spine turned cold.

But why had he suddenly seen that white monster?

“Because of that strange antenna?”

“Of course.”

“If so, then that thing has always been beside Kiki—only no one else can see it?”

Hiss…

Lin Xian stood alone in the black prison cell, drawing a sharp breath, his eyes wide with shock—as if he’d glimpsed a forbidden thing hidden in darkness.

Perhaps one possibility: those strange things have always been beside us!

Not long ago, Lin Xian had told Da Lou in the car that he felt the monsters in the night weren’t drawn by sound—they were drawn by living people.

Whether the white monstrosity or the three-faced spider, they always appeared near Lin Xian as if they’d been there all along!

The moment this thought surfaced, his hair stood on end. He instantly stepped back. His gaze swept the shadows behind the three girls—and saw a towering black silhouette.

There was another presence in this black prison cell—besides him and the three girls.

His eyes trembled as he locked onto the shadow.

The shadow, too, stared back at Lin Xian. Slowly, it stepped forward from the corner’s darkness, revealing a ghastly pale face.

It opened a gaping maw, as if devouring something.

The three versions of Kiki—from oldest to youngest—began to wither, their skin shriveling, their faces twisting into horrors, as if all their life force was being drained!

Of course!

Kiki, now with her mental energy collapsing, stood on the brink of degeneration!

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After the official release on December 1st, I’ll post massive updates—don’t save this novel. Jump straight to the last chapter every time a new one drops.

(End of Chapter)