Chapter 284: Crimson

When Anku hung up the contact call, the locust can in his hand also started ringing.

Anku habitually opened the fridge and took out today's ice pop.

Actually this shouldn't be called a habit, but a way of life; it's strange—no one would live off ice pops.

But Anku is different—though ice pops are everywhere, they've become something he can't live without; maybe ice pops aren't just ice pops.

Even if his Core Coin were stolen and his body taken away, for Anku perhaps nothing is as important as today's ice pop.

While eating, Anku displayed on his phone screen the footage captured by the locust can.

By now he's pretty much used to it, accustomed to using various tools of human society.

Compared to 800 years ago, modern technology is far more convenient in every way.

But just then, as Anku was enjoying the coolness from his ice pop, he suddenly froze.

Because at that moment he saw what Wu Fan was saying—a Bird-type Yummy causing chaos in the human world.

However, its appearance now is indeed somewhat different from what Anku had in mind.

"Anku, another Yummy has appeared."

In the footage, Huo Ye Yingsi shouted at the locust can.

After Huo Ye Yingsi and Yi Da Ming had sent the dojo's swordsmanship instructor to the hospital and seen him settled, they prepared to return from the hospital.

But who would have thought they suddenly encountered a Yummy on the road—and not just any Yummy, but a most special Bird-type one.

Seeing the anxious Huo Ye Yingsi, Anku gulped down the rest of his ice pop.

His focus now wasn't on Huo Ye Yingsi, but on the Bird-type Yummy's body.

For the most part it looked no different from the bird-type Yummy he remembered.

Only its left wrist, where the feathers covered it, showed hints of reddish-brown skin peeking through the feather gaps.

Those patches of skin hidden beneath the feathers looked out of place on the Bird-type Yummy.

And while Yi Da Ming fought this Yummy, its feathers kept molting, as if it were being reborn.

Black feathers fell away in large patches, and red feathers began to grow.

Its left hand ignited in flames, and it slammed a fierce punch into Yi Da Ming's chest—sparks flew, and an unimaginable heat kept raising the temperature of his outer armor.

Yi Da Ming kept inserting Cell Coins into his belt, instantly summoning a metal-drill-like weapon into his right hand.

Bearing the heat, Yi Da Ming at close range thrust the drill into the Bird-type Yummy's body.

Instantly, sparks flew.

But what Yi Da Ming hadn't expected was that the Drill Machine on this Birth's right hand failed to collect any Cell Coins as he wished—indeed, it didn't even crack the thick feathers.

It's normal for a Yummy originally belonging to Anku to have bird-like features, but Anku could tell from the part where the left hand's feathers were covering,

its left hand and his right hand looked very similar—both were red-and-black leather with fancy decorations.

Then, as Anku looked at his own right hand and compared it to the Yummy in the footage—though the image wasn't very clear—he realized it was his left hand, now forcibly pressed onto the Bird-type Yummy's body.

This gave Anku a feeling not just of his Core Coin being taken, but also of anger and eeriness.

This feeling is worse than having his Core Coin stolen—after all, it's the body he's sought for 800 years.

"Yingsi, don't let it get away!"

Anku instantly raised his voice, shouting at Huo Ye Yingsi on the screen.

Anku turned and jumped straight out of the second-floor window. The Core Coin was equivalent to his life; although he was indeed furious, he hadn't completely lost his reason.

What had become of his discarded body? Why did it appear in a Yummy's body?

And how was the separation done? These questions could only be answered at the scene.

He believed that if he found its nest, he could recover his lost corpse and his own Core Coin, making him whole again.

Anku, while monitoring the situation on his phone, transformed his ride‑hailing vehicle into motorcycle mode, put on a helmet, and sped to the battlefield by flooring the accelerator.

Riding the motorcycle, Anku saw the gauge needle continually swinging back, so he accelerated again until the needle stopped slipping backward.

The surroundings were flashing past behind him.

"Yingsi, the coin."

Huo Ye Yingsi, standing nearby, suddenly heard the voice; he habitually opened his hand, caught it reflexively, turned his head, and saw Anku just taking off his helmet.

Huo Ye Yingsi put the coin in his Ozu Belt, about to transform, when the Bird-type Yummy that kept attacking Yi Da Ming suddenly began to change again.

Before Anku's eyes, the Yummy's body shed black feathers, but this time the change wasn't in its wings—it was in its legs.

Countless coins swirled around its legs, producing an effect just like when Greed obtained a Core Coin.

Nearby skin hardened, crimson red wrapped the legs, and red‑green feathers sprouted.

Although it was a Yummy, it kept evolving toward Greed, and its aura felt familiar to Anku—it was the feeling of "me."

Yet, as Anku watched from the sidelines, an involuntary disgust welled up in him—a feeling of shared origin but mutual repulsion.

"Yingsi, kill it for me!"

Anku watched the ever‑evolving Yummy and ordered Huo Ye Yingsi.

But when Huo Ye Yingsi saw that the Yummy's left hand was the same as Anku's, he filled with hesitation.

It wasn't for anything else—he was worried about Quan Xinwu.

If this really was Anku's body, and if they destroyed it, Anku would end up forever possessing the policeman's body.

If they could keep it, not only would Quan Xinwu be saved, but Anku would also have his own body.

"What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and act!"

Anku clenched his fists, not knowing what Huo Ye Yingsi was hesitating about.

"But!"

Huo Ye Yingsi looked at Anku's almost‑man‑eating expression and could only reluctantly set aside his doubts for now.

This Yummy might be Anku's taboo; the reason he can't create Yummies or revive just a single arm may lie here.

However, it's no wonder; the longer Anku stays here, the stronger that feeling of disgust in Anku's heart becomes.

No one knows what will happen after it finishes evolving completely, but there is no doubt that if left to continue, Anku can feel a trembling in Anku's heart.

Huo Ye Yingsi tightly gripped the Holy Emblem Slash Sword in hand, assisting Yi Da Ming in launching an attack.

Using Ouzi's leg elasticity, a light leap, the sword in hand carried a sharp whistling sound, and at extreme speed it had already landed on yummy's body.

Clang!

A claw filled with red armor instantly pressed against the sword blade, and between the palms a faint white smoke still emanated.

(End of chapter)