Chapter 25: Alarm

At the same time, the atmosphere inside Helao Da's dormitory became unusually eerie. Moonlight filtered through the half-drawn curtains, spilling onto him and reflecting a ghostly glow from those insect-like scales, which shimmered with a cold luster in the dimness. Helao Da sat on the edge of his bed, head bowed as he stared at his arms; the skin that had once been smooth was now covered in dense, tightly packed scales that formed an impenetrable shell. His fingers gently touched these newly grown scales, feeling their hardness and texture.

"Hahahaha..." Helao Da's laughter echoed in the room, filled with irrepressible excitement and madness. He knew this power would bring him endless possibilities. His gaze locked onto a photograph on the table; it was the girl he had long yearned for—Tan Xiaotong. Her beautiful face was illuminated by the moonlight, like a fairy, making the desire in Helao Da's heart grow even more intense.

Helao Da's eyes were filled with longing and greed, as if he wanted to Devour the girl in the photo. When he walked to the table, Helao Da reached out and gently stroked Tan Xiaotong's cheek on the photograph.

"Hahaha, is this the brand-new power? Tan Xiaotong! You are destined to be mine!" A flash of desire crossed Helao Da's crimson eyes, and his mouth split into four sections, revealing the tiny, sharp teeth inside. His voice became low and hoarse, as if coming from a Demon of hell.

Meanwhile, several of Helao Da's roommates also underwent obvious changes. Their skin gradually turned gray, and hard scales grew out. Their limbs became thick and powerful, with sharp claws extending from their fingertips. Their eyes turned red, revealing a ferocious aura. They lost their sanity and became beasts driven by desire.

Helao Da's laughter grew louder and louder, filling the entire room.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

A round of knocking on the door was accompanied by an impatient voice drifting in.

"What are you laughing at in the middle of the night! Don't you have training tomorrow!"

Helao Da was interrupted by this knocking, and a flash of killing intent crossed his crimson eyes.

He was seen walking slowly toward the dormitory door, gripping the doorknob with his scale-covered hand, and slowly opening the door.

"What are you ghosts screaming about in your dorm in the middle of the night..." Before the student outside the door could finish speaking, his throat was gripped by Helao Da's scale-covered right hand. With the sound of a bone snapping, the student's body went limp, and he stopped moving.

"Begin the operation; turn this place into the territory of my Lord."

Helao Da spoke in a low voice. The others left one after another. Helao Da spat an insect egg from his mouth and placed it on the corpse of the student from before. The student's body was seen rapidly swelling, flesh and blood growing continuously and spreading into the hallway, accompanied by a foul, fishy stench.

On top of the flesh and blood, insect eggs began to grow, quickly hatching into bugs the size of soccer balls that scattered in all directions.

Helao Da's gaze, however, turned outside the window, and he muttered to himself: "Xiaotong, I want to possess you so much, I want to stuff your flesh and blood into my belly and let us become one."

He saw that most of the doors on this dormitory floor had already been opened, and the students in those rooms had quickly turned into the same state as his roommates. This situation was like a terrifying plague, spreading at an astonishing speed. However, a small portion of the dormitory doors remained tightly shut, as if the students inside were still trying to resist.

Thus, Helao Da and the other infected ones smashed open these doors together and engaged in fierce combat with the students trembling inside. Despite their stubborn resistance, Helao Da relied on his immense strength and agile movements to easily clear the dormitory floor one by one. In the end, he successfully made more students join their ranks, and his own kind increased to as many as 26 people.

"You go to other floors to continue searching for targets; I have some matters to attend to." After Helao Da issued the order, he walked out of the dormitory building alone. He took a deep breath, sniffed hard with his nose, and immediately detected the scent he had been longing for day and night coming from another dormitory building not far away. He strode toward that direction without hesitation.

Helao Da's figure appeared exceptionally eerie in the night, the scales on his body reflecting a ghostly green light under the moonlight, like the Armor of a nocturnal creature. His pace was firm and swift, each step landing on the ground with a faint rustling sound. Soon, Helao Da arrived beneath the other dormitory building.

Helao Da did not hesitate in the slightest; his target was clear, and that was the room where Tan Xiaotong was.

He climbed up the wall of the dormitory building with ease, like a giant gecko, using the grip provided by those scales to walk on the vertical wall as if it were flat ground. Soon, he found Tan Xiaotong's window, where a faint light shone through, as if waiting for something.

Helao Da carefully opened the window and entered the room without a sound. Tan Xiaotong was lying on the bed, seemingly already fast asleep. Her face was peaceful and beautiful, like an exquisite painting, making one loath to disturb her.

However, the desire in Helao Da's heart had already surpassed any pity or reason. His eyes flashed with greedy light as he walked toward the bedside step by step. He reached out and gently touched Tan Xiaotong's cheek, feeling her warmth and softness.

Just then, Tan Xiaotong's eyelids twitched slightly, as if she had sensed something. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Helao Da standing by the bed. At first, she thought it was a dream, but soon she realized something was wrong. Helao Da's appearance had completely changed; his skin was covered in scales, and his eyes were filled with madness and desire.

Tan Xiaotong screamed in terror, trying to escape this horrific scene. But Helao Da's movements were faster; he used his powerful arms to hold her tightly, giving her no chance to escape.

"Don't be afraid, Xiaotong, I am here to bring you happiness." Helao Da's voice was full of temptation, and his lips, split into four sections, pressed close to Tan Xiaotong's ear, blowing a soft breath.

Tan Xiaotong felt a wave of dizziness; her consciousness began to blur, and her body gradually lost the strength to resist. Helao Da's smile became even more ferocious; he knew that this girl he had dreamed of would finally become his prey.

However, just at this moment, an alarm suddenly sounded outside the dormitory, breaking the silence of the night. Helao Da's attention was distracted; he realized that his actions had been discovered by the school. He had to act quickly and take Tan Xiaotong away from here.

But just as he turned and jumped off the dormitory building, a figure leaped out from the darkness and launched an attack on him. It was a strong male student wearing a training uniform, his eyes firm and his movements swift.

Helao Da was forced to engage in battle and had to set Tan Xiaotong aside. After seeing clearly who was attacking him, a twisted smile squeezed onto his face, "It's you! Yingzhou!"