Chapter 191: Extreme Cold Realm 08

Their bodies seemed to have been injected with some invisible gas, beginning to swell at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The skin was stretched until it became translucent, faintly revealing the twisted blood vessels and tissues beneath.

Ye Xi'an sucked in a breath of cold air, and even Lin Zhi Jing, who was accustomed to seeing flesh and blood, had his pupils suddenly constrict.

It was not simple swelling, but a destructive deformation from inside out; the lustrous white skin was stretched almost to transparency, and under pressure the bones emitted a creaking of being overburdened. Besides the swelling, many pustule-like protrusions grew on the skin's surface.

The protrusions seemed to have a life of their own, crawling all over their bodies.

Bao Jing abruptly lowered the arms he had crossed over his chest, stood rigidly, and stared at the television where Yi Yang looked like a completely different person from his usual self; his eyes were filled with worry and shock.

What kind of virus could this be, capable of tormenting a person into this state?

Lin Zhi Jing's gray phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with an inquisitive and icy light.

He said nothing, merely staring intently at the screen, as if trying to etch every detail into his memory.

Ye Xi'an watched and watched until tears spilled unbidden; the skin was stretched open—how painful it must be.

Ji Jiangci reached out and gently grasped Ye Xi'an's icy fingers.

"Don't be afraid, wife."

His voice was as gentle as ever, yet it could not hide the heaviness within.

Gu Feng stood behind the few of them, his tall figure casting a shadow; his eyes, which usually showed a hint of inferiority, were now unusually sharp, locked firmly on the screen.

The television's camera seemed to intentionally focus on one of the figures.

Yi Yang.

His flaxen straight hair was wet and plastered to his forehead, mixed with sweat and an unknown slime.

His body was twisting and deforming in a way that defied common sense.

The sound of misaligned bones seemed to pierce the screen, ringing clearly in everyone's ears.

His skin would at times bulge like a ball, then oddly collapse, revealing the jagged outline of the bones beneath.

Ye Xi'an's heart felt as if clenched by an invisible hand; each twitch of Yi Yang's body sent a wave of suffocating pain through her.

Unlike some beastmen whose bodies completely collapsed into a puddle of indistinct flesh, after extreme deformation Yi Yang's body would show a faint sign attempting to repair itself.

The ruptured skin would slowly wriggle in an attempt to heal, and the misaligned bones would try to return to place amid the creaking.

But this brief repair would soon be replaced by a new round of even more violent mutation.

This repeated over and over, again and again.

Each deformation was more painful than the last, and each repair seemed utterly futile.

Ye Xi'an bit her lower lip hard, refusing to let herself cry out.

She knew Yi Yang must be in great pain, very great pain.

He who loved to cry and was so delicate now endured immense pain without uttering a sound.

Time passed day by day in torment.

In a room surrounded by mirrors on all sides, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

The television became their only—and cruelest—window, day and night broadcasting the hellish scene from the cave.

Ye Xi'an's violet eyes were bloodshot from staying up, filled with red veins.

She had grown thin all over; if Ye Xi'an were not forced to sleep each night at midnight, the situation would likely be even worse, and the others were not faring well either.

Lin Zhi Jing had tried more than once to forcibly turn off the television, but Ye Xi'an stopped him each time.

"Xi'an, you need to rest," Lin Zhi Jing said helplessly, for a male to reduce himself to this state—probably only Ye Xi'an would do so.

He felt both angry and moved, wondering if, should he ever end up like this, Ye Xi'an would worry about him the same way.

Ye Xi'an shook her head: "Don't turn it off; I want to keep watching him."

This torment lasted a full month.

In the cave, all the beastmen except Yi Yang had died, leaving no corpses—they had all turned into black‑red pus that stained the stone walls a vivid red.

Yi Yang had endured this inhuman torment for a month; originally, after quarantine confirmed they were problem‑free, they could have gone home, but to keep watching Yi Yang, Ye Xi'an voluntarily offered to stay.

Watching Yi Yang on television, Ye Xi'an had shifted from initially hoping he could survive to wishing he would no longer endure.

Just as Ye Xi'an was almost despairing, Yi Yang's body on the television suddenly changed.

The extent of his bodily deformation began to decrease, while the speed of his self‑repair increased.

That terrible pain, as if it wanted to tear him apart, seemed to be gradually fading.

Although he still suffered great pain, his body seemed to have found a kind of balance, no longer merely being ravaged by the virus.

After a few more days, the violent deformation of Yi Yang's body on the television screen finally ceased.

He lay still on the ground; his body was no longer human in shape, yet it recongealed at a speed visible to the eye, leaving only the skin somewhat wrinkled, and otherwise hardly differing from a normal beastman.

His chest rose and fell weakly but regularly; prolonged starvation had left him without the strength to open his eyes.

Seeing Yi Yang's condition, Ye Xi'an immediately told the people at the research institute that she wanted to go to the Extreme Cold Realm.

"Nonsense!"

The female researcher at the institute looked disapprovingly at Ye Xi'an: "We've already lost over a dozen females this time; we can't let you take risks!"

As she spoke, she also shot a sharp glance at Lin Zhi Jing.

Lin Zhi Jing used to be my student—wasn't he transferred to the Free Zone? I also don't know when he secretly joined the family.

"Lin Zhi Jing, don't you and your wife realize how serious this is?"

Lin Zhi Jing stood before the female neither humble nor arrogant, merely lowering his head slightly: "Teacher."

He first respectfully called out, then continued: "I unconditionally support my wife's decision."

Lin Zhi Jing's words sounded pleasant, but in fact he had just failed to stop her, and he wished his teacher could persuade Ye Xi'an for him.

A virus that even male physiques can't withstand—how could Ye Xi'an possibly go on an adventure?

The female researcher frowned, gave Lin Zhi Jing a white look, and thought: "This Lin Zhi Jing has been bad from childhood to adulthood."

There's no way, only she can go persuade Ye Xi'an.

But no matter how the researcher persuades, Ye Xi'an still insists on going.

Ye Xi'an can feel that the virus on Yi Yang's body can no longer threaten her, but he is now about to starve to death!

"Researcher Su, I really have to go. I promise, even if I die, it will be entirely my own responsibility! I won't involve you all!"

The female called Researcher Su sighed: "It's not that I won't let you go, but the spatial gate of the Extreme Cold Realm has already been sealed; at this moment only the Grand Marshal has the authority to open it."

(End of chapter)