Chapter 301

A blood moon hung in the sky, and the whole of Jianghai City had descended into a frenzied beast‑fighting arena.

Translation: "A blood moon hung in the sky, and the entire Jiang Hai City had become a frenzied arena."

A blood moon hung overhead, and the whole of Jiang Hai City had turned into a mad beast‑fighting arena.

South of the city.

Translation: "South of the city."

Inside a commercial pedestrian street that had been abandoned for years.

Translation: "Inside an abandoned commercial pedestrian street that had been deserted for years."

The glass dome high above had already been shattered by the earlier blood‑moon anomaly.

Translation: "The glass dome high up had already been shattered by the earlier blood moon mutation."

Vast sheets of lurid red light poured down along the broken steel framework, dyeing the litter‑strewn district a deep crimson.

Translation: "Vast swaths of bewitching red light poured down along the broken steel framework, dyeing the rubble‑strewn district a sheer red."

Lin Fan stepped on shards of glass, moving forward one step at a time.

Translation: "Lin Fan stepped on shattered glass, moving forward step by step."

He carried a bulging black travel bag on his back.

Translation: "He carried a bulging black travel bag on his back."

In his right hand he held a pointed, threaded steel rebar, its tip still dripping the foul blood of some unknown mutant.

Translation: "In his right hand he held a pointed threaded rebar upside down, its tip dripping unknown mutant filth."

The atmosphere was oppressively heavy.

Translation: "The environment was extremely oppressive."

Even the sound of wind rattling the ruined billboards carried an unshakable chill.

Translation: "Even the sound of wind blowing past the ruined billboards carried an unshakable chill."

From the surrounding corners came occasional sickening chewing noises.

Translation: "From time to time, nauseating chewing noises came from the surrounding corners."

It was a few misshapen dogs covered in compound eyes, frenziedly gnawing on the corpses of their own kind on the ground.

Translation: "It was several deformed dogs covered in compound eyes, frantically gnawing on the corpses of their own kind on the ground."

Lin Fan didn't even turn his head.

Translation: "Lin Fan didn't even turn his head."

Even low‑level monsters lacked the courage to approach him.

Translation: "Low‑level monsters didn't even dare to approach him."

Wherever he passed, the instinct‑driven monstrosities tucked their tails, squeezed their huge, ugly bodies into the darkest corners, and even held their breath.

Translation: "Wherever he passed, the instinct‑killing deformed species tucked their tails, cramming their huge, ugly bodies into the darkest corners, desperately suppressing even their breath."

Deep within the commercial street.

Translation: "Deep within the commercial street."

The façade of a once‑luxuriously decorated jewelry store lay askew in the middle of the road.

Translation: "The façade of a once‑extravagantly decorated jewelry store lay askew in the middle of the road."

The sturdy alloy rolling door had been torn apart by some supernatural force into a twisted heap of scrap metal piled at the entrance.

Translation: "Its sturdy alloy rolling gate had been torn by some monstrous force into a heap of twisted scrap metal piled at the entrance."

Lin Fan detoured around a collapsed load‑bearing column and entered the store's ruins.

Translation: "Lin Fan detoured around a collapsed load‑bearing pillar and entered the store's ruins."

The interior was pitch black.

Translation: "The shop interior was pitch black."

The upscale display cases had long been looted clean, and even the floor tiles had been violently pried up by survivors.

Translation: "The upscale display cases had long been looted clean, and even the floor tiles had been violently pried up by survivors."

He paid no mind to any of that.

Translation: "He didn't care about any of that."

His gaze swept over the debris and locked onto the remains of a safe in the northeast corner.

Translation: "His gaze swept past the debris and locked onto the remains of a safe in the northeast corner."

The safe had already been smashed open with a heavy‑duty cutter, and anything valuable inside had vanished.

Translation: "The safe had already been smashed with a heavy‑duty cutter, and anything valuable inside was gone."

All that remained was a scattering of worthless industrial diamond grit.

Translation: "All that remained was a scattering of worthless industrial diamond grit."

Amid that pile of useless glass shards.

Translation: "Amid that pile of useless glass shards."

Laying still was an antiquated bronze‑colored ring.

Translation: "Laying still was an ancient‑bronze ring."

Its design was archaic, its craftsmanship even rough.

Translation: "Its design was archaic, its craftsmanship even rough."

Yet its surface was coated with a thick, blackened crust of blood.

Translation: "Yet its surface was coated with a thick, blackened scab of blood."

From the cracks in that blood‑crust, a series of eerie, blood‑red halos seeped outward, ring after ring.

Translation: "From the cracks in that scab, rings of an eerily red light kept seeping outward."

This halo defied physics, pulsating in sync with the blood moon overhead.

Translation: "This halo utterly defied physics, pulsating in sync with the blood moon above."

This is the "Divine Gift".

Translation: "This is the Divine Gift."

In this worldwide blood‑moon game, it is a divine artifact capable of forcibly bending reality's rules, extending life, and even granting one the power to reach the pinnacle.

Translation: "In this global blood‑moon game, it is a divine artifact that can forcibly rewrite reality's rules, extend life, and even carry one to the peak."

For its sake, the streets outside daily stage cannibalistic horrors even more grotesque than hell.

Translation: "For it, the streets outside daily stage cannibalism more grotesque than hell."

Lin Fan exhaled a long, turbid breath.

Translation: "Lin Fan let out a long, turbid breath."

With this, the road ahead will be much easier.

Translation: "With this, the road ahead will be much easier."

Xinyu won't have to suffer alongside me so hard.

Translation: "Xin Yu won't have to follow me so arduously."

He turned his wrist and plunged the blood‑dripping, pointed threaded rebar into the rubble at his feet.

Translation: "He turned his wrist and stuck the blood‑dripping threaded rebar into the rubble at his feet."

He lifted his left hand, bent down, and prepared to pick up the ancient bronze ring.

Translation: "He lifted his left hand, bent down, and prepared to pick up the bronze ring."

When his fingertips were less than half a meter from the ring.

Translation: "When his fingertips were less than half a meter from the ring."

Suddenly, a piercing crash of concrete erupted from the wall beside him.

Translation: "Suddenly, a piercing concrete‑shattering roar erupted from the wall beside him."

It was the sound of a sturdy load‑bearing wall being blown apart by superhuman force.

Translation: "It was the sound of a sturdy load‑bearing wall being blown apart by superhuman force."

Marble slabs and rebar fragments burst outward from the wall, slicing the air with sharp whistles.

Translation: "Marble slabs and rebar fragments burst outward from the wall, whistling sharply through the air."

Ash‑gray dust filled the air.

Translation: "Gray‑white dust filled the sky."

The smell of blood in the air was completely masked.

Translation: "The bloody smell in the air was completely masked."

An overpowering stench of rotting corpses surged forward.

Translation: "An intensely foul corpse stench surged forward."

It was more pungent than the fermented waste rotting in a summer sewer for weeks.

Translation: "This odor was more pungent than the fermented rot of summer sewage left to decay for weeks."

Two utterly distorted human silhouettes burst through the dust‑filled wall.

Translation: "Two utterly distorted figures burst through the smoke and dust, smashing through the wall."

Their speed was absurd, one on the left, one on the right, cutting off every escape route for Lin Fan.

Translation: "Their speed was absurd, one on the left, one on the right, sealing off every escape route for Lin Fan."

The scattered diamond grit underfoot squeaked under their steps.

Translation: "The scattered diamond grit underfoot squeaked under their steps."

The smoke and dust cleared.

Translation: "The smoke and dust cleared."

Lin Fan leisurely withdrew his hand, turned his head, and sized up the two uninvited guests.

Translation: "Lin Fan leisurely withdrew his hand, turned his head, and sized up these two uninvited guests."

These two were madmen already half‑stepped into the gates of hell.

Translation: "These were two madmen who had already set one foot in the gates of hell."

The man on the left had a shaved head and wore a grimy auto‑shop work uniform.

Translation: "The man on the left had a shaved head and wore a filthy auto‑shop uniform."

His right arm had completely ceased to be human.

Translation: "His right arm had completely ceased to be human."

From the shoulder down, all flesh and muscle had been violently stripped away by some extreme force.

Translation: "From the shoulder down, skin and muscle had been stripped away by some extreme brutal force."

What was exposed was not human bone.

Translation: "What was exposed was not human bone."

But a meter‑long, bone‑white saw‑toothed sickle, its edges bristling with barbs.

Translation: "But a meter‑long bone scythe, pallid white, its edge studded with barbs."

The sickle grew directly from the mangled shoulder stump, black ooze continually seeping from the bone seams.

Translation: "The scythe grew directly from the mangled shoulder stump, black ooze continually seeping from its bone seams."

This sickle grew directly on the bloody, mangled shoulder wound, and black viscous fluid kept seeping out from the bone seams.

The one on the right, slightly shorter, wore a tattered jacket.

His condition was worse—he was practically a walking rotting corpse.

The skin on half his face had been completely distended by thick black‑red blood vessels.

Those blood vessels, as if possessing their own will, writhed and darted frenetically beneath his skin.

Even one blood vessel pierced his right eyelid, forcing the eyeball, suffused with red bloodshots, halfway out of the socket, wobbling with each breath.

This is a Folk Uncanny Practitioner struggling to survive.

They have no official resources or gentle containment methods.

They rely solely on extremely primitive methods, forcibly suturing uncanny organs into their own bodies.

For a brief time they enjoy power beyond that of mortals.

In return, their bodies and minds collapse utterly without dignity.

These two individuals are undergoing the most terrifying backlash.

"Medicine... this is my life‑continuing medicine..."

Ban Lian Nan's throat let out a leaky broken‑gong voice.

Every spasm of the blood vessels on his body sent him into uncontrollable convulsions.

The pain made even standing upright extremely difficult for him.

The eyeball protruding from its socket stared fixedly at the bronze ring on the ground, its depths filled with pathological greed and fervor.

Gu Lian Nan was even more impatient than him.

The bone scythe on his right shoulder came down hard on a nearby discarded glass display case.

The tempered glass shattered into pieces.

"You little brat, if you don't want to be chopped into minced meat, get lost!"

Gu Lian Nan's bloodshot eyes were filled with killing intent as he glared fiercely at Lin Fan.

"This isn't something you can touch—get out while I'm still calm!"

He held his head high, adopting an arrogant posture.

His words overflowed with arrogance and malice.

Without obtaining the Divine Gift,

without wishing to the gods to erase this damned backlash price,

they won't even live until next month; the uncanny within them will revive and consume them down to nothing.

This is truly a dead end, and they are pitiful worms driven mad by power.

Lin Fan lowered his eyelids, his expression unchanged.

He was not at all intimidated by this hysterical bluster.

These Folk Uncanny Practitioners who scrape by on the line of death, having utterly abandoned humanity—he has seen several of them these past days.

Weak, pitiful, and utterly hateful.

Lin Fan straightened his spine, the azure glow in his right eye deepening further.

He lowered his head and glanced at his own hands.

There were no mutated uncanny organs, no nauseating rot.

His body still retained the proportion and health proper to an eighteen‑year‑old youth.

His mind showed no signs of collapse or madness.

Likewise, he commands ghostly entities and has likewise experienced slaughter.

He need not pay these bloody costs.

All of this, someone bears for him.

For him, they would rather suffer eternal damnation in darkness than let him come to any harm.

A strand of icy black hair slipped out from Lin Fan's collar.

The hair, like a living thing, affectionately brushed his neck twice.

A cold sensation came through.

The chill in Lin Fan's eyes faded entirely, leaving only an unsettling obsession and deep affection.

He raised his hand and gently stroked that strand of hair with his fingertips.

"Xin Yu, trouble's here."

No extra harsh words, no grand declarations.

Those two light sentences of idle chat truly echoed in the ruins.

This complete disregard for their arrogance utterly ignited the already fractured nerves of Gu Lian Nan's sanity.

"If you won't take face, then go to hell together with this pile of broken glass!"

Gu Lian Nan let out a throat‑ripping roar.

He pushed off with his feet, shattering the marble tiles on the ground.

His whole body lunged forward like a released heavy crossbow, heedless of danger.

The pallid scythe blade traced a piercing arc in midair, kicking up a nauseating stench of blood and foul wind.

It carried a deadly contamination unique to the uncanny; wherever it passed, even the dust in the air was coated with a layer of deathly ash.

The blade tore through the air.

It headed straight for Lin Fan's face.

Under such a merciless, terrifying momentum, an ordinary person would have the thought of fleeing completely frozen, able only to close their eyes and await death.

Ban Lian Nan let out a brutally cruel laugh from behind.

However.

Facing this deadly strike that comes chopping straight at him.

Lin Fan still stood motionless in place.

That calm and unhurried posture, as if actively seeking death.