Chapter 120: Infinite Cannon Fodder (10)

Medius’s reaction was swift. As soon as his neck came under someone’s control, he sprouted sharp claws and snapped Mia’s wrist. Holding his injured throat, his gaze turned icy cold. “That is my female.”

Mia’s broken wrist healed completely within seconds. He snarled, “No! She is not yours!”

Nighttime presented no need for sleep to Mia. Last night, whether due to the foul taste of alcohol affecting his judgment or some other reason, during the dead of night, he found himself inexplicably eager to see that woman.

He wanted to know what kind of enchantment she held, continuously influencing him in such a way.

However… Medius’s traces halted him.

The water mist formed a barrier outside. Mia could naturally force his way through, but it would cause considerable commotion.

Moreover, how would he face that woman once inside? Would she mock him, call him a meddler?

Mia remained outside her door throughout the night. Initially, anger consumed him—the audacity of bestial creatures approaching her so casually. Then frustration set in—he had the chance to prevent this, yet others had exploited the opportunity. Finally… finally there was despair, despair over his inability to refute Tong Ling’s words.

He did care for her—whenever Miya imagined someone else touching her where he couldn’t see, his heart would fill with uncontrollable rage.

Perhaps he was truly jealous; why else would he be unable to control his emotions?

Miya felt like this version of himself was a stranger—he should have turned and left instead of standing here all night like an idiot.

Even now, he could picture how smug that woman would look if she found out about this.

Why? Why should I let her lead me around by the nose?

A ball of fire burned inside Miya, yet he couldn’t find any way to vent it. His forehead throbbed until Medius emerged, drenched in Tong Ling’s scent. Then, as if a tightly stretched string had snapped within his mind, something broke.

“She’s mine!” Blood red gradually filled Miya’s pupils. He finally admitted it—Tong Ling was special to him. “She’s always been mine from the start!”

Yes, even as “trash,” she belonged to him. Why should he hand her over to anyone else?

Besides, she cared so much for him.

She’d dropped hints about getting back together, deliberately acted affectionate toward others in front of him, and even offered him the leftover alcohol…

It was because of his stubborn pride that he had hesitated to reconcile with her, and as a result… this damned fish had taken advantage of her…

At that moment, Miya’s speed, strength, and reaction abilities skyrocketed. His patience for this abomination ran out; all that remained was one thought—Kill him! Slay the shameless beast who dared touch Lingling!

Miya moved so swiftly that human eyes could only perceive a blur. With bloodshot eyes and razor-sharp fangs emerging from his mouth, he launched a ferocious assault on Medius.

His nails were sharper than the keenest blades; without holding back, he inflicted numerous wounds upon Medius. The sorcerer proved more formidable than expected—the surrounding water vapor froze around Miya’s limbs. Relying solely on his extraordinary regenerative powers, Miya managed to reach Medius.

Just as Miya’s hand was about to plunge into Medius’s heart, the merman let loose a deafening roar directed squarely at Miya. The Siren’s cry pierced through Miya’s eardrums, causing twin streams of blood to flow from his ears.

For a brief moment—perhaps one or two seconds—Miya fell into a trance. Then, the Siren’s tail swept him aside with brute force, slamming him against the wall and fracturing several bones. Yet he didn’t forget to strike back at Medius; his nails gouged out a large chunk of flesh from the Siren’s body. With a cold, sinister laugh, he taunted, “How many more blows can you withstand? I’ll tear away your flesh bit by bit as I watch you die!”

As Miya spoke, many of his broken bones mended themselves. He pushed himself up, standing on shaky legs, and swiftly dodged the Siren’s next attack.

“You want me dead?” Rage blazed in Medius’s icy blue vertical pupils. “I’ll end your life first!”

Medius conjured a veil of water vapor, ensuring their battle remained contained within this pocket of space, its sounds muffled from the outside world.

Both combatants were clearly intent on killing each other, yet neither could land the fatal blow so easily.

Creak.

The battling monsters froze mid-swing as Tong Ling’s door creaked open.

Tong Ling stood in the doorway, her face a mask of displeasure. She addressed them as if watching an irritating spectacle, “Keep it down! Are you trying to deprive others of sleep?”

Caught off guard, the two ferocious creatures instinctively tried to compose themselves, but alas…

Tong Ling’s brow furrowed in disgust as she took in Miya’s bloodshot eyes and fanged teeth. “Miya, have you caught that red-eye disease again? And look at those little canines… they’re getting too long now. How unsightly!”

Miya froze, his fury instantly transforming into a complex array of emotions. He broke down, shouting, “Ugly?! You stupid woman, can’t you see I’m…”

“I don’t care who you think you are,” Tong Ling interrupted. “Hurry up and change back! You look hideous!” She then turned her gaze towards Medius. “Medius, do you intend to flood this entire place? Can’t you disperse some of this mist?”

Tong Ling took a moment to examine the wound on Medius’ chest. He wasn’t bleeding; instead, a thin membrane covered it, beneath which new flesh was slowly regenerating. Given time, Medius would rely on his robust healing ability to recover fully.

As for Miya, there was even less cause for concern. This… vampire possessed astonishing recuperative powers. Much like the legendary immortal race, no matter how severe his injuries, he faced little risk to his life.

What is Miya’s weakness? Sunlight? Silverware? Fire? In this perpetually rainy weather, sunlight couldn’t penetrate, making it impossible to verify its potential harm to Miya. The other weaknesses would require someone else to test…

Tong Ling recalled the memories crafted by the Main God, internally grumbling: No wonder Miya favors red—how could any vampire resist the allure of blood-like crimson?

Despite their mutual loathing, Miya and Medius refrained from further confrontation in front of Tong Ling. They shifted back to human form, though their injuries remained unchanged.

The thought of being seen so battered by Tong Ling, coupled with the drain on his vital essence from healing his wounds—which left him incredibly “thirsty”—caused all the fervor Miya had mustered to assert dominance over Medius to evaporate instantly. He turned, eager to depart.

“Miya,” Tong Ling called out to the vampire trying to slip away, “why did you attack Medius?”

Miya paused, then resignedly admitted, “I concede—you’ve won.”

Tong Ling blinked, puzzled.

Embarrassed and furious, Miya glared at her. “Didn’t you want to get back together with me? You succeeded! Just as long as you don’t associate with that dead fish anymore, I—I’ll be with you…”

Tong Ling was taken aback. “Miya, what are you saying? When did I say I wanted to get back together with you?”

Miya fell silent, struck dumb.

His face pale, he forced out the words through gritted teeth, each syllable tinged with resentment, “What… are you talking about?”

She didn’t want to reunite with him? Th-that couldn’t be true!

Tong Ling leaned against the doorframe. “I won’t fall for the same trap twice, and besides…” Her lips curled slightly. ”… I don’t like men who cling too closely. You should know that well enough.”

Miya was so furious his fangs nearly showed through his teeth. “Who are you calling clingy? That’s not me!”

That memory is definitely wrong! It couldn’t possibly be him!

“Oh?” Tong Ling scrutinized the red-haired youth with suspicion. “Then why were you outside my door, attacking my fish?”

Miya fell silent.

He could tell this woman was deliberately trying to provoke him!

Medius took hold of Tong Ling’s hand. “Lingling, let’s go rest.”

Medius didn’t want his female wasting time on an irritable vampire.

“Who said you could touch her?” The bloodlust in Miya’s eyes began to flare again.

Medius snorted coldly. “Mine,” he declared.

He lifted Tong Ling’s hand and kissed it gently by his lips.

“You—!”

Just as another fight was about to break out, frantic footsteps sounded from the stairwell.

“Lingling!” Chu Yue, face pale, rushed upstairs. When she saw the two standing confrontationally before NPC Lingling’s door, a chill ran down her spine, freezing her words in her throat. “I…”

“Chu Yue?” Tong Ling immediately sensed something was amiss from Chu Yue’s demeanor. “What happened?”

“There’s been an incident.” Chu Yue, who had admired Miya’s appearance earlier, now dared not even glance at the youth. He fixed his gaze on Tong Ling and asked, “May I ask if you heard anything unusual between 6 and 7 PM?”

Tong Ling glanced at Medius beside her. “During that time, I was with Medius; we didn’t hear any sounds.”

“What exactly happened?” Tong Ling inquired.

Chu Yue bit his lip, a hint of pleading in his eyes. “Lingling, there’s something I need to discuss with you privately.”

Tong Ling withdrew her hand from Medius’s grasp and walked over to Chu Yue. “Go ahead,” she said.

Chu Yue knew for certain that NPC Lingling was human. Regardless of whether the Main God’s quest involved her, her abilities might still prove helpful to the players.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Grabbing Lingling by the arm, he led her downstairs. “Come with me.”

Medius and Miya instinctively followed without hesitation. Chu Yue didn’t dare stop them—rather, he wanted to observe their reactions, hoping they’d provide some clues.

A crowd had gathered in the main hall below. As soon as Tong Ling appeared, Bai Bei’s brow furrowed, his gaze turning cold even towards Chu Yue.

“What are you doing here?” Bai Bei moved to stand beside Tong Ling, his body blocking her from view. “You should be resting in your room.”

“I want to know what happened,” Tong Ling tried to push past him, but her frail ex-boyfriend didn’t budge; instead, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

“This isn’t something you should see,” Bai Bei said, addressing the onlookers around them. “I believe my girlfriend has no connection to this incident, so I’ll escort her back to our room.”

“Wait,” Zhuang Wu interjected. “We’re all just tourists who stumbled upon this ancient castle by chance. Now that such a horrific murder has occurred, regardless of whether it involves Lingling or not, she deserves to be informed—after all, none of us knows who might be next.” He looked at the person cradled in Bai Bei’s arms. “Lingling, do you mean…?”

Tong Ling felt Bai Bei’s strong arms around her, and her eyebrows twitched slightly. His wounds healed so quickly, she thought to herself.

“A murder?” Tong Ling gasped, clutching at Bai Bei’s arm as she trembled. “A-Bai, I know you’re concerned about me, but please tell me what’s going on.”

Tong Ling looked up with teary eyes. “As long as you’re by my side, I won’t be afraid.”

Hearing this, Bai Bei slowly released his grip.

Tong Ling took a few steps forward and suddenly saw the body lying on the ground.

Perhaps it was inappropriate to call it a ‘body’. It was a mass of disfigured flesh, lying there limply. The perpetrator must have held a deep grudge against the victim; it was hard to imagine what methods had been used to reduce him to such a state.

Tong Ling instinctively stepped back two paces, covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face. “What… what is this?”

Zhuang Wu observed the NPCs around them and said solemnly, “This is Li Yun. He disappeared after leaving his room this morning. By the time we found him, he had been transformed into this…”

“I believe one of the castle’s visitors is a serial killer,” Zhuang Wu concluded, his gaze finally resting on NPC Lingling. “Lingling, could you help us find this murderer?”