NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: Hybrids
As the four fought fiercely, holding back the overwhelming tide of chimeras, someone else was watching them silently from the side.
Across the jagged walls of the canyon, within a hollow midsection, an eerie-looking figure stood, spectating the battle in silence.
The man was an abomination to behold — neither man nor beast, but an amalgamation of both. Unlike his feral counterparts, the chimeras, he still retained most of his humanoid features and intellect.
His skin glistened in the darkness as stray strands of light reflected off his serpent-like scales. His lidless eyes held dangerous green reptilian slits.
His clawed — yet oddly human — hands fiddled with a bamboo-made blowgun as he contemplated silently.
Then a sound broke the silence from behind.
"Chit! Chit!" A familiar squeak echoed.
"Sss-have you rounded up… sss-on your end?" the reptilian figure asked, his voice bridging between a hiss and human words.
"Chit! Of course… here, look what I found… it's an Essence Weaver, chit!" A rat-human abomination walked into the light, his elongated rodent-like nose twitching in excitement. On his shoulder, carried like a sack of goods, was an unconscious female figure.
Dropping her to the floor, her face was revealed —it was none other than Zhao Mei. It seemed that on her quest to find a hiding spot, she had unfortunately encountered the rat hybrid.
The reptilian figure finally turned, gazing at his teammate. He slithered, "Sss-over here-sss too… I ssssee cultivatorssss."
"Chit! Really? Chichichi! Head Lu is going to be impressed with our gains this time!" The rat figure scampered forward excitedly, chuckling. He strained his neckless head to get a closer look at the four fighting.
Its beady eyes rolled in excitement as it watched the four struggle against the relentless wave of chimeras. "Chit! We might even get a free genetic upgrade…" he squeaked, laced with anticipation.
"Chit! What are you waiting for? Chit! Neutralize them now…" the rat-man urged urgently as he saw Lei Yu being injured.
To them, these few were priceless specimens — hard to come by — and they couldn't bear to see their goods damaged.
The reptilian hybrid nodded, lifting the bamboo blowgun to his lips. He puffed his cheeks and blew in rapid succession.
Four silent, hair-thin needles ejected from the other end, piercing through the air toward the napes of Spark and the others. Their tips glinted with a familiar, writhing purple sheen.
Normally, Spark's Greed of Force and Deception of Path footwork would have countered a sneak attack like this. But this time, his attacker wasn't human — it was a reptilian hybrid who saw not with human eyes, but with infrared.
As such, Spark's skill was rendered useless.
The four projectiles struck silently. None of them even realized they'd been hit — the needles were so fine and thin they didn't need to prick the skin. They simply slid into pores and penetrated straight into vital veins with chilling accuracy.
The purple substance rode the flow of blood straight to the brain — and then its effect kicked in. Even Spark wasn't exempt from the sinister poison.
Spark, who had been restraining himself from displaying his energy control lest the Essence Weavers grow suspicious of his identity, suddenly felt a haze descend.
His pupils dilated and contracted fiercely, his vision flickering between blurry and razor-sharp. He tried activating his abilities, but only managed a sluggish twitch in response.
He struggled to glance at his teammates — and grimaced. They had all collapsed. It seemed he was able to resist slightly because of his outstanding physique.
Another thing caught his attention: the chimeras. For reasons unknown, they had paused in their charge. The feral horde simply watched, not pressing forward — as though they were wary of something.
By now, Spark was on his knees. Finally, he felt something at the back of his neck. Struggling, he reached for it and pulled it out. Though his vision was blurry, he caught sight of the hair-thin needle with its slightly blood-stained tip.
"Fuck!" he managed to mutter before collapsing, finally surrendering to the poison.
"Chit! Chit? That guy is quite strong…" the rat-man squeaked as he landed on the ground.
"It wassss ssstrange… no normal perssson can withssstand Purple Dreamsss. Ressssisting isss imposssible for mossst expertssss — but yet, he didssss," the reptilian confirmed from behind.
"Chit! It just shows how valuable a specimen he would be, chit!" the rat-man said, rubbing his tiny chubby hands together in excitement.
The reptile nodded. Lately, they had barely captured strong cultivators. Bringing in these few would be a contribution they'd most likely be rewarded for.
The two got to work, slinging all five individuals over their shoulders as though they were sacks of grain, and marched forward.
The rabid chimera horde seemed frightened by the duo. The massive crowd of abominations parted, creating a path.
The two didn't seem bothered or surprised by this. They simply continued forward with purpose.
After walking a few miles deeper into the canyon, they came before a massive, ominous, but rowdy cave — fitted with advanced equipment. Further in stood a massive metallic door.
Armoured individuals busied themselves loading what looked to be unconscious tourists into carts. At the side of the towering doors, cleanly dressed individuals took notes, documenting the "packages."
As the two hybrids passed, guards bowed slightly in greeting — a clear sign of hierarchy — before they arrived at the door.
A man donning a conical hat greeted them. "Oh? Welcome back, dear extractors. Have the subjects all been retrieved?"
The rat-man nodded. "Chit! We've got them all. These are the last few," he said, gesturing to the five they carried.
The man nodded, then signaled to an individual a few feet away — a grotesque, hulking figure with bulging muscles all over, even on his fingers.
The massive giant nodded and moved to a lever at his side. Grabbing it, his veins bulged and perspiration dripped in beads.
Suddenly, a massive rumbling began as the earth let out a resounding groan. Like a beast that had had its fill, the gaping canyon began to close.
The tremor ran through the cave, causing all workers to pause. Finally, after what seemed like only seconds, the canyon had vanished — leaving behind the small, unsuspecting, grim village.
Waiting silently to accept a new set of subjects…