Transforming Succubus: Almost Doomsday

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"

Memories in his mind unfolded like scenes on a scroll.

Originally, Zhou Baiyu felt no sympathy for the child within.

But at this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.

He didn't respond to Bai Ling's words.

He simply sang that altered, off-tune version of the Happy Birthday song that Bai Ye had once changed… slowly approaching Bai Ling.

This mother and daughter, the mother plagued with headaches, had a corruption value of one hundred and had transformed into a long-necked monster.

Her face, blurred with flesh and blood, was unreadable. But even after becoming a monster, her last consciousness… was waiting for her husband to come back.

And to protect her daughter.

And the daughter, Bai Ling?

Zhou Baiyu's heart clutched when he looked at Bai Ling.

The Bai Ling in his memory was an absolutely beautiful nascent beauty.

But the Bai Ling of today had hair that had turned into black, thread-like tentacles.

Her eerie eyes covered her entire face; her flesh, the color of soy sauce, unfurled behind her like the wings of a demon. The stench of blood and decay emanating from her body deterred anyone from coming close.

Her red eyes were filled with resentment and hate.

On her forehead was a twisted and slanted character for "death."

This was Bai Ling, a monster of a demon lord's stature.

Her memories had become a blur.

During the day, Bai Ling always held a sliver of hope, harboring a glimmer of illusion.

She longed for her inner guessing to be wrong. She longed for her father not to be gone forever, to come back tonight to celebrate her twelfth birthday.

But in the end, she guessed right. Daddy was never coming back.

The moment night fell, all the despair and hatred rapidly intensified the incubation of the Corruption Gu, turning her into a complete monster.

Yet even at this moment, there was still a part of Bai Ling's heart that remained human.

The images of her mother and father were beginning to distort and blur in her mind.

All the faces of the childhood friends of her past turned hideous.

Looking back on her life, everything seemed so disgusting, so hopeless.

But upon hearing the Happy Birthday song, upon seeing that familiar guise…

The endless malice in her heart dissipated in an instant, and a chilling smile appeared on her terrifying face:

"Daddy... you really came back... Can you hug me?"

"Mommy and I… are feeling so unwell today."

Zhou Baiyu hugged the little girl who had already turned into a monster, her decaying flesh constantly eroding him at this moment.

At the same time, the blurred woman, like a snake, coiled around Zhou Baiyu, but didn't get close to him.

In those eyes filled with resentment and anger, there was a rare look of dependence.

As if the man who had once sheltered them from the wind and rain, who brought them hope, had returned.

"I'm sorry... I'm late."

Zhou Baiyu felt a tightness in his chest, a multitude of emotions piling up, waiting to be released.

Actually, from those memories, it was clear that although Bai Ling was very young, just twelve years old, she was clever enough to comprehend the whole situation.

In her essay, she knew that the people here were exchanging "supplies" for the disabled.

When the family of three first arrived, they didn't know the ins and outs of this place and thought that Aunt Liu really had a disability.

At that time, the kind-hearted Bai Ling felt disgusted and also came to understand the true nature of this place.

When her father, Bai Ye, left them, Bai Ling guessed that he might not come back.

She knew it all.

She possessed wisdom and talent far beyond ordinary people, yet she was still a child.

She still clung to fantasies, hoping her dad would return after nightfall.

Then the three of them could sing the birthday song, just like in the painting, harmonious and blissful.

Zhou Baiyu felt as if his heart was being twisted.

He had healed the hearts of so many suicidal people and heard so many tragic life stories, yet he still felt heartache for this little girl called Bai Ling.

She should have been a shining genius in this world, but instead, she turned into an ugly and terrifying monster.

She was supposed to have a bright future, to stand beside her father as a beacon of hope for humanity...

But what awaited her was her father's death by sacrifice, her mother driven mad by the inhabitants of the Gu Tower...

Mother and daughter locked up in a dark basement, waiting for death, waiting for "sacrifice".

What kind of despair was that?

Perhaps it was the corrupted flesh that stirred Zhou Baiyu's emotions, or perhaps he genuinely felt sorry for the girl's fate...

Zhou Baiyu clenched his teeth in hatred, wishing he could kill those deceased residents all over again.

In the apocalypse, what's most terrifying is not monsters like Mutators, but the twisted human heart.

But in the end, all the hatred turned into the tenderness of the moment, as the suicide crisis counselor Zhou Baiyu seemed to switch back, saying gently:

"Happy Birthday, Ling'er."

Zhou Baiyu held the girl who had already become a monster tightly in his arms, and in that moment all the emotions seemed to pass through the soy-red flesh.

Thick, crimson tears flowed from the many eyes on Bai Ling's face.

She sobbed softly, like a child who had endured grievances for a long time and finally found someone to confide in.

"Dad... can you, please not leave me again? I've mastered the power, I can protect you and mom now."

Zhou Baiyu's heart ached again, but he had to shake his head:

"But there are still many people who need dad's help, this world is full of people living like us, and they need redemption too. Ling'er, can you promise dad one thing?"

Bai Ling nodded vigorously.

Zhou Baiyu continued:

"Take good care of mom... Take her to another place, don't show up here, you still need to grow, to become stronger!"

"Until one day, when you feel you can do anything, come back and find me with mom."

"Dad will be waiting for you at the Mutator's place, and when you're able to stand on your own, dad will meet you, that's our promise!"

Mutator.

Even though he did not make an appearance in the night of horrors at the Gu Tower, Zhou Baiyu was certain...

that this was the true source of evil.

Perhaps the downfall of humanity had a huge connection to this Stitcher.

Bai Ling was very powerful now, but Zhou Baiyu instinctively felt that Bai Ling had only just completed her "evolution."

Compared to the Stitcher who had deceived humanity for a long time and consumed countless humans, there was still a huge gap.

And the term "Stitcher" seemed to reveal some information.

Why did the Stitcher seek out those who were incomplete? Perhaps, for the incomplete, gaps are interfaces. Maybe the Stitcher... was stitching human bodies.

If that were the case, then the Stitcher was definitely a terrifying monster with the "characteristics" of many different people.

Such a monster was currently beyond Bai Ling's ability to deal with.

But Bai Ling also had unimaginable potential.

Zhou Baiyu had a feeling that once a human's corruption value reached 100, they would probably turn into some kind of monster just like Bai Ling.

But there are huge differences between monsters. Some humans became weak monsters, while others became terrifying demon kings right upon their debut.

He had already seen Bai Ling's capabilities.

Changing the weather, creating objects, distorting time, traversing space, reducing dimensions...

This girl might become a god-like being, as long as she was given enough room to grow.

Bai Ling felt a sense of loss in her heart:

"But I want to stay with you, dad."

The information came from composition—her daughter was waiting for her father to celebrate her birthday today.

The token came from art—her father's attire.

The signal came from music—the out-of-tune Happy Birthday song.

When these elements were collected, Zhou Baiyu had already become the father in Bai Ling's eyes.

The flesh corrupted by the Gu linked the two, and the emotions in their hearts made Bai Ling feel a long-missed care.

She didn't want to leave Zhou Baiyu.

But Zhou Baiyu knew very well that he couldn't kill Bai Ling, didn't want to kill Bai Ling, yet he couldn't stay here with her either.

So, he would change the trajectory of Bai Ling's future life instead.

This decision indeed completely altered history.

The original Bai Ling, who hadn't waited for her father's arrival, had her last bit of sanity extinguished.

Although she was powerful, she was quickly noticed by the Stitcher, and soon after, she was absorbed by the Stitcher and stitched into that hideous body.

But now, the presence of Zhou Baiyu allowed Bai Ling's humanity to once again take control of her body.

"People must grow up on their own, Ling'er. Dad keeps his promises, we made an agreement. One day in the future... we will reunite beside the Stitcher."

"In the meantime, you need to protect mom. From today on, you will have to bear all the responsibilities of our family alone."

"The road ahead is tough. You must stay away from humans; the human heart is something more terrifying than monsters. I'm sorry... your growth can't only be filled with the bright side of humanity."

"Head towards the periphery. We won't harm humans on our own, but if humans harm us, we will show no mercy!"

Zhou Baiyu could already foresee...

that Bai Ling and her mother, in their current state, would be seen as monsters by human forces or by pioneers and would be targeted as such.

But he yearned for Bai Ling to survive.

His intuition told him that perhaps in the post-apocalyptic era of version 2.0, he would meet Bai Ling again!

And that Stitcher might become humanity's great enemy; Bai Ling could offer immensely reliable help.

All these premises rested on Bai Ling's survival.

Bai Ling also heard the determination in Zhou Baiyu's words and reluctantly nuzzled her head against his chest.

Zhou Baiyu smiled and slowly let go of Bai Ling's hands.

There wasn't much time left; he couldn't delay any further.

If he delayed any longer... Ling Hansu might be completely corrupted.

He silently took a step back, standing as the painting depicted:

"At this moment, it would be nice if there were light."

Bai Ling sensed that departure was imminent, and with tears, she revealed a smile. This "father and daughter" appeared to be in perfect harmony.

Seeing her father's action, the daughter also thought of that painting and mimicked the pose in the painting.

And just at that moment, as the inner hatred dissolved, daylight suddenly tore open the dense night!

The sun shone through the basement window.

The dark basement began to turn a dusky yellow.

The father wearing a khaki coat and a hat, and the daughter, who had turned into a monster, accompanied by a wife resembling a snake—

formed a bizarre image.

They had pure souls, but the world had turned them into ugly monsters.

This scene, utterly horrific to outsiders, was yet the warmest finale to their apocalyptic journey.

...

...

When darkness falls, it signifies that night has come early.

But now, as light chases away the darkness, it also signifies that a new day has begun.

In Zhou Baiyu's mind, as well as in Ling Hansu's mind, who was about to lose her self-awareness, a long-awaited ending came to mind.

[Performance Evaluation: SSS rank, unlocking the hidden version, The Stitcher's Mark.]

[Achievement Unlocked: My Savage Daughter (unique recipient)]

[Summary: You've leveled up. Congratulations, just through two trials, you've completed the Mutator's advancement, and you've also received generous rewards, as well as an artifact that carries over between versions. But next, as you once again gain the favor of the version boss, you will face an important choice.]

In Ling Hansu's mind, another set of information surfaced, her performance evaluation also changed from SSS rank to C rank. But she was still overjoyed, because she was about to return to the transit point; she had managed to survive after all!

Ling Hansu was happy, but Zhou Baiyu panicked.

"Fuck, that's it for the level clear, I'm screwed, I only died fifteen times!"

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(Fourth update, nearly 12,000 words, normally the amount for six updates, I'm spent, wrung dry, in a dark room, writing until I lose contact. This book is currently outpacing even jigsaw puzzles, everyone, promise me not to hoard the book, wuwuwu, let me create a miracle. To blossom a second spring.)