2: A tenfold backlash? You're really going to torture me!

Gu Fan closed his eyes in despair.

He thought of the boss from his previous life who was always making empty promises, and he thought of all the injustices this body had suffered.

A strong surge of resentment and unwillingness welled up from the bottom of his heart.

"Damned Heavens!"

Gu Fan let out a silent roar in his heart.

"Are you playing with me?! In my last life, I died from overwork, and in this life, I'm being sacrificed right at the start? You could at least let me finish the newbie tutorial! Come on then, let's hurt each other!"

This cry, filled with the resentment of a corporate slave, seemed to trigger some sort of forbidden switch in the unseen depths.

In the thousandth of a second before the Three-Eyed Blood Wolf's sharp claws could touch his throat, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice exploded in his mind without warning.

[Strong survival instinct and massive resentment detected from the host...]

[Resentment intensity determined: SSS+ Grade. Merging with World Laws... Fusion complete...]

[Congratulations to the host for activating the 'Malice Karma Backlash System'!]

Gu Fan was stunned.

What on earth is this?

Am I... having auditory hallucinations before I die?

However, the mechanical voice did not stop and continued to explain in an unwavering tone.

[This System upholds the principle of fairness and justice, dedicated to building a harmonious and orderly cycle of Karma.]

[Core Function: Any malice generated by any intelligent life form toward you (including but not limited to killing intent, attacks, curses, jealousy, rumors, etc.) will backlash against the opponent or their most cherished possession at a starting rate of ten times, with no upper limit.]

Gu Fan's brain completely short-circuited.

Starting at ten times? No upper limit?

An internet meme from his previous life instantly flashed through his mind.

Man, you're really pushing the legal limit! With this scope of business, it's enough to get a life sentence.

[Newbie Gift Pack has been issued, please check and receive!]

"Receive my foot! I'm about to become the main course at a funeral feast!"

Gu Fan complained wildly in his heart because that terrifying wolf claw had already slammed down solidly!

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

The imagined scene of his throat being torn open and blood gushing out did not appear.

There wasn't even a hint of pain.

Those sharp claws, capable of tearing through armor, felt... like a ball of cotton lightly touching his throat.

It was soft, and even a bit itchy.

"Huh?"

Gu Fan slowly opened his eyes and saw an "abstract" artistic scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

The Three-Eyed Blood Wolf's claw was still in a striking posture, gently pressed against his throat.

And the expression of that Vicious Beast had changed from cruel and bloodthirsty to dazed and confused.

It seemed to be questioning its own wolf life.

How did my strike feel like petting a kitten?

Immediately after, its confusion turned into terror.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of bone fracturing rang out, making one's teeth ache.

The Three-Eyed Blood Wolf's right forelimb, which was as thick as Gu Fan's thigh, twisted backward at an inconceivable angle. Pale bone shards pierced through the grayish-black fur, exposed to the air.

"Awoooo—!!!"

A shrill, distorted scream pierced the dead silence of the Restricted Zone.

It wasn't the roar of a Vicious Beast, but a pure wail of agony stemming from intense pain.

A massive counterforce erupted from that seemingly gentle claw.

The Three-Eyed Blood Wolf's massive body, as if hit head-on by a high-speed maglev train, instantly lost its balance and was sent flying backward.

Gu Fan lay on the ground, watching all this dumbfounded.

He thought it was over.

But he was wrong, and he was dead wrong.

An even more bizarre scene occurred.

The Three-Eyed Blood Wolf, still flying through the air, began to expand at a visible rate as if a high-pressure air pump had been inserted into its body!

Its bulging muscles rapidly swelled, its tough fur was stretched tight, and its grayish-black hair stood on end.

The blood-colored vertical eye on its forehead bulged wider than a copper bell, filled with extreme fear and disbelief.

"This... what kind of new Demonic Technique is this? The Suicide Truck Style?"

Gu Fan's brain was completely inadequate now, and he could only use game knowledge from his previous life to try and understand this supernatural scene.

Just as the Three-Eyed Blood Wolf expanded to its limit, turning into a perfectly round, furry giant ball, it let out a short, desperate wail.

"Poof!"

Accompanied by a soft sound like a champagne bottle being uncorked, this D-grade Vicious Beast burst apart before Gu Fan's eyes!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor was there a disgusting scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere.

It was like a giant blood-colored balloon being pricked, exploding into a magnificent mist of blood that danced in the air.

A breeze blew past, and the blood mist curled upward before slowly dissipating.

It was as if it had never existed.

The only proof that it had been there was the smell of blood in the air, which had suddenly increased tenfold in concentration.

The surrounding trees, the ground, and even Gu Fan's clothes were not stained with a single drop of blood.

It was as clean as an illusion.

The surroundings were dead silent.

Gu Fan lay on the ground with his mouth open, forgetting to breathe and forgetting the pain in his body.

He felt as if his worldview was being repeatedly ground into the dirt.

Until that cold mechanical voice rang out again.

[Ding! Backlash successful!]

[D-grade physical malice from 'Three-Eyed Blood Wolf' detected, triggering tenfold backlash. Target annihilated.]

Gu Fan blinked and swallowed hard with difficulty.

"Anni... annihilated..."

That word choice was certainly professional.

[Damage conversion function activated, absorbing ownerless energy...]

As soon as the voice finished, Gu Fan saw countless pale red light spots float out from the blood mist that had not yet completely dissipated. Like a swarm of guided fireflies, they scrambled to pour into his body.

An indescribable warm current instantly spread through his entire body.

It felt like drinking a bottle of iced cola in the middle of summer, or soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter.

Every cell was cheering and jumping for joy.

He could clearly "internally view" that the Meridians in his body, which had been broken into pieces, were being slowly nourished and repaired by this warm current.

The pain from the bloody hole in his chest also lessened considerably.

His body, which originally found it difficult to even move a finger, regained a bit of strength.

[Ding! host's cultivation level has been restored to: Qi Refinement Stage Level 0 (9/100)]

[Ding! host's injuries have slightly recovered, and the near-death state has been exited.]

Feeling the long-lost comfort in his body and looking at the completely dissipated blood mist, an absurd thought arose.

"I didn't provoke you, you rushed up yourself, exploded yourself, and then gave me experience points?"

He muttered to himself.

"Man, is this some new type of enhanced insurance scam? Is self-sacrifice the main theme?"

He struggled, using his arms that had regained some strength to slowly prop up his upper body.

The intense pain still existed, but it had decreased from "worse than death" to a "tolerable" level.

He looked down at his body; it was intact, and there wasn't even a white mark on his throat.

He looked up at the empty ground ahead; except for a few small pits corroded by the wolf's saliva, nothing was left.

"Malice..."

"Tenfold backlash..."

Gu Fan's breathing gradually became rapid.

He wasn't a fool; he was an adult who had experienced the beatings of society and was well aware of the sinister nature of the human heart.

If a wild beast's simple "predatory" malice could cause such "splendid" consequences... then what kind of earth-shattering chain reaction would be triggered by the deep-seated resentment, disdain, and calculation of the Gu Family people toward him?

That hypocritical fake young master, Gu Yu.

That indifferent father, Gu Zhan.

That extremely biased mother, Madam Li.

And those three high-and-mighty sisters... they crippled his cultivation and abandoned his body in the wilderness. They are probably celebrating with champagne right now, aren't they?

Then how much malice must they have toward him?

A bold, even crazy thought took root in Gu Fan's heart and grew wildly like a prairie fire.

The daze and shock on his face slowly faded, replaced by an unprecedented smile that carried a hint of morbidity and fanaticism.

It was the smile of someone who had finally seen the dawn after being suppressed for two lifetimes.

It was the smile of someone about to return all the pain and injustice with interest.

"Everyone, my dear family members."

Gu Fan laughed softly, his voice hoarse but filled with an indescribable pleasure.

"You all must live healthily and live to be a hundred."

"Whatever you do, don't... secretly curse me behind my back."

He licked his dry lips, his eyes flashing with a dangerous and excited light.

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee what interesting things might happen."

Just then, he remembered the System's final prompt.

"Right, the Newbie Gift Pack!"

Having lived two lives, he had never looked forward to a gift so much.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart, straightened his slightly bent back, and shouted the first command since arriving in this world with all his might in his heart.

"System, open the Newbie Gift Pack!"