8: Chapter 8 Killing Zhao Yan

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

Those cool ninjutsu I used to see on screen...

If only I could possess these abilities...

"Not talking, huh?"

Zhao Yan completely lost his patience.

"Then go to hell!"

He waved his hand violently, and that ball of flame whistled toward Wang Lin!

Wang Lin's pupils constricted slightly, and his body instinctively rolled to the right.

The fireball grazed his shoulder and slammed into the broken wall behind him, exploding with a "boom" as gravel flew everywhere.

That was damn close.

Wang Lin flipped to his feet, a trace of gravity flashing in his eyes.

This Speed was faster than he had imagined.

"You dodged it once, but can you dodge it a second time?"

Zhao Yan raised both hands simultaneously, and two larger balls of flame condensed in his palms.

He took a step forward, his eyes wild: "I'll ask you one more time..."

"Ask my ass." Wang Lin interrupted him, rolling his shoulders, "You've already made your move, so what's the point of asking?"

The next second, Wang Lin had already charged forward.

His Speed was so fast that it left an afterimage in the dim alley.

Zhao Yan didn't have time to think; he pushed both hands out, and two balls of flame whistled out.

But Wang Lin was already prepared.

He didn't take it head-on; instead, the moment the flames were about to hit, he pushed off the ground and leaped high into the air.

The flames flew beneath his feet and slammed into the wall again.

And Wang Lin descended from the sky, throwing a punch toward Zhao Yan's face.

"Bang!"

The fist landed solidly on Zhao Yan's face.

Zhao Yan was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground and rolling twice.

Wang Lin landed and shook his hand.

"An Awakened?" He sneered, "Is that it?"

Zhao Yan climbed up from the ground, blood running from the corner of his mouth, his eyes even wilder.

"You... what exactly are you?!"

"Why are your Speed and strength so strong?"

"Guess."

Wang Lin charged again.

This time, Zhao Yan had learned his lesson.

He didn't fire any more fireballs; instead, he condensed a thin layer of flame armor on the surface of his body,

while simultaneously spreading his fingers and whipping ten thin threads of fire toward Wang Lin like whips.

Wang Lin dodged left and right.

The fire threads whistled past him, leaving scorched marks on the ground and walls.

One thread grazed his arm, instantly scorching his school uniform sleeve and causing a burning pain on his skin.

But Wang Lin's Speed was too fast, too fast for Zhao Yan to even aim.

Three meters.

Two meters.

One meter.

Wang Lin charged into the range of the flame armor.

The high heat hit his face instantly, and his skin felt a burning, excruciating pain.

But he gritted his teeth and punched Zhao Yan in the stomach.

"Bang!"

The flame armor trembled violently, nearly collapsing.

Zhao Yan stepped back, his face turning pale.

That punch had astonishing force, shaking his internal organs until they were churning.

"You can't kill me!" He roared, frantically pushing his ability.

The flame armor reformed, becoming even hotter than before.

At the same time, his hands turned into two blades of fire, slashing wildly at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin had to retreat.

The flame blades were too dangerous; getting hit by them was no joke.

But just as he retreated, he stepped on a piece of gravel, and his body swayed.

Damn, it's over.

Zhao Yan's eyes lit up.

He lunged forward, his flame blades slashing viciously toward Wang Lin's neck—

A hair's breadth away!

Wang Lin's pupils contracted sharply.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed all reason at this moment.

The silver patterns inside his body suddenly grew hot, as if something was being forcibly Awakened.

"Sshhh—"

Zhao Yan's flame blades stopped in mid-air.

A grayish-black tentacle burst out from behind Wang Lin, tightly binding his wrist that held the blade.

The surface of the tentacle was covered in fine scales, shimmering with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.

Zhao Yan's movements froze completely.

His eyes went wide.

"You... you are a Calamity?!"

Wang Lin didn't answer.

A second and third tentacle surged out from his body one after another.

One bound his other hand, one wrapped around his waist, and one wound around his leg.

Five tentacles, like five giant pythons, bound Zhao Yan tightly, leaving him unable to move.

"No... impossible..."

Zhao Yan struggled frantically, the color draining completely from his face,

"You're a human! You're clearly a human! How can you be a Calamity?!"

"I'd like to know how I became a Calamity too, damn it." Wang Lin's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an inhuman echo.

Zhao Yan desperately pushed his flames.

An orange-red light surged from him, and the flames burned wildly along the tentacles.

"Sizzle, sizzle—"

The tentacles hissed piercingly as they were roasted, the skin and flesh turning charred black, emitting blue smoke, and the air filled with the stench of burning protein.

Excruciating pain!

Unimaginable, excruciating pain!

Those tentacles were part of his body; the feeling of the flames burning them was like burning directly onto his nerves.

But he didn't let go.

Or rather, he didn't release the tentacles.

Binding tightly, refusing to let go even in death.

"You monster!" Zhao Yan roared frantically, "You killed Lin Weiwei! And now you want to kill me! You're not human at all!"

"Whether I'm human or not," Wang Lin said through gritted teeth, enunciating every word, "is none of your business."

The seventh, the eighth, the ninth...

More tentacles surged out from his body.

Wang Lin's body had almost completely deformed.

Strange patterns bulged under his skin; his bones were rearranging, his flesh expanding.

The human form was collapsing, replaced by some inhuman existence.

Zhao Yan looked at this "thing" transforming before him, the fear in his eyes reaching its peak.

"No... don't..." His voice turned into a sob, "Please... don't..."

It was too late.

The tenth tentacle rose slowly from behind.

Unlike the other tentacles, the tip of this one was a sharp, conical shape.

Under the moonlight, the tip shimmered with a cold, eerie light.

"Puchi—"

This was the sound of a sharp blade piercing into flesh.

Zhao Yan's body arched violently, his mouth wide open, but he couldn't make a sound.

That tentacle pierced into his chest and out through his back.

Zhao Yan looked down at the blood hole in his chest, then looked up at Wang Lin.

In his eyes, there was disbelief, unwillingness, and regret...

"You... really are... a Calamity..."

He used his last bit of strength to say these words.

Then, the flames extinguished.

The tentacles wrapped around him slowly loosened.

Zhao Yan's body collapsed softly, lying face up on the ground, his eyes still open, staring at the pitch-black night sky.

Wang Lin stood where he was, gasping for air.

The tentacles retracted into his body one by one.

The writhing under his skin gradually subsided.

His bones rearranged back to their original form.

His flesh contracted back to its normal state.

A few seconds later, he had turned back into that ordinary human teenager.

Only now he was covered in blood, his clothes were tattered, and he was gasping for air.

Wang Lin looked down at his own hands.

"Am I a Calamity?" He muttered to himself.

No one answered.

Only the night wind blew through the ruins, making a whimpering sound.