Chapter 159: The Metamorphic Evolution

Yuan Jie glanced at him and saw Chen Gao with his eyes closed, blood continuously seeping from the corners of his eyes, his complexion extremely pale, looking thoroughly wretched.

Taking a deep breath to calm the unease within his heart, Yuan Jie sat back down and spoke:

"What is the meaning of this..."

Throughout this process, Colin had not moved at all. He simply sat on the sofa, crossing his legs and watching them quietly and leisurely.

Roger and the others made no move either...

Yet, Yuan Jie completely lacked the relaxed feeling he had when he first walked in.

Just now, he hadn't even known who launched the attack.

However, Chen Gao did not answer him. It wasn't until the stinging, explosive pain in his eyes subsided that he opened them, bowed to Colin, and said, "I am sorry. It was my fault for failing to recognize a superior..."

As soon as these words were spoken, combined with the name of his ability, Yuan Jie immediately guessed the reason.

Idiot!

Yuan Jie gnashed his teeth inwardly. Was this guy a complete moron? Did he seriously think he could just casually use "suggestion" on the person ranked number one on the leaderboard?

The most critical part was that, because of this, whatever they said next would put them in the wrong...

"Putting everything else aside, you certainly have a lot of nerve..."

Colin smiled. No useful expression could be read on his face, yet it made the two of them feel as though they had plunged into an icy abyss.

Just now, this fellow had deliberately stared into his eyes and spoken a long sentence, transmitting a strange and unfathomable power through his words in an attempt to "suggest" things to him...

As a result, the moment the very first word was spoken, Colin felt some distinctly noticeable disturbances arise within his body under the passive effect of the "Flawless Light"...

Following that, Colin taught him a small lesson by directly displaying the "Source of Light" for him to "see."

After all, the suggestion from this fellow named Chen Gao did not carry any particular malice...

The content of the suggestion was merely a tentative: "Put your feet down."

As for why Colin did not use "Psychic Pierce," for one thing, it would waste skill uses, and for another...

He was afraid that if he failed to control it properly, he would accidentally "look" the opponent to death on the spot.

"Though, come to think of it, the effect shouldn't have been this intense..."

Colin muttered inwardly. At that moment, he heard Chen Gao take a deep breath and say with a tone of awe, "Is this the weight of being ranked number one..."

Chen Gao knew that once this reckless probing of his came to an end, he had lost all qualification to negotiate.

At the same time, the things he had seen moments ago filled him with a primitive terror rooted deep in the instincts of life.

In that briefest of instants—perhaps not even a ten-thousandth of a second—he beheld endless radiance that seemed to possess tangible form and active vitality...

If not for the fact that the duration of direct eye contact was short enough, his eyes might have been blinded on the spot.

This also made him profoundly realize just how vast the gap between them truly was.

"I agree to join you and will obey your every command to offset the consequences of my offense..."

"Very well..."

Colin nodded without saying anything further, but in his heart, he triggered a prompt regarding him.

[You perceive that his inspiration is greater than 3...]

Tch, a rare creature with inspiration greater than 3, yet he actually managed to survive the first day. No wonder his reaction was so intense; it's just a pity I don't know what exactly he saw...

Colin shook his head inwardly, then turned his gaze to the other tall and ferocious-looking friend, "And you? I just heard that you are unwilling to live under someone else's roof?"

"No, you misunderstood my meaning..."

Yuan Jie continued, "What I meant was, although I don't like living under others, if it is necessary, I am more than willing to contribute my own strength to the reconstruction of human order..."

At this point, a hesitant expression appeared on his face, as if he did not know how to bring up his terms properly.

"If you have any conditions, just speak. I am not a dictator who forbids others from speaking."

Hearing this assurance from Colin, Yuan Jie continued: "I have roughly three conditions...

"First, I hope this controlled state is not permanent...

"Second, I wish to keep my sheepskin scroll...

"Third, I want to keep a few servants. Not many, just those six people. They have been through thick and thin with me, and I do not wish to hand them over like mere objects..."

He seemed to have prepared his thoughts long ago, and now he stated the matter with clear logic.

Having listened to it all, Colin gave him a peculiar look and said: "I never intended to control anyone permanently. It's just that in these special times, I need to consolidate strength—stable strength, rather than dealing with petty suspicions and nonsense all day long...

"Besides, you can discuss the last two points entirely with Roger. You don't need to come to me; he has the authority to make that decision and can agree to it...

"The terms we propagate are not so rigid that they cannot be amended."

With that, Colin glanced at Roger, who shrugged helplessly and remarked:

"He said I didn't have the qualifications, so what could I do? If not for the fact that this name 'Metamorphic Transformation' is far too special..."

He didn't continue, but his meaning was clear: if not for the uniqueness of this skill name, he wouldn't have bothered with this fellow at all.

"Then I agree..."

As Yuan Jie's voice faded, a crisp chime rang out. A palm-sized triangular piece of metal was casually tossed by Colin, landing on the tabletop with a sharp clatter, rolling twice before coming to a stop right in front of the two men.

"Since you've made your decision, you can take the oath now..."

Colin briefly introduced how to use the item, then looked at Yuan Jie and said in a deep voice:

"Most importantly, let me see what your 'Metamorphic Transformation' is really all about..."

The skills rewarded by the "System" this time were all tied to this world, making it hard not to associate them with certain things. Perhaps there was a chance to uncover the secrets of the mutated entities.

Colin even suspected to a certain extent that the system had arranged this deliberately.

"No problem... However, can I have a match with you to test it out..."

"Suit yourself."

Colin said indifferently. With his current strength, he had reached a point where he was completely fearless of these survivalists...

Of course, the main reason was that he had thoroughly evaluated the strength of these individuals and knew that no accidents would occur.

Such arrogance... Yuan Jie picked up the "Knight's Notarized Shield" and aimed it at Colin.

Soon, a battle was initiated.

After setting down three simple conditions, Yuan Jie closed his eyes and, under Colin's watchful gaze, activated the special skill named "Metamorphic Transformation."

The next second, Colin saw astonishing changes occurring beneath Yuan Jie's skin. Lumps of muscle seemed to come alive, writhing as if flesh and skin were separating from one another, raising fist-sized tumors resembling lipomas...

At the same time, he heard the man emit an extremely agonizing howl.

[You surmise that this is perhaps the process of ordinary mutation, undergoing sufferings unimaginable to ordinary people to transform into a hideous and abominable life form...]

[However, if observed using mutated entities as samples, you will find that his transformation is incomplete, seeming to lack some kind of crucial substance...]

Crucial substance... Could it be the Blood of Filth?

Colin watched quietly before him, continuously triggering prompts to gather information. He remembered that all mutated entities today were related to the First Miracle, the "Distorted Father."

Because, from the miracle he embodied, a substance known as "Golden Hot Oil" would flow out...

And "Golden Hot Oil" was precisely "rare Blood of Filth"...

"Metamorphic Transformation" and "Blood of Filth" seemed to be separate...

Merely coming into contact with the "Blood of Filth" would not cause a person to turn into a mutated entity...

But what if...

What if at this moment, a little "Blood of Filth" was added into the body of Yuan Jie, who was currently undergoing "Metamorphic Transformation"?