Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 143 (Patreon)

Chapter 143: Humans and Puppets

Solid and simulated forms are the two states of the Sanbica virus.

The virus materialized through aura is simulated, essentially made of aura, so it can be countered by aura, revealing a significant flaw.

The so-called restrictions and vows manifest in various aspects.

The virus materialized by Sanbica outperforms the pathogen in formation speed, reproduction speed, and effects. It is a replica created following the original entity, yet far surpassing the original phenomenon.

Therefore, when Nen users detect the replicated virus, they can easily defend against it, denying it even the chance to invade.

Unless Sanbica is willing to explore diverse functional uses, her role will forever be non-combatant.

Luo's Nen is an unparalleled aid to Sanbica, together they can create a virus grenade, but this is merely the most basic application.

Their abilities combined hold endless possibilities; they only need to move forward together, reaching the limits of humanity...

An aura-encased viral sphere flies into the house, bursting like a bubble.

Invisible to the naked eye, the virus spreads through the air, stealthily invading the bodies of those guarding the first floor.

About twenty people were guarding the large hall of the house, unaware of the virus's presence. After a while, they suddenly felt weak, as if they had lost their strength.

"Caught a cold?"

Someone thought, then suddenly heard a loud thud. Following the sound, they were shocked to see a companion inexplicably falling to the ground.

"You guys…?"

Their mouth agape, they noticed their voice turning hoarse and weak. Amid their confusion, their thoughts flickered off like a TV losing power, collapsing to the ground unconscious.

Thud, thud…!

Everyone on the first floor fell to the ground, unconscious.

The virus, like a jubilant sprite, followed the spiral staircase to the second floor.

Two people guarding the doorway to the Elder's room on the East Street, their bodies swirling with aura, kept the virus at bay.

Creak!

The door suddenly opened, and the Elder, clad in cloth, stepped out, his eyes flickering. He seemed to see the aura particles in the air and coldly commanded, "Go check."

"Yes."

The two quickly ran towards the staircase, descending to the first-floor hall. Upon seeing their comrades lying on the ground, alive or dead unknown, they showed no surprise.

The sound of falling had alerted them, and in turn, the Elder, so they knew something unknown had happened below.

When they reached the hall, the Elder, leaning on a cane, approached step by step.

At this moment, the house's main door was opened. The Elder stopped mid-staircase, looking towards the door.

His two subordinates also looked towards the door, maintaining their aura output, ready for battle.

The person opening the door was Luo, who asked Sanbica to stay outside at a safe distance.

Then, he entered the house alone and immediately saw the two people at the bottom of the stairs and the Elder standing midway.

"It's you."

Seeing Luo, the Elder's gaze was cold as ice, without a hint of surprise, as if looking at a non-living thing.

"Kill him."

Almost immediately after concluding, the Elder's command followed.

Without need for thought or consideration of cause and effect, these subordinates lying on the ground were the starting point of the Elder's command.

Whether Luo was dead or alive before didn't matter. The point was Luo came looking for trouble, so he deserved to die.

As for why Luo came, it wasn't important.

Under the Elder's cold gaze, his two subordinates suddenly charged towards Luo standing at the entrance.

"Underestimated?"

Seeing the two charge over without any intention to probe, like wild bulls, Luo slightly shook his head, raised his hands, and threw out a condensed aura slash.

The two disk-shaped aura slashes flew through the air, cutting through the abdomens of the two men as if slicing tofu, bisecting them.

The aura swirling around them should have formed a decent defense, but the aura slash contained the properties of God's Hand, enhancing its penetrative power and breaking through their not-so-strong defense.

The unceased forward momentum caused the upper bodies of the two men to fly towards Luo, landing a meter or two in front of him, while their lower halves, due to their owners' halted thoughts, slowly decelerated and stopped in place in confusion.

"Ah!"

After a brief silence, despite not feeling pain, the two men still screamed.

They realized they were cut in half, concluding with normal reasoning that they were about to die, never considering they could still control their lower halves.

Seeing this, the Elder's expression changed slightly. Suddenly, he raised his cane and heavily struck it on the staircase, producing a muffled sound.

This sound was a warning from the Elder, understood only by his two subordinates.

Make the most of their death, even if it's to die, it should be valuable.

Thus, the screams eerily ceased, and a fierce determination appeared on the faces of the two subordinates. Their flailing hands, like headless flies finding direction, ceased their aimless thrashing.

This unusual sudden change made Luo alert. Then, he saw the two people lying in front of him suddenly bring their hands together in prayer, their palms meeting.

Luo's eyes covered with a layer of crystal-clear light, clearly saw an aura that didn't belong to them emanating from the palms of their hands.

With this caution, Luo activated his domain shield.

At that moment, the upper bodies of the two Elder's subordinates exploded without warning, engulfing Luo who was nearby in the blast.

The explosion was sudden, and though not large, it was enough to affect Luo.

The blast wave spread out, overturning furniture and shattering windows.

Standing on the staircase, the Elder was only pushed back by the blast wave, unharmed by the explosion.

He looked at the thick smoke at the entrance, revealing a cold smirk of success.

Outside the house, the sudden explosion tightened Sanbica's expression, but she quickly relaxed, seeing Luo emerge unscathed.

The wind caused by the aura dispersed the smoke, revealing Luo on the ground, his clothes not even dusted.

The Elder's withered face twitched, his eyes showing shock.

The explosion wasn't very powerful, but at such a close distance, it should have been enough to kill Luo. How could he be unharmed?

"A human bomb?"

Luo stepped over the charred corpses, his aura surging out, suddenly rushing towards the Elder standing on the staircase.

The explosion earlier was undoubtedly the Elder's Nen, as the aura drawn out by the two men's clasped hands originated from the same source as the Elder's aura.

Such Nen seemed to require cooperation from others to produce an effect similar to a human bomb. If there were a group of fanatical zealots willing to self-destruct while surrounding a target, it would be nearly impossible to defend against.

However, the Elder now had no one left to use, and his Nen's deterrent power plummeted.

Seeing Luo's aura intensified to its limit, the Elder's eyes still showed shock, facing an aura many times stronger than his own.

How could this be possible in just a few months?

At that moment, he realized the gap between himself and Luo. Additionally, with his marked subordinates all in a state of unconsciousness, he felt utterly outmatched.

Is there a difference between humans with life and thoughts and puppets?

No.

This was the Elder's belief, regarding others and even himself...

Such a chillingly extreme viewpoint led the Elder to act in a manner contrary to human nature.

Before Luo could get close, the Elder raised his bandage-wrapped hands, with a pattern on the back of each hand—one resembling the moon and the other the sun.

He could plant the same patterns on any part of someone else's body. If the moon and sun patterns touched, it would trigger an explosion.

At this moment, the horror in the Elder's eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a look devoid of any humanity.

"It won't end like this," he muttered coldly to himself, then raised his hands, bringing the backs together.

Using others as human bombs was one thing, but he could also use himself in the same way.

"Hmm?"

Noticing the Elder's actions and the unusual fluctuation of aura, Luo abruptly stopped, immediately realizing the Elder's intention.

Surprised by the Elder's determination, Luo quickly crouched down, expanding his domain to its smallest range once more.

"Boom!"

A more powerful explosion instantly engulfed the entire hall.

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