Traveling through the game world

32 "We're almost there, be careful!" Walking on the streets of Hutton Mar's old town, Arthur reminded everyone that Akainu Bugatti could appear at any time.

Speaking of which, Akainu Bugatti, the squad leader of the survivor squad who can operate in the heart of the monster-infested old district of Huttonmar, is definitely not weak.

Although it might not be as powerful as the Fallen Ant Queen Melena when it was alive, it is certain that it will not be inferior to the Black Giant Scorpion Moss after mutation. Considering its humanoid form, it may even pose a greater threat to Lian Yang and others than the Black Giant Scorpion Moss.

“Lia…A…Lia…”

Sure enough, they hadn't gone far when Akainu Bugatti's roar reached Lian Yang and the others' ears. Arthur explained, "Aria was the captain's partner, but unfortunately she's dead too."

For some unknown reason, all the monsters mutated from the adventurers are particularly sensitive to living people. Sensing the presence of Lian Yang and the others from afar, Akainu Bugatti rushed over.

Unlike other bluish-black werewolves, Akainu Bugatti is more than half a torso taller than others, and has long silver-white fur. He still retains the armor of the survivor squad, and his thick, scarlet left arm undoubtedly tells everyone that he was once a ghost swordsman.

"Slow Healing, Guardian Badge, Blessing of Honor!" As soon as the battle began, Arthur, whose faith had been steadfast, raised his hand and applied basic buffs to Lian Yang and the other two.

"Fight! Heroes die on the battlefield!" Lian Yang used a three-stage slash to reposition himself, then followed up with a Flowing Heart Thrust at close range. Although it couldn't inflict much damage on Akainu Bugatti, it abruptly halted his unstoppable momentum.

"Laser Cannon!" Alice's laser cannon, because its attack was purely point-to-point, seized the opportunity and fired a laser cannon in an instant, easily leaving a bowl-sized black mark on Akainu Bugatti's silver-white wolf fur.

"Awooo!" With an angry wolf howl, Akainu Bugatti seemed to go even crazier, and his mutated ghost hand fiercely lashed out at Lian Yang.

With his sword held horizontally in front of him, Lian Yang easily blocked Akainu Bugatti's attack.

"Spear of Victory!" Seizing the opportunity, Arthur raised his hand and unleashed a spear of victory. Although it couldn't inflict much damage on Akainu Bugatti, it firmly pinned him to the spot.

"Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash!" Strike while the iron is hot. Lian Yang might need to use hit-and-run tactics when fighting Akainu Bugatti, but he brought a full squad with him. With a raised hand, he unleashed the Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash. The sword energy and blood energy in his left hand skillfully reversed once again, firmly attracting Akainu Bugatti to his front.

"Blood Blade!" Seizing the opportunity, Baron unleashed a fierce Blood Blade.

"FM-31 Grenade Launcher!" Alice didn't hold back, raising her hand to unleash her strongest skill, the FM-31 Grenade Launcher, which deals massive damage.

"Hammer of Repentance!" This was Arthur's attack; it seemed he had also adapted to Lian Yang and the others' fighting style.

For a moment, the body of Akainu Bugatti, who was under Lian Yang's control, was filled with bizarre and colorful lights: Baron's explosive blood energy, the firelight of cannonballs exploding on his body, and the holy light of Arthur's Hammer of Repentance.

"Awooo!" Akainu Bugatti let out an even more painful roar.

But it wasn't over yet. Lian Yang shouted, "Slay!"

Having gathered enough blood energy, Lian Yang's Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash had reached its limit. He fiercely flung Akainu Bugatti away and raised his hand to deliver a powerful sword strike, piercing Akainu Bugatti's body.

The blood and sword energy on the Lianyang Sword carried unparalleled impact, not only opening a hideous wound on Akainu Bugatti's upper body but also sending him flying.

But... it's not over yet...

"Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash!" It was Baron. After Lian Yang unleashed the Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash, Baron and the others launched a fierce attack on Akainu Bugatti. In the blink of an eye, Baron used the Bloodthirsty Demon-Sealing Slash again, firmly pulling Akainu Bugatti into his hand from mid-air.

If Akainu Bugatti were still conscious, he'd probably be incredibly frustrated; even bullying someone doesn't usually go this far.

Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, there are no "what ifs" in reality. Akainu Bugatti was controlled by Baron, and Lian Yang decisively unleashed the sword-drawing slash he had prepared long ago.

With precise control of the distance of the draw slash, a silver arc of light flashed past; perhaps if the arc were any larger, it could have struck Baron. But thanks to Lian Yang's precise control, it didn't.

"Roller..."

Akainu Bugatti, the former captain of the survivor squad from the ruins of Huttonmar, had his mutated wolf head severed and lying on the ground.

Lian Yang picked up the few pieces of purple equipment dropped by Akainu Bugatti and handed them to Arthur, saying calmly, "Take this. It's the last thing your former captain left you."

"Thank you!" Arthur silently accepted the spoils from Lian Yang and carefully placed them in a secluded corner of his backpack. He sincerely thanked Lian Yang.

Purple-tier equipment might be very valuable, but the camaraderie between Arthur and Akainu/Bugatti was undoubtedly more important. Therefore, no one discussed equipment with Arthur.

Composing himself, Lian Yang said, "Arthur, you should know where Akainu Bugatti lives. It's obvious that the mutations of these werewolves aren't solely due to the Black Nightmare." He paused, then added gravely, "The mutations of these adventurers must have been caused by human intervention. I believe that if Akainu Bugatti had a diary, he would have recorded all of this."

Akainu Bugatti's residence was not far from the location of the recent battle, and they arrived quickly under Arthur's guidance.

"Found it!" Akainu Bugatti's house could almost be described as bare. So Alice quickly found Akainu Bugatti's diary in a hidden compartment in his wardrobe.

Lian Yang opened the diary and, sure enough, found the reason for Akainu Bugatti's mutation:

"Today, a high-ranking nobleman from the Delos Empire approached me. He claimed to be a former hero of the Delos Empire, Gale Scherman. But looking at his pig-like physique, I was skeptical. Then he said he had a way to make the power of the Black Nightmare usable. I think he must be insane. The Black Nightmare can only drive people mad, how could it possibly be used?"

"He's here again, this time bringing a man named Senel, who claims to be a volunteer for the Black Nightmare experiment. The moment he unleashed his power, I indeed sensed the aura of the Black Nightmare. The Black Nightmare brings endless disaster. But if adventurers can utilize this power, they can surely resolve the monster-infested Ruins of Huttonmar as soon as possible."

"The power of the modified Black Nightmare seems to have a diffusive effect. I can sense that my teammates all have a trace of the modified Black Nightmare's aura within them, but that's okay. So far, the modified Black Nightmare is still controllable."

“I haven’t been feeling well lately, I think I might be sick. I think I need to go back to the City of Misfortune as soon as possible. Also, Senel’s memory seems to be malfunctioning. Me too, I keep forgetting what I’m doing…”

"I think I can't go back to the City of Doom. Is this the last day? This should be my last diary entry. My body is turning into a monster. What should I do? I'm so scared. Arya, please help me...."

Just as Lian Yang had guessed, although the details were vague, there was no doubt that Bugatti had accepted the Empire's experiment. And naturally, it ultimately failed. Most terrifyingly, this modified Black Nightmare could still spread. No wonder all the survivors mutated.

After reading Lian Yang's diary, he handed it to Arthur and then had everyone take turns reading it.

"Destroy it." Everyone had finished reading Akainu Bugatti's diary, and their expressions were all indifferent. Arthur suggested calmly.

Baron said, "The Delos Empire has never been a welfare institution. The fact that they stationed troops in this dilapidated ruin is clearly not simply to protect the surviving residents. They've just gone too far this time."

"Alright," Alice said calmly, "didn't we all expect this?"

In the end, Lian Yang made the final decision: "Then let's destroy it. Making a fuss about this won't get us anywhere. The Delos Empire has done this kind of thing far too many times. There's no power they wouldn't dare experiment with."