Chapter 13: Transformation
Taking the main entrance was a gamble with his life. The cold, ominous aura emanating from the mask could potentially trigger a mask outbreak. Without knowing the exact nature of these outbreaks, Lu Li wanted to avoid this risk. If he were in peak condition, he might have tested it, but with his life on the line, he decided to assess the situation later.
As Lu Li prepared to head towards the VIP entrance, a nauseating roar echoed from a distance behind him. The sound was a mix of metal scraping against a blackboard and the buzzing of countless insects.
This noise caught everyone's attention, including Lu Li's. He turned to see a massive black shadow with an indistinct mask on its head looming over the distant overpass.
People around him started murmuring, repeating terms like mask outbreak, psychic void, giant-type monster, and divine power mask. From these conversations, Lu Li began to understand more about the world's inhabitants.
These residents could only see the front mask and were unaware of the second mask. According to their discussions, a mask outbreak occurred under specific conditions, such as death or extreme anger. The mask would transform, and the person's body would rapidly change into various types of shadow monsters. These monsters were categorized into seven types based on their form, state, and abilities. The one on the overpass was a giant-type.
Initially, the shadow monsters were unable to interact with the physical world, giving the city's special combat units time to react. Otherwise, each mask outbreak would be catastrophic.
While not as frequent as the red-faced man suggested, outbreaks did occur sporadically. Once a shadow monster materialized, it could move freely, its sole purpose being to kill more mask-wearers. There had been a disaster where three different shadow monsters appeared simultaneously. The city's special combat units couldn't respond in time, leading to a massive outbreak as the monsters slaughtered mask-wearers, causing even more mask outbreaks.
That single event wiped out a tenth of the city's population. Listening to a boastful mask-wearer recounting how they survived the disaster, Lu Li gleaned valuable information.
The city's special combat units were small teams equipped to handle mask outbreaks, composed of individuals with divine power masks. These teams could easily defeat typical shadow monsters when working together.
People spoke of divine power masks with envy, though they didn't go into detail. Lu Li gathered that these masks were strictly regulated, akin to firearms but with some differences.
Closing his eyes, Lu Li sensed the masks connected to him. One was the shadow assassin, executing his orders. Four were with him, while the remaining four were in the hospital, slightly dispersed—three together, one alone.
"They're not entirely united," Lu Li realized, focusing on the isolated mask, vaguely sensing the situation through it.
"It's the nurse," he deduced. He could faintly feel her breathing heavily as she looked at the mask, almost as if making eye contact with him.
Meanwhile, the nurse held the mask, her eyes glinting with greed. She and the ambulance crew were temporary partners. The hospital allowed their extortion, with the aggressive paramedics having connections to protect their cut. The nurse, however, was at the bottom, with most of her earnings taken by the head nurse.
Discovering the divine power mask, she knew the head nurse would never let her keep it. Driven by greed and jealousy, she decided to act first, lifting her mask to reveal a dark void beneath.
With her mask removed, it turned into a regular mask, tossed aside. Breathing heavily, she put on Lu Li's shadow mask. Translucent tendrils extended from the void in her face, connecting to the mask.
Lu Li felt the shadow magic flowing into the nurse through the tendrils. The happy mask on her back deformed, silently screaming.
The back mask shattered and fell away as the nurse's consciousness linked with Lu Li's will. Lu Li hadn't anticipated such a direct connection, but it was advantageous.
Ordinary people wearing the mask would only put it on, requiring a gradual process for Lu Li's control. However, mask-wearers directly connected with the shadow mask, allowing Lu Li's will to invade the nurse's mind.
Simultaneously, the nurse's body underwent significant changes. The back mask shattered, her consciousness entering a strange state as a shadow power awakened within her, merging with the shadow magic. Lu Li, whose will had invaded her mind, sensed this awakening power.
"A giant-type?" Lu Li observed, noting the nurse's transformation. Her consciousness intertwined with the shadow power, her body becoming semi-transparent. "A greedy giant-type?"
"If it were a normal divine power mask, the so-called divine power would be an energy that excavates part of her inner void. After the transformation, she would gain the ability to turn into a giant-type, albeit with some pollution of her consciousness by the shadow," he speculated. "Now, with my shadow magic replacing the divine power, it still excavated her inner void, but my will also resides in her mind, completely brainwashing her."
"In other words, she's now completely my servant…"
As the nurse's transformation completed, she opened her eyes, filled with fervor, and exclaimed, "I feel the presence of the great master…"