Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups Chapter 1256 - 609-2

That colossal, iron-strong physique lunged forward, its fan-like hand clamping down with a force that made the joints audibly pop.

"Still trying to play coy? If you don't confess now, have you ever felt the impact of a fist the size of a sandbag?"

"I swear, I'm innocent!"

Grey Eagle's legs turned to jelly, almost buckling him to his knees in the mire.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to talk, I truly have no idea!"

"Our employer always communicates through an encrypted dark web channel. The one time we met, not only was he masked, but his voice was also heavily distorted by a voice changer."

"We've never laid eyes on his true face. If you don't believe me, you can ask the others!"

As he spoke, he hastily gestured towards the six assassins standing rigidly behind him.

"That's right! That's right!"

The group nodded in unison, their faces ashen with terror, trembling like leaves in a storm.

"Oh, and the organization that recruited us? They call themselves 'Black Tide,' rumored to be quite influential in the Xia Country."

Desperate to save his own skin, Grey Eagle recalled and blurted out a name.

Black Tide?

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered as he quietly echoed the name in his mind, finding no recognition whatsoever.

Behind him, Ma Donghe and Hou Peng exchanged glances, both shaking their heads, clearly having never encountered this name before.

A brief silence descended upon the surroundings, broken only by the whisper of leaves carried on the chilling wind.

Fang Cheng scrutinized Grey Eagle for a full five seconds, his gaze piercing, as if dissecting every layer of the man's potential deceptions.

Only when Grey Eagle felt a prickling sensation on his back and his legs began to shake uncontrollably did Fang Cheng pose another question:

"Why did 'Black Tide' select you specifically for this mission?"

Noticing that Fang Cheng wasn't pressing further about their mysterious superior, Grey Eagle's taut nerves eased slightly, and he confessed:

"To be completely honest, the reason I attained leadership of this squad isn't solely due to my combat prowess, but more critically, because I possess a unique physical constitution."

"I am highly sensitive to high-dimensional energies and spatial distortions. Within a kilometer radius of a spatial rift, my blood quickens, and a buzzing sensation, akin to an electric current, fills my head."

"It is this innate, radar-like instinct that led 'Black Tide' to choose me."

"And this..."

As he spoke, he carefully unzipped the inner lining of his camouflage uniform, retrieving a palm-sized black device that emitted a faint red glow.

"Once my intuition pinpoints the general vicinity, I deploy this specially calibrated nuclear radiation detector to confirm the location, allowing me to lock onto the precise entrance coordinates."

Upon observing the device, Fang Cheng's expression instantly turned frigid.

"So, tell me, why did you kill those other examinees?"

Grey Eagle's face drained of all color, and he hastily stammered an explanation:

"The killings... they were commanded by that individual!"

"He provided me with a summoning array, claiming it could forge a connection with the world of ancient civilization relics."

"However, this array requires a potent catalyst of Life Energy."

Under Fang Cheng's icy glare, Grey Eagle forced himself to continue speaking:

"The physical vitality of police academy students and mutants undergoing assessment is significantly more vigorous than that of ordinary individuals. By eliminating a sufficient number and using their spilled blood to draw the array, it generates a strong resonance with the energy of nearby relics."

"This amplifies my perception, enabling me to pinpoint a more accurate entrance location."

Hearing these words, a shiver coursed through Ma Donghe and Hou Peng, from the soles of their feet to the nape of their necks.

Not far away, the three police students, their hair closely cropped, had eyes blazing with fury. They gripped their short knives tightly, their bodies tensed, itching to charge forward and tear these villains limb from limb.

To use living human beings as conduits for arrays and as markers for treasure – these individuals were more monstrous than any mutated beast.

"Sounds rather like some sort of Western demonic blood ritual summoning," Fang Cheng commented nonchalantly, his gaze then narrowing slightly as he focused on the most critical question:

"Now that you've found a method to locate the relic entrance, how do you actually get inside?"

Grey Eagle wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

"I don't know the specific entry procedure. However, he assured me that once we provide the exact coordinates, he would personally intervene and escort us through the spatial barrier into that 'New World'."

Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly at this revelation.

"Is this individual among the current examinees?"

Grey Eagle nodded repeatedly, his swallowing becoming more frequent, his nerves clearly frayed to the breaking point.

He instinctively cast a glance towards the dense fog enveloping their surroundings.

It was as if the masked mastermind was lurking nearby in the shadows, observing their every exchange.

"He must be..."

Grey Eagle's voice wavered slightly.

"Since he's waiting for us to transmit the coordinates and reveal the location, he's undoubtedly concealed somewhere within this area."

Fang Cheng keenly noticed that Grey Eagle appeared to be holding back on crucial matters.

He was just about to press the issue.

Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through their discussion.

"Ughhh—"

The sound originated from behind Grey Eagle.

Startled, everyone turned to face the direction of the noise.

They witnessed one member of Grey Eagle's team writhing in agony on the muddy ground.

His hands frantically clawed at his own throat, with such ferocity that his fingernails snapped, drawing blood.

Under the horrified gazes of all present, his body began to contort in a grotesque manner.

Accompanied by the sickening 'crack' of bones shattering and reforming, his limbs unnaturally stretched, tearing his uniform to shreds.

Large areas of his skin erupted with purple-black blotches, and his fingernails elongated, hardening into menacing, beast-like claws.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, a flicker of gold manifesting in his pupils.

This individual was the assassin who had successfully completed his mission first and rejoined the group.

However, the faint black aura that had previously encircled his neck had intensified into an ink-like blackness.

Countless minute black tendrils, resembling leeches, burrowed aggressively into his blood vessels and muscles, seemingly seizing control of the host body.

"Old Dog, what's wrong?"

Grey Eagle called out, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Old Dog, still on the ground, ceased his writhing and slowly lifted his head.

In the dim light, all eyes were fixed upon him.

His face had become utterly contorted and deformed,

his jaw dislocated and stretched to unnatural proportions, with the corners of his mouth pulled back towards his ears, and viscous saliva dripped from sharpened fangs.

His once human eyes were now mere orbs of white, crisscrossed with blood-red veins.

Grey Eagle's shock briefly gave way to a dawning realization.

He gazed at Old Dog's mutated form, the fear in his eyes supplanted by a glint of exhilaration:

"He's been deeply infected by high-dimensional energy! This suggests the entrance to the relic must be close by!"

"We've found it, ha, we finally found it!"

Yet, before Grey Eagle could fully savor his triumph,

his laughter cut short.

Old Dog let out a ferocious roar, pushing himself off the ground with his limbs. Like a ravenous predator, he instantly lunged at the nearest companion.

"Ah! Get off me!"

The ambushed assassin, caught completely unaware, was slammed to the ground by Old Dog.

Old Dog opened his blood-soaked maw and clamped down on the companion's neck.

Blood erupted like a geyser, drenching Old Dog's face.

He drank greedily, a horrifying gulping sound echoing in the night.

"Help! Boss, save me!"

The bitten assassin shrieked miserably, his hands desperately striking Old Dog's back.

Witnessing this, the other two assassins charged forward, seizing Old Dog's arms from either side in an attempt to pull him off.

However, Old Dog's mutated strength was astonishing; with a powerful swing, he flung both companions several meters away.

Listening to the fading cries of his men, Grey Eagle's face contorted with rage, a malevolent glint in his eyes.

"He's a monster now! Kill him!"

The remaining two assassins grasped their military daggers, their gazes fixed on their blood-splattered "comrade." Their legs trembled, and neither dared to move closer.

"A pack of cowards!"

Grey Eagle bellowed in disgust.

He understood that delaying would only seal their fate once the creature's bloodlust was sated.

Grabbing a discarded three-sided military dagger, he swiftly moved behind Old Dog, aimed for the area just above the heart, and plunged the blade in with all his strength.

*Poof!*

The dagger sliced through the camouflage uniform, meeting a dull resistance.

The tip penetrated only half a centimeter before being arrested by the dense, hardened muscles on the monster's back.

Old Dog ceased his gruesome feeding.

He then slowly released his now-deceased victim. With his blood-streaked, twisted face, he turned his head a full one hundred and eighty degrees.

Locking eyes with Grey Eagle, still gripping the dagger's hilt and sweating profusely, he suddenly grinned, emitting a chilling, hair-raising laugh.