Chapter 54: The Second Form

Bang!

The alarm clock in the cargo hold was smashed to pieces by a witch’s claw, its fragments scattering through the air.

But this did nothing to quell the witches’ fury; all of them poured out, their scarlet eyes scanning their enemies until they spotted a shambling corpse with a flashlight strapped to it.

The blinding beam reignited their wrath. Like a swarm, they charged the corpse, intent on tearing it apart.

This was exactly the chance Li Changsheng had been waiting for. He yanked hard on the rope connected to the trap’s entrance.

Thud.

A heavy stone dropped, landing with a muffled sound.

Inside, the witches realized something was wrong and began pounding furiously at the barriers around them.

But the containers were filled with rocks; even if they could shred the steel walls, the stone barriers within were impenetrable.

Seeing the witches trapped, Li Changsheng, lying in wait several hundred meters away, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the rain from his forehead and waited a little longer.

In a flash, he appeared atop the container, listening to the intermittent sobs from within.

His heart settled. It seemed the witches, having lost their target, had calmed down.

Climbing down from the container, Li Changsheng leapt onto the yacht and, after a thorough inspection to ensure there were no survivors, headed straight for the cargo hold.

A stench of rot filled the hold. He followed the smell with his flashlight to its source: the dismembered corpse of a man.

Judging by the scene, it must have been some playboy’s private yacht, hosting a party full of women.

Li Changsheng spat on the corpse.

Serves you right! Throwing a party like this without inviting me.

He shook his head to dispel the tempting thoughts from his mind and went straight to the cluster of small yellow flowers.

As he approached, a fresh fragrance greeted him, so strong that even the stench at the end of the hold vanished.

He counted seventeen blooms—about the same as the number of witches.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they looked remarkably like the sunflowers from Plants vs. Zombies, just missing a smiling face.

No wonder they glow...

He reached out and touched a petal.

The instant contact was made, his whole body shuddered violently as every G cell within him sprang to life...

A ravenous urge to devour everything surged from his heart...

Could this be the key to evolution...

A surge of heat filled Li Changsheng’s chest; his instincts never lied.

Without hesitation, he acted.

He took out a bag and tossed the male corpse overboard, then lifted the anchor, letting the yacht drift fifty or sixty meters further from the riverbank.

Once anchored and the boat had stabilized, he rushed back to the cargo hold and fetched his magical potion.

A gulp of potion for each petal.

He chewed a petal; its juice was sweet and delicious. Unable to resist, he swallowed it whole. Soon, a wave of comfort spread through his cells; he moved his limbs and found himself not the least bit tired, but more energized than ever.

He was astonished: usually, he had to eat vast amounts just to keep up with his G cell consumption, but a single petal outperformed all the food he could eat.

No wonder this species produces sunlight!

A fiery gleam flashed in his eyes. He finished the potion, picked seven or eight more flowers, and devoured them petal by petal.

Only when his body signaled enough did he stop.

After a while, his entire body felt feverish, as if he were being baked by a roaring fire. His hand pressed to his cheek, blazing hot.

At the same time, strange light surged around him. It flowed around his body like an eternal river of radiance, swirling and distorting his outline.

He felt an indescribable force rise from within, coiling around him like a nebula.

As this mysterious power enveloped him, his body underwent incredible changes. Each cell seemed to be inscribed with some kind of mark.

Time passed. His skin began to emit a faint glow, as if infused with the wondrous energy of the stars themselves. His pupils changed too—deep within, an intricate pentagram seemed etched, with endless galaxies spinning in his gaze.

Li Changsheng’s mind surged beyond its limits; unable to endure any longer, he finally lost consciousness.

Crack!

The sky outside was swallowed by endless darkness. Thunder and lightning raged like the wrath of gods, roaring beneath the storm-laden heavens.

A tempest swept the land as torrential rain poured down, as if bearing witness to some extraordinary event.

...

Time flowed on; before he knew it, a whole night had passed.

It was now dawn, and the rain had cleared.

In the distance, a rainbow slowly arched across the sky, its brilliant colors woven together like a magical bridge joining heaven and earth.

Li Changsheng stood atop the upper deck, his figure clearly leaner than before.

Though the yacht rocked beneath him, he stood immovable, his presence deep and serene.

At this moment, his body radiated an entirely new aura—every muscle exuded a transcendent quality.

Sensing the magic coursing within him, Li Changsheng willed it to the surface.

His whole body glowed blood-red.

Yet this radiance was invisible to ordinary eyes.

This state was like the invincible shell from Tank Battle, or the aura enshrouding fighters in Hunter x Hunter.

But G beings, after all, were born of viruses; their nature was inherently sinister, and so was their magic.

He willed his hand into a blade, and with a flash of blood-red shadow, struck the steel railing.

Ssss—

There was no impact sound, only the steel melting away, leaving a palm-wide, smooth-edged cut.

He drew a dagger from his storage. With magic flowing through it, the blade sliced through the iron rail as easily as cutting through vegetables.

So, his magic could extend from his body to his weapons.

“G2 achieved! I’ll call this my Sorcerer Form!” Li Changsheng exclaimed internally, exhilarated.

He experimented a while longer, but as the magic waned, he shook his head and withdrew the energy.

This state couldn’t be maintained for long...

And recovery was slow...

This world truly is a mutated, low-magic world...

Li Changsheng sighed.

In this world, there was not a trace of ambient magic; all the magic he wielded was generated by his own G cells.

But producing magic consumed his own energy, and the conversion rate didn’t seem very high.

After all, the essence of magic lay in using one’s own mana to resonate with the ambient magical elements, aligning them according to certain laws to unleash powerful spells.

In a high-magic world, with endless ambient energy, he was confident he could master mighty spells.

But now, forced to generate his own, he would have to settle for being a close-combat mage.

Speaking of which, he thought of a certain white-bearded old man—Gandalf, who loved to swing his staff and twin swords in battle.

Perhaps I should get myself a magic wand or sword, too.

Under this magical protection, bullets could no longer pierce his defenses. Even against tank-level bosses, ordinary firearms would be useless.

A blade would be much more effective.

Li Changsheng’s thoughts spun, but he quickly collected himself.

He’d been gone two days; who knew what was happening back in Civilization City?

In his previous life, he was always getting his base raided in games, which left him constantly worried about Civilization City.

Still, before heading home, he’d pay a visit to the Rex Institute’s evacuation site...