**Chapter 89: This Isn't a Mutation, It Should Be Called Evolution**
*Whoosh!*
Dense, deep blue laser beams erupted from the depths of each eyeball, a terrifying burst of energy roaring forth.
In an instant, the entire Stairwell was filled with blue light.
The Muscle Monster standing before the dozen-plus laser beams had its arms melt away like snow meeting fire. Finally, under painful roars, it watched in despair as the laser beams pierced its arms and, with a destructive force, slammed into its head.
As the eyeballs overclocked, Xia Shang's stamina drained away like water from a bamboo basket. The lasers moved from top to bottom. By the time the Muscle Monster's body was completely carbonized, the several tentacles behind Xia Shang could no longer be maintained and retracted into his body like rubber.
[Analysis Condition met]
Beneath the charred, broken wall, nothing remained except a pile of unidentifiable ashes.
Xia Shang didn't fuse the ability immediately but quietly waited for his stamina to recover.
On the other side, Cha Hyun-soo had a flash of inspiration. He made noise, attracting the Giant Ear Monster's attention, and then stunned it with an Electric Gun.
He then successfully reached the Room of the siblings downstairs. After a conversation, he learned the older sister was Kim Soo-young and the younger brother was Kim Young-soo.
"It's not safe here, come with me." Cha Hyun-soo held the Electric Gun and led the siblings upstairs to the Room of the uncle, Han Du-sik. Along the way, the familiar dizzy sensation struck again, and nosebleed flowed uncontrollably.
"You want to protect them? Is this what you want?" A voice echoed in his ear.
At this moment, the veins on Cha Hyun-soo's arm bulged. He actually saw a hand resting on his arm.
As thick blood gurgled from his nostrils, Cha Hyun-soo clutched his chest with one hand and leaned against the wall in pain.
"Are you okay?" Kim Soo-young held up a flashlight and shone it on Cha Hyun-soo, asking with concern.
Cha Hyun-soo understood that his symptoms were exactly as described in the online posts. Thinking he was about to turn into a monster, he urged Kim Soo-young and her brother to leave him immediately and go find uncle Han Du-sik.
As soon as he finished speaking, a monster with completely black eyes appeared beside him. The monster looked exactly like Cha Hyun-soo.
The Desire Monster said to Cha Hyun-soo, "That's right, you were always this kind of person, liking to show off in front of the weak. But what was the result?"
Cha Hyun-soo's eyes also began to darken. Images flashed through his mind: his past suicide attempt by cutting his wrists, being bullied at school, and his parents' car accident.
These images constantly stimulated him, as if trying to drag him into the abyss of hell.
At this moment, Cha Hyun-soo's Desire Monster appeared again. Smiling, it whispered in Cha Hyun-soo's ear, "Try to accept me. I can make everyone you hate disappear. I can let you do things you couldn't do before. You can do whatever you want, nothing can restrain you..."
One could see that the expression on Cha Hyun-soo's face gradually overlapped with the Desire Monster's. The corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a sinister smile.
Meanwhile.
Xia Shang sat in the Stairwell with his hands resting on his knees, disregarding his image. On the panel in front of him, [Gluttony Talent Fusion in progress, current progress 4%] was clearly displayed.
"Interesting." The moment Xia Shang chose to fuse the ability, the cells in his body changed. This change was quite intense and brutal, but not enough to cause Xia Shang to have a nosebleed, and his body's surface showed no changes whatsoever. "Can you really restrain the desire in your heart? I am you..."
A Xia Shang with black eyes appeared behind him. A sinister smile hung on his lips, and his hands rested on Xia Shang's shoulders.
Suddenly, the scene twisted. Xia Shang, wearing a hospital gown, was lying in a high-class Hospital Room in a private Hospital, staring expressionlessly at the television screen not far away. It wasn't that he didn't want to show expression; it was because his facial nerves were damaged. Even smiling was a luxury for Xia Shang.
Maintaining his life required a large amount of money.
So, from the day of his car accident, his family was like it had been sucked into a money vortex. In three years, it had emptied his family's savings. Even the attending doctor told his parents that the possibility of his recovery was almost zero.
Currently, the only part of Xia Shang he could move was his eyeballs.
A doctor's accidental discovery found that playing some movies and anime in front of Xia Shang could stimulate his nerves, preventing them from completely dying. This was why he could watch so many movies and TV shows during his hospitalization.
At that time, Xia Shang's greatest desire was to be able to stand up again and gain powerful abilities like the protagonists in TV dramas.
Suddenly, the voice echoed in Xia Shang's ear again.
"Paralyzed for three years, don't you just want to become stronger? Accept me, I can satisfy the desire in your heart, make you no longer suffer harm, and stand above everyone else. Trust me, I can give you everything you want." The blackened Xia Shang said to Xia Shang with a smile.
"Are you done talking? You talk too much nonsense." Xia Shang turned around, grabbed the Mirror image with one hand, and slammed him into the wall with force.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Xia Shang grabbed the Mirror image's head and slammed it three times before letting go.
Blood seeped from the corners of the Desire Monster's mouth, yet he still smiled at him. "Can't bear to kill me? I look forward to our next meeting."
With that, his body shattered like a mirror, disappearing from Xia Shang's sight along with the scene.
"A mere clown. You think you can interfere with my mind? If it weren't for the fact that you still have some use, I would have twisted your head off just now."
Xia Shang twisted his neck, making a cracking sound. His body visibly expanded at a speed discernible to the naked eye. Even his arms began to show swollen muscle mass. *Rip!* In the blink of an eye, his pants split open, stretched by the muscles.
"Very good, just needs a little modification." Xia Shang closed his eyes and used the ability obtained from Goto, continuously compressing his body. The entire process lasted about five minutes. When he opened his eyes again, his physique had completely solidified and returned to its previous appearance.
However, if an observer were sharp, they would notice that Xia Shang's body was much more compact than before, and his muscle lines were more defined and fluid.
"This isn't a mutation, it should be called evolution."
*Whoosh!* Xia Shang swung his left hand towards the wall beside him. His five fingers easily left marks on the wall.
"Next up is the hunting hour." With that, Xia Shang's face began to twist and transform, until it was a one-to-one replica of Cui Yongjae.
He wanted to put some pressure on Cha Hyun-soo. After all, he was very curious about his ability. He really wanted to know if, after becoming a Special Infected, analyzing his ability would yield different results. Thinking this, Xia Shang turned and left the Stairwell.
...
Today, the author's old classmate came to see me, had something to do. I'll write ten thousand characters tomorrow, I swear! (end of chapter )