Chapter 142: Discovery

Chapter 42: Discovery

A pungent, thick scent of blood hung heavy in the air as El gently pushed open the door to the storage room.

What came into view was the familiar hallway where he used to run and jump. He pressed his small head against the crack of the door, peering out cautiously. A cold, oppressive stillness filled the empty house.

In the living room, the magazines and newspapers his father often read lay scattered across the coffee table. His mother’s slightly soiled apron was cast aside near a dining chair, just as it had been when El had first arrived home. Yet, that familiar, warm sense of home had long since vanished. Now, only emptiness and a chilling gloom swirled beneath the ceiling.

"Papa... Mama..."

El called out softly into the house. There was no response.

His eyes reddened. Gritting his teeth, a spark of resilience flared within his emerald pupils. El tiptoed into the kitchen and, standing on his tiptoes, struggled to pull a metal table knife from the rack. Under the sunlight, the sharp tip caught a dangerous glimmer, reflecting against El’s pale lips—a sight both pathetic and futile.

Enduring the increasingly suffocating stench in the air, he walked to the front door. With his right hand gripping the knife and his left trembling slightly, he carefully turned the doorknob.

Blood.

A vivid, crimson glare of blood filled his vision. Dried blood covered the entire street, a pungent, nauseating stench permeated the air, and mutilated, unrecognizable corpses lay scattered across the gray cobblestones. This hellish, gruesome scene seared itself deep into El’s young soul, leaving behind a cruel and icy mark of terror.

"Ah..."

El could not suppress a gasp. Halfway through the cry, the overwhelming fear flooding his heart choked it back in his throat, turning the rest of the sound into a pained whimper. The silver table knife slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with a crisp clatter.

El collapsed powerlessly, his right hand trembling as he covered his mouth, while large tears rolled down his dry cheeks like beads on a string. Grief, panic, bewilderment... a web of negative emotions tangled deep within him. His mind went blank. His innocent, pure soul was left shattered and reeling under the onslaught of such cruel reality.

Even though El had tried to restrain himself, that half-stifled cry still echoed through the deathly silent town.

"Grrr..."

Soft, rustling sounds, accompanied by vicious growls, drifted in from both ends of the street. Sticky, fresh blood mixed with greedy drool dripped from their muzzles, and sharp claws left deep gouges as they trod upon the stone. Several large Houndour bared their fangs, stepping lightly toward the source of the sound.

They knew... fresh prey had arrived.

...

Lu Yun impatiently brushed aside the seemingly endless, dense tall grass. From night until day, he had been trekking across this dangerous, vast plain for an entire night. Yet, all that met his eyes were the withered, overgrown stalks. If not for the ancient trees that stood like landmarks on the horizon, he would have suspected he was lost.

"Sigh."

He let out a helpless sigh, his footsteps numb. In this dull, tedious environment, his thoughts could not help but churn.

When he first possessed this body, he had defined his combat role as a melee brawler. The terrifying additive effects of the two Legendary beast items, combined with the racial stat leanings of a Machop, could create a perfect warrior template capable of soaking up massive damage while dealing explosive output. However, the surgical experiments he underwent in the underground base had completely shattered his original plans.

Setting aside the physical changes, the terrifying concentration of Ghost-type energy stored within his body was enough to distress him. Of course, it was a "happy" kind of trouble. After the surgery, his body’s original pure Fighting-type attribute had shifted, subtly transforming into a dual Fighting/Ghost type. While he could still continue to develop along the lines of his original warrior template if he wished, truthfully, Lu Yun was reluctant to do so.

The vast Ghost-type energy inside him was like a chocolate truffle with a tempting aroma; until you bit into it, you would never know what lay inside. Was it a nauseating snot flavor, a tooth-aching lemon, or a cloying, sweet strawberry? The mystery turned Lu Yun into a newborn kitten, his curiosity tempting him to put that unknown chocolate into his mouth. He wanted to combine the Ghost-type energy with his planned warrior template to forge a unique combat system belonging solely to him, Lu Yun.

On this path into the unknown, Lu Yun was like a man crossing a river by feeling for stones, needing a long time to grope his way forward. Every step he took could be said to be imbued with unprecedented innovation.

As his thoughts turned, Lu Yun suddenly noticed that the withered grass ahead was becoming sparse, and his field of vision was opening up.

"Oh?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Have I reached the outskirts?"

A gleam of light flickered in his eyes. He couldn't help but quicken his pace. Gradually, as the obstructions blocking his view thinned, Lu Yun, with his eyesight far surpassing that of a human, caught sight of some human structures on the far horizon. Judging by the architectural style, they appeared to be homes for ordinary civilians.

In Lu Yun’s memory, ordinary humans in the Pokémon world were quite friendly toward wild Pokémon. Although he didn’t know which parallel universe he was in, that general fact likely remained unchanged. Besides, he was only going to ask for directions and learn about the local situation; nothing should go wrong.

Nodding to himself, Lu Yun walked quickly toward the distant town. But as the distance between them closed, a grave expression gradually settled on his face.

Strange.

Judging by the wear and tear on the buildings, humans should have lived here for years. Yet, at this moment, Lu Yun felt not a trace of the bustle of human activity; a gloomy, deathly silence hung over the village.

Suddenly, a faint, metallic scent of blood drifted across his nose on the breeze.

"Hmm?"

His brows furrowed, his gaze darkening. Lu Yun knew that something terrible had happened. His calf muscles bulged with power, his body leaning forward like a cheetah.

"Bang!"

The ground beneath his feet shattered, kicking up a cloud of dust. Lu Yun’s sturdy frame instantly turned into a pitch-black phantom, sprinting toward the distant town at a terrifying speed that no ordinary person could imagine across the vast Kolo Plain.