In the span of this single hour, whatever transpired had completely transformed Mrs. Yan. She was now utterly assimilated by the Gu Worms, mutated into a colossal abomination—a human-faced, insect-bodied monstrosity resembling a hybrid of centipede and spider. Her entire form was covered in pitch-black shell and coarse fur, with twenty-four steel-like segmented limbs protruding from her body.

At the same time, she seemed to have been modified into some kind of broodmother, continuously spewing toxic fog.

Wherever she passed, countless people's faces turned flush and red, their orifices oozing blood.

Finally, their bodies swelled to the breaking point and exploded!

"Monster! There's a monster!"

"Run! Hurry..."

A crowd surged desperately toward the ships in the harbor, pushing, shoving, and fighting one another along the way. Some, in their panic, even fired bullets to cripple the legs of those behind, determined to get ahead and secure their own survival.

But a massive shadow descended from above—Mrs. Yan leapt directly into the center of the humans. Her razor-sharp iron limbs tore through their bodies, limbs and shredded viscera erupting and splattering within pools of blood.

A scene of unspeakable brutality.

Toxic fog billowed outward, and countless people convulsed violently, collapsing dead on the spot.

Their corpses, contaminated and motionless, trembled and twitched, as countless swarming Gu Worms poured out en masse.

Just then, Gu Jianlin's phone began to ring with the communication channel's voice once again.

The encrypted Omega Sequence communication interface appeared in his view.

Crown Prince: "Order received from Director. Report the situation at the scene."

Nightmare: "Mrs. Yan's soul waves detected—highly likely assimilated by Gu Worms. She exhibits toxin-spewing capabilities. All personnel must avoid approaching casually, as exposure to toxins almost certainly results in infection. If infected, your body will become nothing but an incubator for Gu Worms. The higher the rank, the greater the number of worms that propagate within you! Based on my analysis, this toxin is spiritually-induced and cannot be physically isolated with conventional defenses!"

Jue Jian: "The Gu Worms along the East Coast have already been cleared. I can immediately lead a team and sword-flight over to the scene."

Jizhou: "Do not approach blindly. Focus on evacuating personnel on-site. Kill anyone inside the Forbidden Zone who can feed the Gu Worms. Prevent their growth at all costs. I will immediately request Barrier-class Mythical Weapons from the higher-ups to try and temporarily contain Mrs. Yan. Poison Master, Dawn, how soon can you analyze the toxin composition and formulate an antidote?"

Poison Master: "You'll need to buy me at least ten minutes; I'm already analyzing samples as we speak."

Dawn: "If you can create the antidote, I can heal."

Nightmare: "Divination results have surfaced—Mrs. Yan consumed a new, never-before-seen type of Gu Worm. She's almost completely irrational and operates on sheer instinct. Hypnosis and Illusion Techniques are essentially ineffective."

Jizhou: "If that's the case, all personnel are ordered to retreat temporarily. Let Mrs. Yan feast on the Forbidden Zone occupants first—they're low-ranked anyway, and this approach minimizes collateral damage. Ensure the battlefield stays confined to the Forbidden Zone. If ordinary civilians die because of this, none of us will escape accountability."

Jue Jian: "A shame my junior sister isn't on-site. Her Extreme Thunder might be capable of generating a sufficiently robust Barrier to temporarily seal Mrs. Yan's movements."

Jizhou: "Where's Thunder right now?"

Jue Jian: "Undergoing a ritual to break through Fourth Rank."

Crown Prince: "Li Hanting, is this your plan? If you're not capable, don't recklessly issue commands. There are still many of our personnel on-site—can you guarantee their survival amidst this chaos?"

Jizhou: "Brother Changsheng, these Gu Worms were cultivated by Nightmare Masters during their Sixth Rank phase. Once exposed to this toxic fog, neither you nor I can guarantee survival. I understand Director Chen won't endorse my plan, but when have any of our operations avoided sacrifice? This isn't the time for a Holy Mother mentality—who's willing to throw their life away?"

Crown Prince: "If I were there, I'd try, instead of hiding like a cowardly turtle from behind the scenes."

Jizhou: "Apologies, but as the highest-ranking officer in charge on-site, I take full responsibility for this operation. If you've got concerns or objections, we can discuss them after it's all over. Over and out."

The communication channel was consumed by silence.

The Omega Sequence members had proposed a containment strategy to minimize losses.

Objectively, it was indeed the optimal solution to the current crisis.

But...

Gu Jianlin pocketed his phone and wordlessly pulled out a vial of Blue Blood from his jacket, tipping it down his throat.

He listened closely to the ongoing conversations over the channel, understanding the situation in full by now.

"Have you made up your mind yet?"

Jing Ci cast him an amused glance, smiled faintly, and asked, "If you go forward now, there's likely no coming back. You need to be crystal clear about the consequences—and about why you're willing to take this step."

Gu Jianlin said nothing; he simply grabbed his metallic black umbrella, stowed the remaining four vials of Blue Blood from his pocket, and drew the golden Desert Eagle from his waist.

Without uttering a single word, he walked out of the grocery store.

Lightning crackled and thunder roared.

The piercing cold storm struck head-on, as if a tsunami were about to swallow the entire chaotic harbor.

Burning ruins, frantic and crowded crowds, yachts and cruise ships bobbing wildly amidst turbulent waters.

Gu Jianlin stared out into the storm, enhancing his sensory perception with Life Perception, and surveyed the chaotic world around him.

In the midst of the tempest, Fu Chaoyang, riding a brakeless bicycle, crashed violently into the ground.

The impact sent him tumbling in the rain for over ten meters, breaking several ribs.

Yet, somehow summoning immense determination, he continued crawling forward, carrying his foster father on his back.

Further away, Lu Zicheng and Chen Qing were mixed in with the crowd, spotting a young girl who had fallen in front of them. Gritting their teeth, they picked her up and rushed toward the rescue yachts.