Chapter 1555 - 21: The Burning City and the Blackfish Bug

Chapter 1555: Chapter 21: The Burning City and the Blackfish Bug

Su Xiao could be sure that he would encounter other Curse System Witches in the future. Moreover, such witches were too bizarre; during battles, he might inevitably leave hair, bloodstains, etc., and if such witches obtained them, it would be endless trouble, perhaps even leading to his death from afar.

Thinking of this, Su Xiao decisively chose Reward B. In this world, he could obtain many Treasure Chests, and was not lacking this one Golden Treasure Box.

"Is it... over?"

Meilodi stepped forward to examine the corpse of the Feast. This infamous Cannibal Witch had simply fallen dead, even letting out an appeal for help before dying, as if she had seen something terrifying.

Due to the previous loud noises, the surrounding civilians had scattered like birds and beasts. Soldiers clad in Scale Armor arrived. They initially assessed the situation, then backed off and sealed the area, dispersing all civilians within hundreds of meters to form a defensive line. This was not to prevent Su Xiao from escaping, but to help him seal off the scene — Witch Hunters held a significant reputation among the public.

Su Xiao approached the corpse of the Feast, extracting blood and palm prints from the body, and picked up a few pieces of black crystal. With these three items, he could prove he had slain the Feast Witch Keith.

"Your reward."

Su Xiao tossed a small bag of Gold Coins to Meilodi. Compared to promises, the tangible weight of Gold Coins was more likely to motivate people.

Indeed, Meilodi’s face beamed like a flower as she tucked the bag of Gold Coins into her bosom.

"There should still be assets at the Feast’s residence. Leave it to me."

Meilodi quickly ran into the warehouse, while not far away, Bubu Wang flashed a mischievous grin. After entering the Feast’s lair, it almost couldn’t help but vomit.

Five minutes later.

"Ugh~"

Meilodi bent over, holding the wall with one hand pressed to her chest, tears as large as beans rolling down — the result of dry heaving.

"Even if she’s... the Black Witch, the Feast is just too cruel. She deserved to die here!"

The scene from a few minutes ago left Meilodi somewhat questioning life, and several soldiers nearby were also dry heaving. These were soldiers who had been to battlefields, showcasing how horrifying the scene inside the Feast’s lair had been.

"Mr. Witch Hunter."

A White Witch with a rather pale face spoke up; she was Annie Claudia, the lord here, whom Meilodi had once tried to impersonate.

"This is my token of gratitude."

Annie Claudia presented a wooden box. As she spoke, soldiers had started handling the remains below the warehouse, with the wailing of the deceased’s family members echoing unceasingly.

Very soon, civilians crowded the perimeter of the blockade. After confirming there were no curse mechanisms below ground, Su Xiao stepped outside the warehouse.

Just reaching the crowd, a little girl about 5 or 6 years old blocked Su Xiao’s way, looking up at him with pure, large eyes.

"For you to eat."

The little girl handed over a fruit resembling an apple.

"Thank you," Su Xiao accepted it and slowly disappeared into the crowd.

...

In front of the carriage outside the city, Meilodi stood with arms crossed, looking at Su Xiao with a smile.

"How is it? Being admired feels good, doesn’t it?"

"Those civilians admire not me, but the Witch Hunter. That honor belongs to Witch Hunters."

"The Feast had an infamous reputation. Many White Witches and Witch Hunters died by her hand. Besides, aren’t you a Witch Hunter?"

"Who knows. Stop blabbering, get moving."

Su Xiao entered the carriage. Although nominally a Witch Hunter, he had his own purposes, differing from those Witch Hunters who fought for belief. Although doing the same things, this was also a primary reason Su Xiao accepted that shriveled apple.

The witch hunt continued, with Su Xiao’s next target being Nikto City. Recently, a few witches had arrived there, seemingly preparing something in secret.

...

A day later, inside a desolate city of stone.

Light smoke was rising slowly from houses turned to charcoal. When Su Xiao arrived, half of Nikto City had become charcoal.

In a grand and resplendent hall, an elderly man with a sickly yellow face leaned back on a seat, covered with a blanket. Several attendants beside him held bottles and jars, occasionally letting the elder take a sip.

"Lord Witch Hunter, you have finally arrived."

The old man shakily sat up, but after several attempts, he couldn’t accomplish this simple act.

"A plague?"

Su Xiao stood before this old lord.

"No, something far scarier than a plague: insects."

The old lord waved his hand as an attendant brought up a glass bottle containing a black beetle, about the size of a soybean.

"Once bitten by this bug, you will die within 3 to 5 days. Yes, I was also bitten by this little thing."

The old lord lowered his head, signaling for an attendant to pull open his collar, revealing a sea urchin-like black pattern on his chest, which resembled a black tattoo.

"I issued the order to incinerate half the city, but unfortunately, the little creatures weren’t entirely exterminated. Lord Witch Hunter, whatever you do next, please lay the blame on me, avenge my people. It must be them, it has to be..."

The old lord grasped Su Xiao’s clothing. His body was gradually losing strength, and the attendants beside him turned their heads, tears falling from their eyes, showing how much this old lord was beloved.

"Let me sleep for a while."

"?"

A few attendants were stunned; they believed the old lord had already died.

From observing the old lord’s symptoms, Su Xiao realized that this wasn’t a plague. The mark on his chest looked like a spell or witchcraft mark, gradually absorbing the lord’s Life Energy and nurturing something.

Su Xiao’s two fingers hooked, stabbing directly into the old lord’s chest.

"You!"

The attendants’ eyes reddened immediately. At this moment, they selectively ignored Su Xiao’s Witch Hunter identity; saving the old lord was crucial.

Su Xiao withdrew his two fingers, between them a egg-sized ovum, wriggling with a living organism inside.

With a pop, Su Xiao crushed the black egg, and a sweet fragrance spread; this thing contained a large amount of life energy, so naturally, it didn’t smell bad.

The old lord reopened his eyes, his body entirely powerless, but soon he started snoring loudly, sleeping soundly. Though his life was no longer in danger, the life energy that had been absorbed could not be replenished.

"Blackfish Bugs, aimed at gathering life energy, if inferred this way..."

Su Xiao roughly understood the situation in ’Nikto City,’ that a few elemental witches were gathering life energy, the black beetles named ’Blackfish Bugs,’ waterborne insects parasitizing under river fish bellies, were turned into ’Collectors’ by the witches’ modification.

The modified Blackfish Bugs, laying eggs, would die instantly. Its larvae wouldn’t hatch but continually absorbed the host’s life energy. This kind of larva belonged to an energy form; if it weren’t for Su Xiao’s Blue Steel Shadow Ability, he wouldn’t be able to capture this thing.

"How many rivers are in the city? With slow, clear waters."

"There’s only one such river."

A young attendant stepped forward, answering Su Xiao’s question.

"More than 30% of the city’s water is drawn from there?"

Su Xiao was validating his conjecture; while perusing books in the Holy Healing Church Library earlier, he gained a lot of knowledge on witch hunting. Witch hunting is not something that can be achieved with sheer combat strength alone.

"Over 70% actually."

"Seventy percent..."

Su Xiao pondered for a moment, roughly gauging the level of witches in the city. If it were a Fourth Stage Witch, even with just 40% of the city’s water taken from that river, the entire city would have no living people within three days; that’s how terrifying it was.

But there was something Su Xiao couldn’t understand: where did a few Third Stage Witches find the audacity to harm a city with over ten thousand people?