Sizzle!

Hot blood, tinged with a burnt smell, splashed across Yogan's face, adding to his already terrifying appearance.

A gnawing hunger consumed him from every part of his body.

Every inch of flesh, every cell, seemed to scream at him: he was dying!

He had never experienced such an overwhelming desire for food and blood before.

Normally, a person couldn't drain themselves completely, but under the influence of the panel, Yogan's blood and energy had been entirely depleted. There was not a single drop left.

If it were possible, he felt as though he could devour an entire restaurant at that moment.

The hunger was so intense that it constantly gnawed at his nerves, urging him to feed.

Yogan stood on the mutant beast beneath him, his trembling hands plunging into its chest. He felt around, his fingers finding the still-beating, scarlet heart and pulling it out with a sickening wetness.

Since the beast had mutated its body into something beyond human, Yogan knew it was no longer bound by the same rules. This was a game world, not reality.

Without hesitation, Yogan opened his parched lips and bit into the heart.

Fresh flesh and powerful blood flowed into his mouth, mixing with the beast's energy, and quickly spread through his body.

The cold, fishy taste made him gag, but he pushed it aside, swallowing the last bite with disgust. His withered body had not yet recovered, but his almost-faint head became clearer, and his limbs regained some strength.

"Don't kill me... I can do anything!"

Lara's voice trembled as she curled up on the ground, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the strange figure crouching before her.

Yogan's rough palm brushed across her smooth face, his voice hoarse and indifferent. "Explain the relationship between you and these mutant beasts."

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Lara's body trembled more violently at his touch. "Both the pigman and I are Yang Yi's subordinates," she stammered. "We work together to hunt the humans who survived in the ruins. He promised to build a camp for me… I don't know about the snakeman."

She slowly wrapped her arms around Yogan's calves, begging, "Please... don't kill me... I can do anything for you!"

Yogan let out a small chuckle. His right hand slid across her chest and gripped the steel bar that had long been stained with blood.

Puff!

The steel bar pierced through Lara's chest, splattering blood. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of Yogan's mouth.

"Die for me."

With a swift motion, he pulled the bar out, only to stab it into her soft neck.

The life drained from her in an instant.

After finishing, Yogan collapsed to the ground, the wind in his ears ringing like a low hum. It was as if the entire ruins were mourning.

It was just a doomsday game, but it felt far too real.

After a brief rest, Yogan began to search the corpses for anything of value.

Lara had nothing useful on her, but the mutant bull-man's body yielded something that caught his eye.

It was another magnetic card.

This one was similar to the one Yogan had found on the pig-man, but the information inside was entirely different.

"Alienated combat body!" Yogan muttered softly, rubbing the magnetic card between his fingers, his eyes flickering with thought.

"By absorbing the alienated energy between heaven and earth, tempering the body, gaining the recognition of God, and ascending to the extraordinary realm..."

As Yogan read the information, a slight frown creased his brow.

The three mutant beasts they had encountered earlier were all the result of the alienated energy's erosion.

It seemed that practicing the alienated combat body would ultimately transform someone into a monster that was neither human nor beast.

"No," Yogan thought, his mind racing.

He realized something strange.

Yang Yi, the strongest person in the camp, should have been the most deeply eroded by the alienated energy. Yet, when he had first appeared, he was still able to retain his humanity. This suggested that there was some kind of hidden secret behind his transformation.

Yogan recalled Yang Yi's words during their battle—how he had been forced to mutate prematurely and how his plans had been ruined.

Yogan's gaze shifted toward the dark room in the camp. He believed the answers to these questions might be hidden there.

But before heading there, Yogan glanced at the panel next to him.

[Kill the second-level mutant beast and gain 500 experience points]

The message flashed before his eyes. Yogan raised an eyebrow. The experience points were acceptable—at least his efforts hadn't been in vain.

In the martial arts column, the skill "Palm Yin and Yang" had transformed into "Yin and Yang Thunder."

Yogan understood immediately.

The power he had unleashed at the last moment, far beyond his own limits, must have come from this martial art that had been forcibly advanced by adding points.

[Yin and Yang Thunder (50%)]

Yogan wasn't sure what changes would occur if he continued to add points to the skill. But after some thought, he decided to hold off for now.

If things went wrong and he added too many points, he could end up draining himself completely, with no improvement to show for it. He'd better wait until he was stronger before trying again.

...

With a gentle push, Yogan nudged the half-open door, stepping into a room thick with the scent of blood.

At first glance, he saw dozens of cracked and mangled corpses lying on the ground. It was as though all life had been drained from them.

Suppressing his nausea, Yogan scanned the dark room carefully. After a moment, he pieced together a grim conclusion:

Yang Yi had delayed or halted the alienation process by absorbing the blood and energy from other humans.

Yogan's eyes narrowed as he processed this new information.

Perhaps blood and energy weren't the key. The real secret lay in the energy of heaven and earth.

Using this energy to resist the alienating effects of the energy was difficult for most people in this game world. But for Yogan, it was as easy as drinking water.

"In that case," Yogan murmured to himself, his gaze growing steely. "Let me see what kind of existence this so-called alien god really is."