Chapter 30: Mad Blood Clan |
As soon as they entered the footbath district, they spent three full days getting footbaths.
Three days!
During those three days, Wu Zhong barely did any real work—just eating, drinking, and having fun.
They even rented a luxurious apartment on a single floor that faced the city’s largest commercial district, with the busiest pedestrian street right downstairs.
Karaoke bars, pubs, footbath establishments… everything was there.
Infinite Summer wasn’t in a hurry to leave; instead he let them rest here and fully enjoy themselves.
At the footbath place downstairs, Infinite Summer blew two hundred and fifty thousand yuan in one go; the manager fawned over them.
After footbaths they went to the bar, after drinking they went to sing karaoke.
Good grief, they really partied hard.
He never expected Yang Chunsha to be such a high roller—she wasn’t restrained at all and was actually the most excited.
“I come to this street in the city all the time.”
Yang Chunsha immediately summoned the hostesses. My goodness, they flocked in like spring songbirds, dizzying him.
The moment the door opened, the scent of perfume hit them first.
With a wave of her hand, Yang Chunsha had a dozen girls in colorful short skirts stream in, smiling coyly like string lights suddenly illuminating the private room, filling every empty seat around Wu Zhong.
Wu Zhong froze, not knowing where to put his hands.
The girls naturally sat next to him; a soft arm pressed against him. “Handsome, first time here? Don’t be nervous—just play games and drink. The important thing is to have fun…”
The dice cups shook, crisp clacks mixing with coquettish laughter.
At first Wu Zhong kept himself disciplined—worried about ghost-and-god attacks—so he didn’t drink and stayed in the corner watching them.
But people are toys to other people.
The girls’ lines were full tilt: sometimes “Brother, you can really hold your liquor,” sometimes “Brother, you look like you do big things—so steady,” other times offering fruit, “Brother have some food to line your stomach, otherwise little sister will worry.”
Wu Zhong who didn’t like drinking still had to drink a few glasses—there was no avoiding it.
“When do we leave? I want to sleep.” Wu Zhong urged several times.
Yang Chunsha jumped on the table and shouted, “Sleep my aunt! Get up and party!”
Wu Zhong hadn’t expected Yang Chunsha’s previously aloof demeanor to flip into this kind of drunken mania.
What was even more absurd was that Infinite Summer—always composed and inscrutable in Wu Zhong’s eyes—was singing until his face and neck were flushed.
The cold, distant image Wu Zhong had of Summer completely collapsed.
Wu Zhong spent the night on edge. Surprisingly, the Night Wandering Deities were considerate and didn’t bother them at all under these circumstances.
He wondered whether Summer was baiting them—just waiting for a Night Wandering Deity to throw itself into a trap so they could kill it to restore its life points and shake off the trackers before leaving?
Actually, that was a tactic.
Otherwise, no matter where they went the Night Wandering Deities would know and it would be awkward.
Unfortunately, the Night Wandering Deities didn’t seem stupid and restrained themselves from appearing.
That night Wu Zhong carried a dead-drunk Yang Chunsha and followed Infinite Summer back to the apartment.
He wanted to ask questions, but Infinite Summer told them the apartment was only rented for their use—and then he teleported away!
Wu Zhong was speechless. He’d been nervous all night, then simply fell asleep… because he trusted Summer.
Sure enough, nothing happened—after drinking he slept even better, with a dreamless night.
The next morning he woke up refreshed, and they repeated another round of eating, drinking, and footbaths.
After three days of the same routine, Yang Chunsha finally tired out.
Worth noting: the sky cleared and the strong winds died down.
According to Infinite Summer, the Mount Lu cyclone had been sealed; Unit 985 had the capability—apparently some Skyfire Squad arrived and used Bastet Metal to lock down the cyclone.
The disaster was contained and Xunyang City’s crisis was lifted; Wu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.
That night, with good weather, they didn’t go out but stayed in the apartment having late-night snacks and chatting.
Yang Chunsha propped her two legs up on the floor-to-ceiling window, lying on the floor picking at skewers, lazy like someone with cramps.
“Wu bro, you’re so uptight. When you play, just play!”
“If you don’t, who knows—maybe one day you won’t be able to play anymore.”
Wu Zhong said, “We’re still being chased, sis.”
Yang Chunsha laughed: “Don’t panic. Didn’t you see your Summer bro is partying too? He must have a backup plan—if ghosts and gods show up, they’re asking for it.”
“As for Unit 985, we’ll just live our lives. How could they possibly know?”
Wu Zhong imitated her and lay on the floor. “You handle this so casually, like you always party like this?”
Yang Chunsha opened a beer and drank. “Our circle is under constant pressure—danger and lies everywhere.”
“I don’t have big ambitions. I live for the moment.”
“Think about it—if you spend days worrying and then die anyway, isn’t that a waste?”
“And I’m living well—if you rope me onto a sinking ship, don’t you dare stop me from blowing off steam!”
Wu Zhong began to understand; he couldn’t tell Yang Chunsha’s true nature because she always wore a mask.
Living like that must be exhausting, especially when tomorrow might not come.
People from the disaster world were probably like that—like pirates, mercenaries, and explorers throughout history who never lacked feasts and revelry.
Thinking that, Wu Zhong felt tempted—he wanted to let go and play openly.
Every day the street glittered with lights and indulgence.
The bars stayed open until dawn; sanitation workers carted away empty bottles by the truckload during the day.
He wanted to experience that flashy world. Having lived so many years and hardly ever played, his fondest memory was going to an amusement park and riding a roller coaster.
When Yang Chunsha heard this she laughed and leaned into his ear, the warm breath of alcohol tickling it: “How about I take you to something a little naughtier?”
Wu Zhong raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
She got excited, pulling him up: “You’ll know once we go.”
“Ah… what… no… ah… I’m so tired, don’t want to go out…” Wu Zhong protested as she tugged him to the door, and soon they were outside.
At that moment Infinite Summer teleported back…
Wu Zhong immediately stopped, ripped his hand free from Yang Chunsha, and rushed back: “Summer bro, when do we actually leave?”
“Aren’t we just going to keep playing here?”
Infinite Summer seemed confident about something and was in a good mood.
He sat on a chair by the window, looked out over the city’s decadent nightscape, and lit a cigarette.
“What? Isn’t it good to play? Wouldn’t you want someone to chase you?”
Wu Zhong shook his head. “No, but I’m uneasy. At least let’s hit the road for now?”
Infinite Summer chuckled lightly. “You say head out—that’s one approach. Not impossible, but now is when inspections are the most thorough.”
“If I were Unit 985, I’d check every traveler heading far from the roads.”
“So for now, it’s better not to move.”
Wu Zhong was stunned: “Huh? We really won’t go?”
Infinite Summer tapped the window ledge with his fingers. “Right now we’re on the razor’s edge—let stillness respond to all changes.”
“Unit 985 will hardly imagine we settled down in a nearby star city.”
Wu Zhong scoffed inwardly: yeah, they’d never guess we’re getting footbaths in the city.
Infinite Summer continued, “We’ve changed appearances and assumed new identities; we should live normally and wait for the right moment.”
“Don’t act and you won’t make mistakes. Hidden in plain sight, Unit 985 won’t find us.”
Wu Zhong agreed in principle—staying near his hometown for a while was good—but he still worried: “The Night Wandering Deities grow stronger day by day. Dragging things out here can’t be the solution, right?”
Infinite Summer nodded. “That’s why while we wait for the moment, you can get stronger.”
“Only when your strength improves will we have more choices. Otherwise you’re just a burden to me.”
Wu Zhong felt ashamed and nodded earnestly. “I’ll follow your lead, Summer bro.”
“You want me to help Wu bro become an Awakened? But there’s no such channel in Xunyang City.” Yang Chunsha sounded curious.
Then she stared at Infinite Summer oddly. “Could it be… Summer bro, are you a Pavas? You plan to personally—”
Infinite Summer glared at her. “What are you talking about!”
“Hmph, I’ve invited someone to come help me—he’s from the Mad Blood Clan.”
Yang Chunsha sat up straight, her eyes a mix of fear and anticipation.
“The Mad Blood Clan? The legendary disease-consuming fiends?”
Infinite Summer nodded. “Exactly. Wu, you have a mind with firm defenses; becoming part of the Mad Blood Clan would suit you.”
“Eh? Mad Blood Clan—what exactly do they do?” Wu Zhong panicked a bit.
Yang Chunsha pursed her lips. “You can think of them kind of like vampires, but they specifically feed on mentally disordered bloodlines.”
“Huh?” Wu Zhong exclaimed. “You want me to become a vampire, and one that feeds on the mentally ill?”
Infinite Summer clarified: “Not feeding on mentally ill people’s blood, but feeding on mental disorders…”
“There are many types of mental disorders in the world—roughly nineteen major categories with hundreds of specific diagnoses.”
“These illnesses are the Mad Blood Clan’s food. Feeding on them can heal injuries or enhance overall physical attributes, particularly cellular activity.”
“You must understand: cellular activity, put simply, is vitality. Raising it grants longevity.”
Wu Zhong’s eyes widened—no wonder they’re called Mad ‘Blood’ Clan.
It was like vampires—immortal beings sustained by consuming a specific substance.
Only this intake was abstract—absorbing mental disorders?
“If I absorb the mentally ill, will their illnesses be cured?”
Infinite Summer replied with a hum: “Of course. It would be as if they never had the disease.”
Wu Zhong thought, is that for real?
He felt something was off. “So… what’s the price?”
Infinite Summer looked at Wu Zhong with some satisfaction. “There is indeed a cost.”
“Actually, when the Mad Blood Clan absorbs disease, those mental illnesses transfer onto the Mad Blood Clan.”
“Moreover, those illnesses become absolute effects!”
“Human medicine, even magic or immortal arts, can no longer suppress, alleviate, or cure those illnesses.”
“Minor disorders like social anxiety, ADHD, hypochondria, PTSD, anorexia nervosa, bulimia—those are one thing.”
“But for schizophrenia, intellectual disability, severe depression, mania, antisocial personality disorders—that’s rough.”
Wu Zhong’s lip twitched. “Wait… this this this…”
“So it’s like trading your mind for a body?”
Infinite Summer laughed heartily and said Wu Zhong’s summary was spot on.
“Isn’t that exactly trading your mind for a body? The Mad Blood Clan members are basically crazy in their minds—paranoid and mentally unhinged—but their physiques are robust with strong vitality.”
“Of course, if you have strong enough mental resistance, you can be fine.”
“But people with such mental resistance are rarities; those with a mind like yours—firm and unyielding—are almost nonexistent. You’d essentially be able to absorb mental disorders without limit.”
Wu Zhong swallowed. For the first time he felt a little impressive.
So his most useful trait wasn’t opening and closing doors, but the attached mental bulwark.
“Turns out my trait’s most useful part isn’t the door-making, but the mental bulwark.”
“Paired with the Mad Blood Clan, it’s a perfect complement—essentially a cost-free Mad Blood Clan.”
Infinite Summer turned and fixed him with a stare. “Exactly. That’s how absolute traits work.”
“Sometimes a seemingly useless trait ends up vital in an unexpected field.”
“It may even be that humans call something a side effect when it’s actually the main effect—like the Ever-Thirst example I mentioned before.”
Yang Chunsha looked at Wu Zhong with envy.
She knew how rare an effect like a side-effect-free mental bulwark was.
No one she’d heard of had it—people who had even a costly version usually became big shots.
Wu Zhong understood now why Infinite Summer’s attitude toward him changed after he explained how someone could escape a Unit 985 base—Summer gave him a symbiote armor arm for self-defense, ordered Yang Chunsha to listen to him, and spent heavily on a skin-change suit to ensure his safety.
At first Wu Zhong thought Summer was just good at containment. Now it seemed the ‘gate of the mind’ effect scored high points.
Wu Zhong was secretly happy—he was finally going to get stronger.
And as an immortal-type with enhanced cellular activity and thick blood, his survivability would greatly improve.
“Summer bro, when is your friend arriving?”
Infinite Summer shrugged. “He’ll be here tomorrow. Don’t get too excited—I only said he’d come to help me; I didn’t promise he’ll definitely make you into the Mad Blood Clan.”
“This guy has obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, serious nicotine addiction, alcohol dependence, and a bunch of other strange mental illnesses.”
“Anyway, for his sake alone you’ll have to keep him company and drink with him… if he gets drunk, everything becomes negotiable.”
Wu Zhong widened his eyes—have to drink with a vitality-strong blood clan member?
This—this—don’t make me drown myself to death first.