"To become Lord Yang's friend is an honor for me, Xie Kang!"

"Oh... don't say that, Doctor Xie. I have great respect for scientific talent... For someone like you, who has the potential to become a great scientist, your future achievements are sure to be limitless."

"Maybe I'll still have to rely on your shining path."

"Haha, you are humble, Lord Yang. Once the power of immortality has been fully integrated, you will surely ascend to the council and become a more powerful Apprentice Death God."

"By then, with our combined intellect and might, what trouble in the world will we possibly be unable to solve... what could we not obtain?"

Xie Kang and Yang Lie exchanged compliments, appearing in perfect harmony.

Yet, Jack and Frost Moon on the side felt a chilling sensation.

All clues at this moment strung together.

Why was Xie Kang able to conceal his biotechnology company, perfectly avoiding all audits and investigations? Because behind it all, the Apprentice Death God was involved.

Why was there such chaos in Yangshan Town, swallowing over a thousand miners in a few years, but Black Tiger, the mine boss, never responded?

Because it was all part of his own plan; he even planted those miners himself. Of course, he wouldn't yell 'Thief!' while being the culprit.

"Busy with affairs, unable to handle... ignorant without information... all of these were mere acts he put on."

He was the mastermind behind it all, and his plan was the greatest conspiracy in Yangshan Town.

"Immortality..."

The casual chatter ended, and Yang Lie paused slightly before pointing at the remnants of Taishui in the distance, explaining at a leisurely pace.

"Throughout history, almost everyone has sought immortality, yet most methods, like alchemy and pill refining, end up shortening one's life."

"But Taishui is the only hope among them."

"That young king tried to harness Taishui, but he ultimately failed and was instead consumed by Taishui."

"Yet the problem wasn't with Taishui; the problem was him... he was too weak, unqualified for immortality, unable even to step across the threshold."

"But we are different... we possess modern technology, powers far exceeding those of ordinary people and Taishui. Utilizing it is only natural."

"Doctor Xie's research is enlightening; we discovered that aside from the conventional three parasitic stages, there exists a theoretical fourth stage of Taishui."

Yang Lie stretched out his hand, making a '4' gesture.

"Through artificial feeding, we nurture it to a full state, allowing it to achieve the true Power of Life."

"Then, using special methods and drugs, we eliminate its self-awareness, rendering it ownerless 'Immortal Cells', and inject a small, harmless amount into the human body to grant it its power, without being controlled by it."

"This is the perfect immortality."

"For this, over the years we have been feeding Taishui with the innards of ordinary people."

"Anyway, the weak have no right to survive; it's their honor to foster the possibility of immortality for the strong."

"As the feeding progressed, Taishui successfully completed its metamorphosis, just one step away from the perfect third stage."

"Yet this final bit of progress has stalled us for several months."

"Soon we discovered that Taishui is no longer content with consuming ordinary humans... it wants to feast on something more nutritious."

"Like... the innards of an Apprentice Death God."

At this point, Yang Lie paused again, lowering his voice as well.

"The Apprentice Death Gods have undergone special drug modifications, their souls and bodies far superior to ordinary humans."

"And most crucially, the Apprentice Death Gods have completely broken the biological shackles... able to advance to higher realms at will, they are Extraordinary individuals."

"Their innards will provide Taishui with the most critical capability—a possibility of unlimited enhancement."

"Thus, Taishui identifies Apprentice Death Gods as 'breakthrough material'; without consuming a Death God, it cannot advance further."

"This is a bit troublesome..."

Yang Lie shrugged, a hint of helplessness flashing across his face.

"Apprentice Death Gods are not like those worthless civilians. If one really died on my turf, that would be a big problem."

"Though I have backing, who would want to offend an Apprentice Death God?"

"The plan temporarily hit a bottleneck... but, you see, I very quickly thought of a solution."

"That is... the Death God Task."

He proudly lifted his head, looking towards the speechless Yun You.

"High-tier Apprentice Death Gods have the right to assign tasks to those of lower tiers."

"Currently, I'm at Tier Two, so I can recruit Tier One and those in their apprenticeship."

"The Death God Task is the foundation rule of the Apprentice Death God Organization, sacred and inviolable... Once accepted, it's equivalent to agreeing to assume responsibility for one's life and death."

"If one dies during the task, neither the family nor the teacher of the Death God has the right to pursue responsibility."

"Therefore, I used the 'Mine Accident' as bait and issued a task."

"Half a month later, Miss Wu Ming, you accepted this task... and naturally, you became our final offering to Taishui."

As he spoke, he suddenly bent down, bowing to Yun You with an expression devoid of pretense, as if it were a genuine emotional outpouring.

"I sincerely thank you, miss, for your sacrifice."

"If there is a chance, I will erect a monument in your honor..."

"Save that for yourself!"

Jack cursed under his breath, then immediately controlled the machine gun turret and fired at Yang Lie and Xie Kang without hesitation!

Bang...!

The bullets flew, forming a web of firepower propelled by gunpowder, enveloping the Apprentice Death God before them.

Almost simultaneously, the mercenary pulled the trigger on a missile launcher, firing an anti-armor missile!

For a mercenary, firing at an Apprentice Death God is a rather foolish act.

Especially when this Apprentice Death God is far stronger than themselves, attacking them is almost suicidal.

But Jack could no longer contemplate such matters.

When Yang Lie mentioned wanting to make Yun You a "sacrifice", there was no longer any possibility of peace between them.

An eruption of battle was an inevitable result.

"My, my... so impatient?"

Looking at the web of firepower in front of him, Yang Lie shook his head with a smile.

His speech and actions were both extremely fast, enough to articulate his thoughts while the bullet flew.

"It's been so long since I've had a proper fight, my hands have grown a bit rusty, you see."

Yang Lie caressed his metal prosthetic hand, then looked at Yun You, asking: "Miss Wu Ming, I remember... your Sequence is the same as mine, a Mad Dog, right?"

"Everyone believes we 'Mad Dogs' to be weak, only crazily engaging in close-quarters combat."

"But I know how foolish they are..."

"In this world, there is no such thing as a weak Sequence, and Mad Dog is no exception."

"To express my gratitude and respect for you, let me show you one last time the true power of Mad Dog."

As his voice fell, a red light flashed on Yang Lie's forehead, revealing a large red wolf insignia upon closer inspection!

He activated the power of Sequence.

"Sequence Two: Mad Dog, Tier One branch ability..."

"Power and Speed Amplification."

Yang Lie slowly uttered a statement, and then his body was suddenly engulfed in red light, his speed becoming exceedingly exaggerated!

In a flash, he easily dodged bullets traveling faster than 1000 meters per second with a few quick motions, then he raised his unmodified left hand, slicing it towards the missile with a hand strike!

Swish—!

The blade glinted, and the missile was cut in half...

Yang Lie's speed was so fast that even the bomb's fuse couldn't react in time before being completely destroyed, crashing into the wall behind him.

"Modern infantry weapons?"

He looked disdainfully at the missile wreckage behind him, sneering...

"In front of a truly powerful Apprentice Death God, they're just a bunch of scrap."

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