Chapter 521: Chapter 9: Why Are the Viral Creatures All Wreckage?

After watching Lin Yu fly off, Baining’s massive trunk began to shudder, and it started pulling its roots out of the ground.

Baining’s movements were gentle. Countless long roots emerged from the earth, leaving behind a hole far smaller than the diameter of its trunk, not disturbing the surrounding trees in the slightest.

Then, it gently wound its roots around other trees, twisting its trunk to relocate.

It then found a small clearing and drilled a hole in the ground. It extended all its roots into the hole. As its trunk settled onto the ground, it even thoughtfully sent out a few slender vines to prop itself up, ensuring it didn’t crush the grass underneath.

"Baining, I didn’t realize you were such an eco-friendly tree!"

Lin Yu laughed and flew over to land on Baining. But before Baining could reply, his gaze was suddenly drawn to the small hole it had left behind.

An unpleasant aura wafted from the hole, a mixture of death, chaos, and corruption.

Lin Yu blurred into an afterimage and shot toward the hole. At the bottom, he saw an array of bizarrely shaped limbs scattered about. The aura was emanating from them.

’Could these be the virus creatures I’m looking for?’

Lin Yu wondered. Then, without a change in his expression, he asked, "Baining, what is all this?"

"Those are my leftovers! Hee hee~" Baining chuckled, a bit embarrassed.

"Hm?" Lin Yu heard Baining’s laugh in their telepathic conversation and couldn’t figure out what was so funny. He looked at the tree, wondering if eating all those viruses had damaged its brain.

Just then, the limbs in the hole stirred. A sharp claw, aided by other severed appendages, shot toward the small bird that was Lin Yu.

Spiritual Energy surged within Lin Yu, and he prepared to block the incoming claw.

SWOOSH~

With a sound that tore through the air, one of Baining’s roots shot out, coiled around the claw, crushed it to pieces, and tossed the remains back into the hole.

"My apologies. My food can be a bit... lively."

"So this is the danger you mentioned?" Lin Yu reverted to his human form and sat down at the edge of the hole.

"Hey, get away from there!" Baining extended a root, trying to pull Lin Yu back. But a light flashed around him, and an Energy Barrier materialized, preventing Baining from moving him.

Lin Yu ignored Baining’s attempt and focused his senses on analyzing the composition of the limbs.

The limbs must have once been part of some animal, as they were composed of various proteins, muscles, nerves, and bones.

However, Lin Yu also sensed a great deal of microscopic activity within the limbs. A quick analysis confirmed his suspicion: the source of this activity was a multitude of tiny viruses.

The viruses also contained some Undead Energy. It was this energy that allowed them to manipulate the limbs.

In other words, the original consciousness of the host had long since vanished. The viruses were now their true masters.

The bodies of creatures infected and killed by the virus had become its puppets, simultaneously serving as its home.

As he examined the limbs, several more tried to attack him under the viruses’ control. Lin Yu dealt with them one by one without any need for Baining’s help.

"Baining, you eat this stuff?"

"Yep!"

"Is this stuff even edible?"

From his earlier observation, Lin Yu could sense that the limbs held no nutritional value. It had all been converted into sustenance for the viruses to reproduce. The only thing keeping them from turning to dust was the viruses themselves.

"They’re delicious! Want a bite? I’ll show you how I eat them!"

Baining grew excited at the prospect. It coiled a root around a piece of a limb and began to demonstrate its dining technique for Lin Yu.

It extended a main root, from which smaller, secondary roots plunged into the limb. Through these secondary roots, it absorbed the limb’s remaining moisture, along with some of its internal matter and the Undead Energy.

In an instant, the limb went completely still. The secondary roots then broke the appendage down into smaller chunks and passed them toward the main root.

Small mouths opened up along the thick main root and consumed the fleshy pieces.

After devouring the limb, the root system went still. A moment later, Baining’s needles emitted a faint trace of natural energy.

Watching Baining devour the virus-infested limb and then convert the Undead Energy it carried into natural energy, Lin Yu cheered out loud.

"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"

"These things are the reason there are no animals on this planet, and you’re their natural predator! I never would have guessed."

"If the planet’s original inhabitants were still here, they’d probably worship you."

...

"Hee hee hee~"

Baining giggled foolishly, clearly enjoying Lin Yu’s flowery compliments, and proceeded to give him a few more encore performances of its "mukbang."

After Baining’s demonstration, Lin Yu conducted a few hands-on tests of his own.

Ultimately, he determined that these virus-infested limbs were a type of semi-Undead Creature.

Pure Undead Creatures have a core formed from the soul of the original being or another creature’s soul, and are driven entirely by Undead Energy.

These viral creatures, however, use the virus itself as a core. They use Undead Energy to activate the host’s flesh and provide the energy for movement.

Therefore, simply converting the Undead Energy—a variant of the Power of Death—into the Power of Life wouldn’t be enough to completely kill these viral creatures. It would only cause the viruses to mutate and regenerate.

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