From the mechanical spiders’ bodies came a voice that was colder than the sound of scalpels rubbing against each other.

“Superhumans are the blades of the human civilization. Under the superhumans’ protection, ordinary people do not need to possess any military power.

“Listen up, people below. You are suspected of illegal cultivation, illegal hiding of crystals, illegal use of genetic drugs, illegal spreading of cultivation manuals, instigating others to cultivate, illegal possession of weapons, and illegal awakening. You are under arrest.

“Please put down your weapons and control the strength of your spirit magnetic fields and the activity of your cells. Put your hands behind your head and walk slowly to the open space in front of the canal. Surrender to us. We will guarantee your safety and your basic rights.”

“F*ck you!”

Realizing that he had been discovered, a muscular man with a full beard jumped up from the mud deep inside the canal. Holding a self-made nine-shot shotgun, he opened fire at the mechanical spider that had flown the lowest.

Hundreds of bullets hit the mechanical spider’s shell, creating dazzling sparks.

“Citizen, please cherish your life and cease this foolish attack.”

The red light on the mechanical spider’s abdomen became more and more intense. It was like a bloody light that covered the bearded man’s body. His muscles, bones, blood vessels, and neural network were all scanned clearly.

A moment later, the mechanical spider began to sound stern. “Citizen, testing shows that your combat strength has exceeded 200% of the legal limit. Please stop this dangerous hostile action immediately. Put your hands above your head and lie on the ground to cooperate with the investigation. Otherwise, we will use lethal force to cause you destructive damage!”

The bearded man’s response was to raise his middle finger high up.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and threw down the nine-shot shotgun, which had no effect at all. His eyes instantly turned red, and his pupils seemingly shattered. Streams of mysterious and overwhelming power flowed out from them.

“Roar!”

The bearded man let out an inhuman roar.

The hair on his face grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His teeth and nails turned into sharp blades that were shining coldly.

The mechanical spider detected the bearded man’s change and issued a mournful alarm.

“Red alert! A large number of monster cells have been detected in the target’s body!”

“Red alert! Monster cells have been activated!”

“According to Anti-monster Agreement No. 77, authorization has been unlocked. Fire freely and kill the monster!”

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

The red light on the abdomen of all the mechanical spiders turned into streaks of blood-red lightning.

The bearded man then jumped up high. He had just gotten seven to eight meters into the air when dozens of blood-red lightning bolts descended from the sky and struck him fiercely. He was split into pieces in an instant and burned into pieces of ugly charcoal.

Seeing their companion die tragically, furious roars came from inside the canal.

The people who had been hiding there could not hold it in anymore and jumped up one after another.

“Warning! This area has been polluted. The humans who remain here may be eroded by the monster cells and become puppets of the monsters.”

The mechanical spiders’ crimson glow continued to sweep around coldly. “Put down your weapons immediately and lie on the ground with your arms crossed. Cooperate with the investigation and treatment!

“Otherwise, we have the right to deprive you of your identity as citizens of Dragon City or even as human beings. You are no longer human beings but monsters in human skin!”

Such a threat did not scare the people in the canal at all.

Perhaps, they had long known what the mechanical spider’s “investigation and treatment” entailed.

The people looked at each other and saw the determination in each other’s eyes; they were ready to face death.

One after another, they took out green vials of medicine from their waists and arms. They twisted the vials in the middle and stabbed the needle that came out from one end into their necks.

“Roar!”

The people roared and tore their clothes, revealing their muscular bodies that were emitting waves of white mist. They looked like steam engines that were operating at an overload.

As their skin ripped apart, their flesh and blood became deformed and expanded. Soon, they appeared unrecognizable.

“If so-called ‘humans’ are you guys who rely on your extraordinary strength to bully the weak…

“Then let us fight you to the death as monsters!”

The people who had transformed into monsters howled and pounced on the mechanical spiders.

There were flames, blood, bullet screens, explosions, roars, and hisses. The battle reached its climax in the first second!

Meng Chao was dumbfounded. He did not understand why he was dreaming of such a strange scene.

Seeing his “companions” charge forward one by one, he did not know what he was supposed to do in this absurd nightmare or which side he should stand on.

The mechanical spiders seemed to represent Dragon City, as well as the superhumans, and they had the right to arbitrarily deprive others of their identity as citizens of Dragon City or even as humans.

It was unknown whether they were the “monsters in human skin” or “humans with monster shells.”

Yet, Lu Siya stood between him and the mechanical spiders.

It was as if she wanted to protect him from the mechanical spiders’ red light.

“Run!

“Run!” Lu Siya said.

“Wh-What?” Meng Chao did not understand.

Lu Siya turned around, her eyes full of tears.

Before Meng Chao could react, she hugged him and bit his lips hard, causing a stream of hot blood to flow out.

“Swallow it. It contains my monster cells.”

Lu Siya stared into Meng Chao’s eyes. “Promise me that you’ll escape Dragon City, go to the Land of Holy Light, and find the Holy Light Temple’s secret—that’s our only chance of defeating these b*stards!”

Before she could say more, she pushed Meng Chao out heavily.

At the same time, the mechanical spiders finally discovered her and Meng Chao.

There were suddenly a few streaks of red light, which created a huge fireball with a diameter of more than five meters in the canal.

The destructive shock wave was like a raging storm that engulfed Lu Siya and shattered Meng Chao’s dream.

“Argh!”

Meng Chao jumped up.

His heart was beating like a drum, and his head was aching. His soul and body seemed to be in a semi-detached state. It took him a long time to calm down before they merged again.

Meng Chao swallowed hard and found that his brand-new sleeping cabin was emitting white smoke and in a seriously damaged state.

He must have unconsciously released too much power in his dream and destroyed the sleeping cabin.

He let out a long breath. The dream from a moment ago was still lingering in front of him.

The intense stimulation and the extremely real details made it hard for him to tell if it was a dream or if it belonged to the “other future,” similar to what “Jackal” Kanus had shown him.

Right then, Meng Chao felt a slight sting on his lips. There was also something meandering down the corner of his mouth.

He staggered to the front of the mirror to observe it and was stunned.

He found a fresh bite mark on his lower lip.