Chapter 20: Fusionist

"He should go back and find Chen Yan."

The rickshaw moved forward on the gravel road. Chen Ling sat in the vehicle, his expression extremely grim.

He didn't know what had gone wrong to make Han Meng suspect him so quickly, even to the point of paying out of his own pocket to send him away just to question Chen Yan alone.

But the problem was, all his paths were now blocked.

Even if he turned back to find Chen Yan, putting aside whether he could reach home faster than the law enforcement officers, Han Meng would quickly find out if he left the rickshaw, and then it would be impossible to clear his name.

From now on, it would depend on how Chen Yan handled the situation...

However, Chen Ling had already made a plan: if his identity was exposed, he would flee directly from District Two. After all, it would take time for Han Meng to rush over from District Three.

As for Chen Yan, he was an ordinary person. He didn't know about Chen Ling's identity as a Fuser, nor did he even know what a Fuser was... Even if something happened to Chen Ling, Chen Yan wouldn't be implicated.

"Brother, and you said you had no money," the panting rickshaw puller turned and said. "Even Officer Han Meng is reimbursing your fare. Your identity is certainly not simple."

"Heh heh, indeed not simple."

Han Meng's image flashed in Chen Ling's mind, and he felt a surge of anger in his chest. He then asked, "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Soon, about ten more minutes."

"No need to be so fast. Go around this street a few more times."

"...Huh?"

"Just run when I tell you to. Anyway, he's paying by the kilometer." Chen Ling sneered, "Doesn't he have a lot of money? I'll spend it for him properly..."

"So, I'm really going to run then?"

"Run where there are a lot of people, so they can see you. That way, he can't back out of paying."

"Got it!"

The man then pulled Chen Ling for more than ten laps around the busiest streets of District Two. It was clear the man was very excited; after all, the extra distance alone was enough for him to earn fares for two or three days.

When Chen Ling got out of the rickshaw, the man's grin stretched to his ears, and he looked as if he wanted to kowtow to this benefactor on the spot.

Since he was the only one "forced to depart," and Wu Youdong wouldn't arrive for several more hours, Chen Ling had to go to Bingquan Street alone to meet with the District Two law enforcement officers patrolling there.

As soon as he reached Bingquan Street, Chen Ling's brows furrowed.

Yellow police tape almost completely sealed off the entire street. The scent of blood still lingered in the air, and the short, dilapidated buildings on both sides were empty, devoid of people. Only a few shocking crimson bloodstains splattered across the white walls.

Chen Ling bent down and crossed the police tape. Under his feet were broken stones, as if a ferocious beast had once appeared there and massacred the entire street.

"What is this..." Confusion appeared in Chen Ling's eyes.

In the distance, several figures in black and red uniforms moved among the ruins. When they saw Chen Ling stepping past the police tape, they walked straight toward him.

"Are you the reserve from District Three? Why are you here so early?"

Chen Ling handed over his transfer order, putting all the blame on Han Meng, claiming he had been told to depart as soon as possible.

The officer nodded. "It's good you arrived early; we're short-staffed... My name is Qian Fan, and I'm currently the law enforcement officer responsible for Bingquan Street. You'll work with me for the next couple of days."

"Okay." Chen Ling paused, then asked, "Brother Fan, what exactly happened here?"

"Haven't you heard?"

Qian Fan asked, surprised, "The night before last... the day the Gray Realm converged, a Calamity entered District Two and killed half the people on an entire street."

Chen Ling was taken aback. "The night before last?"

"Yes," Qian Fan nodded. "Didn't your District Three officer Ma Zhong tell you? During this Gray Realm convergence, it's highly likely that two Calamities escaped... one Level Five and one Level Three.

The one that appeared in your District Three was Level Five, but its destructive power didn't seem strong, and it caused very few casualties... The Level Three one here in our District Two, although not high-level, is truly bloodthirsty..."

Hearing this, Chen Ling's mind reeled.

He had always thought that the one in his mind was the only Calamity that had escaped from the Gray Realm... but now there was another one?

"What about the Level Three one? Was it caught?"

"If it had been caught, why would so many of us be here?" Qian Fan sighed. "After killing people, that Calamity disappeared... However, a law enforcement officer witnessed the direction it left in; it seems to have gone towards the back mountains."

The back mountains...

Chen Ling remembered that the back mountains were located between District Two and District Three.

"You know, these two Calamities are strange... Usually, after a Calamity appears and causes a big commotion, it's quickly caught, partly because of its size and partly because it can't stop killing... But this time, both Calamities vanished simultaneously, as if they had evaporated into thin air!"

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat, and he casually asked, "I heard there's a type of human called... a Fuser?"

"Fusers..." Qian Fan shook his head. "Do you think the fusion of a Calamity with a human is easy? To fuse with a Calamity and survive, you must meet three conditions... First, you have to ensure that the Calamity doesn't kill you. This condition alone is enough to eliminate 99% of Calamities, as most of them have no self-control.

You could say that people first beat it to near death, but the next problem is, you have to ensure your physical constitution is compatible with it... This is completely unpredictable.

A human and a Calamity are not the same species at all. For them to be compatible, it's as unlikely as picking up a random stone and finding that its natural patterns just happen to spell out your name.

Even if you're really lucky and meet the first two conditions, you also have to ensure that after fusing with a Calamity, you won't be driven mad by its will... As far as I know, most Fusers are insane and don't live for more than a few years."

Chen Ling retorted, "So, according to you, the probability of a Fuser appearing is close to zero?"

"That's right," Qian Fan nodded. "However, I've heard that some within the Fusion Faction are already researching methods to increase the success rate of fusion... I don't know how far they've progressed, though."

Previously, Chen Ling had always believed he was a Fuser, but after hearing Qian Fan's description, he felt it wasn't quite right...

His connection with the "Audience" was entirely based on the Theater; there didn't seem to be the fusion process Qian Fan described... although these "Audience members" did occasionally drive him mad.

At the same time, a thought flashed through Chen Ling's mind.

Since he wasn't considered a Fuser...

Was it possible that he too could master a path to godhood of his own?