S-Class Judge: My ability is parasitism.

A peaceful life will not last forever.

When humans are endowed with superhuman power, evil is also born—those awakened beasts who cannot control their desires will ultimately fall into depravity.

In the third week of adapting to his new abilities at the Trial Bureau's training grounds, Xu Nuo faced his first real-world mission.

"Urgent report: Traces of Beast Awakeners have been found in the old industrial park in the western suburbs, suspected to be an attack." Gao Shen summoned the entire team to the conference room. Satellite maps and several blurry surveillance screenshots were displayed on the projection screen. "Multiple mutilated corpses were found at the scene, and it can be basically confirmed that it was the work of Beast Awakeners."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became serious. Ni Shihua pursed her lips, Hou Hao put away his usual playful smile, Zhang Wei frowned, and Pan Yuan slowed down his movements as he played with the walnuts.

"According to the information from above, the intensity is around level C." Gao Shen tapped the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "This mission is relatively simple: clear the target and retrieve the remains. Pan Zi."

Pan Yuan raised his head.

"You'll be primarily in charge of this operation." Gao Shen's gaze shifted to Xu Nuo. "Take Xu Nuo under his wing and familiarize him with the procedures, and be responsible for his safety. He may be an S-rank, but he has zero practical experience. Make sure nothing happens to him."

"Okay." Pan Yuan responded and nodded to Xu Nuo.

"The rest of you will form a second team, standing by outside the park, ready to provide support at any time." Gao Shen finished assigning the tasks and said in a serious tone, "Remember, beast-type awakened beings are extremely aggressive. Do not hold back, and do not show any mercy. They will not hesitate when they eat people."

An hour later, Xu Nuo and Pan Yuan lurked in the shadows outside Warehouse No. 3 in the old industrial park.

Night fell, and the rusted steel frame cast menacing shadows in the moonlight. The air was thick with the smell of rust and a strange, indescribable sweet odor—the smell of blood, the distinctive stench of a large amount of rotting blood.

The sounds of chewing and tearing could be faintly heard from inside the warehouse, mixed with heavy breathing and conversation.

Pan Yuan made a gesture, and the two silently approached the broken side window of the warehouse. Looking inside, Xu Nuo felt a wave of nausea wash over her.

Several half-human, half-wolf creatures were crawling on the ground, feasting on a pile of flesh and blood that was no longer recognizable. Their claws tore through tissue, their fangs crushed bones, and the sounds of them swallowing were particularly clear in the empty warehouse. Wolf genes are among the most easily adapted animal genes to humans, and also among the types that are most likely to drive people to lose their minds.

A few meters away from the wolves, a short-haired woman sat at a relatively intact table. She was dressed in a black bodysuit, her elegant posture incongruous with the bloody scene, if one ignored the knife and fork in her hand and the carefully cut mass of flesh on her plate.

"You lot are really barbaric," the woman said, picking up a piece of dark red tissue with her fork, her voice carrying a hissing quality. "Just because you've awakened your bestial genes doesn't mean you really think of yourselves as wild beasts?"

A werewolf raised its head, bits of flesh still clinging to its mouth: "Come on, is that elegance? You've clearly awakened snake genes and can't bite. What are you pretending for?"

"Exactly," another werewolf echoed in a deep voice, licking the blood from his paws. "What are you pretending to be so elegant for? If you had awakened your wolf genes, you might be enjoying this meal even more than we are."

The short-haired woman snorted coldly, "Hmph, I'm too lazy to argue with you." She put the food in her mouth and chewed slowly, as if she were savoring a top-grade steak.

Xu Nuo, looking out the window, felt a wave of nausea. Those gnawed corpses were just like their fellow countrymen.

"No wonder the organization is so determined to wipe out the beast awakeners," he said in a low voice, his fingertips turning white from the pressure. "These guys actually hunt their own kind, they deserve to die."

Pan Yuan placed his hand on his shoulder, his grip firm and steady: "Shh, don't make a sound." He carefully observed the situation inside the warehouse through the crack, quickly analyzing, "Five werewolves, all in their fully transformed beast form. That woman is probably a snake; she's very mobile."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Nuo: "Stay here and don't move. Wait for my signal. I'll deal with those werewolves. You take care of the woman—remember, don't let her get away. Snake-type awakened beings are best at delaying and ambushing."

Xu Nuo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Training was training, but when actually facing this kind of situation, his body trembled almost uncontrollably. He nodded, the dodder seeds quietly activating within his body like capillaries, with faint golden threads flowing beneath his skin.

Pan Yuan patted him on the back, a silent encouragement. Then, this "rich young master," who was usually lazy and played with walnuts, suddenly changed his demeanor. His entire body hardened and turned into the appearance of tree bark, and his muscle contours bulged under his clothes, making him look exactly like a tree person.

"Three, two, one."

The moment he burst through the window, Pan Yuan hurtled towards the nearest werewolf like a cannonball. With his Ironwood Hardening ability fully activated, his fist collided with the werewolf's head, producing a dull thud like striking solid wood.

"Judgment Bureau! Surrender!"

"Bullshit! Are you waiting to be killed by me?"

The warehouse was instantly filled with howls and roars. Five werewolves pounced on Pan Yuan at the same time, their claws gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Instead of retreating, Pan Yuan advanced, his hardened arms crossing to block, sparks flying. The werewolves' claws couldn't even leave a white mark on his skin.

The short-haired woman immediately dropped her knife and fork, sliding off the chair as if boneless, retreating several meters in an instant. Her pupils contracted to vertical slits in the darkness as she warily scanned the battlefield.

Right now.

Xu Nuo vaulted in through the window on the other side, golden threads extending from his arms like living tentacles, trembling slightly in the air. He landed very softly, but the snake woman's hearing was clearly more acute.

"Oh? There's a little kid too." She turned around, her tongue quickly darting out and then back in. "The smell is quite unique..."

Xu Nuo did not answer.

The snake woman moved. Her speed was beyond imagination, almost turning into a black shadow, but instead of rushing towards Xu Nuo, she tried to bypass him and pounce on Pan Yuan, who was entangled with the werewolf.

"Your opponent is me!" Xu Nuo shouted, and golden threads shot out, blocking her path.

The silken thread grazed the snake woman's arm, instantly drawing a small piece of flesh and blood. The snake woman recoiled in pain, looking at the rapidly drying wound on her arm, her expression finally turning serious.

"Parasitic abilities..." she hissed, "are disgusting."

"It's nothing compared to your cannibalism." Xu Nuo controlled the silk threads, which danced around his body like a golden protective net. He could feel the energy he was drawing from the snake woman, but it was little, enough to excite the dodder.

The snake woman fell silent. She began to move about, using the abandoned machinery and shelves in the warehouse as cover, launching surprise attacks from tricky angles. Her attacks were unpredictable and varied: sometimes sharp kicks, sometimes fang-like nails that sprang from her fingertips, and sometimes even spitting paralyzing venom from her mouth.

Xu Nuo proceeded cautiously. He continuously narrowed the range of the silk threads, forcing the snake woman to confront him head-on. After several exchanges, the snake woman's speed noticeably decreased, and the wounds caused by the silk threads increased, with the withered areas gradually spreading.

On the other side, Pan Yuan had already taken down three werewolves. His fighting style was wide and sweeping, relying on absolute defense to withstand attacks and then counterattacking with overwhelming force. The fourth werewolf pounced on his back, its fangs biting fiercely at his neck—

"Click."

Several of the werewolf's teeth broke off. Pan Yuan grabbed its head and slammed it to the ground. The concrete cracked, the werewolf twitched twice, and then stopped moving.

Finally, a flicker of fear crossed the werewolf's eyes. It glanced at its fallen companions, then at the snake woman who was fighting Xu Nuo, let out a resentful roar, and suddenly turned and charged into the depths of the warehouse.

"Trying to run?" Pan Yuan was about to give chase when he caught a glimpse of the snake woman's actions out of the corner of his eye and shouted sharply, "Little Xu!"

Knowing she was outmatched, the snake woman, despite having several threads piercing her shoulders, forcefully broke through the blockade and lunged straight at Xu Nuo's face. Her fingernails grew rapidly, aiming straight for Xu Nuo's eyes.

In that critical moment, Xu Nuo did not retreat, for retreating would have meant exposing his back to the enemy. The threads that had burrowed into the snake woman's body began to frantically absorb energy and grow rapidly.

puff.

The sound of threads piercing flesh rang out rapidly. The snake woman's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. Her fingernails were less than ten centimeters from Xu Nuo's eyes, yet she could not advance even an inch further.

Golden threads had already pierced deep into her limbs and torso, frantically draining the energy from her flesh and blood. The snake woman's body withered away at a visible rate, her skin clinging to her bones, and her once beautiful face rapidly faded.

"I... just want... to live..." she squeezed out the last few words through clenched teeth, the light in her vertical pupils gradually fading.