Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

This wasn't a crack, but a reality distorted by the descended creature. Sensing something was wrong, Gu Cheng gripped the revolver tightly.

In the darkness, the faint light from the flashlights couldn't even reach the end, and the three of them could only grope their way forward.

"What..." Gu Cheng felt something binding her calves, cold and damp.

Looking down, she saw a section of iron chain, its base embedded in the ground, the other end wrapped around Gu Cheng's ankle. It continued to climb upwards, like a living python.

Azure lightning surged from her body, and the chains lost their life force the instant they came into contact with the electric current, turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing into the air.

"So fast." Zhou Li swiftly cut the iron chain wrapped around his waist with his knife.

Su Wanxi emptied the first magazine, but the results were mediocre. Wherever the light reached, more chains began to sprout. Gu Cheng's electric shock ability was exceptionally effective against them; no matter how many there were, as long as they touched each other, the current could be conducted.

"Gu Cheng, you are mainly responsible for dealing with the chains in the environment."

"Understood." Gu Cheng nodded and leaned against Su Wanxi to cover her while she changed bullets.

We need to hurry... Her awakening time is too short; she might not be able to hold on until the end. Su Wanxi realized the situation was not optimistic and immediately activated her ability. Gu Cheng and Zhou Li both felt their bodies lighten at the same time.

"Hurry up, save your energy to deal with the descending creatures behind us." Zhou Li took the initiative to help share the pressure by bringing up the rear. With a light slash of his Tang sword, he channeled all his power into a single point, breaking through the surface with that point. Even the strongest things have weak points, and many iron chains crumbled in the face of this skillful force.

Su Wanxi's ability was particularly useless at this moment. The chains that appeared out of thin air would only restrict her teammates if her gravity was increased.

"Too many." As far as the eye could see, chains stretched out one after another, and Gu Cheng's mental energy was almost exhausted. More importantly, she felt her body becoming increasingly heavy.

Su Wanxi's abilities are much stronger than mine, so they shouldn't have faded so quickly. What happened?

"Something's wrong with this space; it's spontaneously 'binding' us." As the source of the gravity, Su Wanxi could perceive even more subtle changes. This wasn't because her abilities had weakened, but rather because the opponent's suppressive force was gradually increasing.

If this continued, everyone would be trapped in place. Su Wanxi continued to reduce the gravity acting on the team members, helping them sprint forward at a faster speed.

Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared ahead. Gu Cheng subconsciously squinted, barely managing to make out what was happening.

That's... Su Wanxi? No, that's a mirror, reflecting their images.

Just as she was about to touch the mirror, the scene on it changed.

Everyone, including Gu Cheng herself, was covered in blood and scars, and their wrists and ankles were bound by heavy iron chains.

"Is this your protest?" Su Wanxi's eyes remained unmoved as she raised the gun and pointed it at the mirror.

The next second, the mirror shattered into countless fragments, revealing Yu Jinlin lying in a pool of blood behind it.

P.S. I didn't skip it!

Section 33, Chapter Thirty-Three: The Shadow in the Basement

"Mr. Yu?!" Gu Cheng stepped forward quickly and reached out a finger to check the other man's breath.

Her breathing was so faint that it was hard to tell. She pressed her hand tightly against Yu Jinlin's left chest. The man's heart was still beating, but at a slower rate than normal.

"He's still alive!" Gu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, her excitement barely concealed.

"I'll take him with me first; leaving him here might cause trouble." Since Yu Jinlin wasn't dead, they naturally wouldn't stand idly by. Zhou Li took the initiative to carry Yu Jinlin on his back. As a male Awakened, his physical strength was already outstanding, and with Su Wanxi deliberately weakening the effects of gravity, his carrying motion was completely effortless.

Su Wanxi bent down, kneeling on one knee, and shone her flashlight on the blood-soaked carpet. The monster that had come into reality was far more troublesome than the one in the rift. Not only could it emit threatening signals, but it could also actively control the spread of the black mist, making methods of using this to determine the target's location ineffective.

"Does Yu Jinlin have any external wounds?" she sighed softly and turned to ask her team member.

"So far, no, these bloodstains are not his." Zhou Li carefully examined Yu Jinlin's entire body under the light, while Gu Cheng stood aside with a pistol in hand, keeping a close eye on the surroundings.

"Then follow the trail of blood and don't fall behind." A monster is a monster after all; it will always slip up in the details. Su Wanxi stood up and gave the instructions, while she walked at the front of the group.

The four walls of the bedroom were replaced with mirrors of the same size, which made the already stretched space appear even more spacious.

"Shh..." The sound of friction echoed in the silent environment. Su Wanxi followed the bloodstains to one of the mirrors.

Suddenly, the figure in the mirror transformed into a ferocious demon, disheveled and with long, sharp fingernails.

With its pale arms gripping the edge of the mirror, it hissed and waved its sharp claws as it crawled out of the mirror.

A flash of lightning struck, and the demon's body, which was about to solidify, became ethereal again. It vanished into thin air before it could even utter a wail.

"Bang!" Without the slightest hesitation, Su Wanxi shattered the mirror in front of her again.

This time, there was no room behind the mirror, but a winding staircase leading downwards. Crimson blood, unaffected by the laws of physics, flowed upwards from the dark depths.

Gu Cheng frowned slightly, holding a gun in her right hand, but her left hand was suddenly grabbed by Su Wanxi.

"Stay close to me and report any changes immediately." Su Wanxi keenly sensed something amiss; there was a stronger "binding" below than before. Zhou Li and she were both veteran Awakeners, with strong resistance to such abilities. Gu Cheng, however, had only recently awakened, and as the team leader, she had to prioritize protecting the latter.

"Mm." Gu Cheng nodded and earnestly grasped the other person's hand in return; now was not the time for sentimentality.

As you continue up the steps, an intense sense of oppression washes over you.

Everyone seemed to be stuck in a swamp, and even pulling the trigger of a pistol required immense strength.

Brownish-yellow bullet casings were continuously ejected, landing beside the dense array of iron chains. Whether it was psychological or not, Gu Cheng felt a warm current flowing through the point where their palms touched, and the shackles on her body were temporarily removed, allowing her to feel the agility of her limbs again.

"Cough cough... Ugh." Yu Jinlin coughed up a pool of black blood and struggled to look around.

"Where am I? What have you done to me?" The environment was dark and damp, and he swung his arms, trying to jump off Zhou Li.

"This is your home. If you want to live, don't move." Zhou Li squeezed out these words through his teeth. He was only distracted for a moment when his legs were bound by newly formed iron chains.

"My home?" Yu Jinlin fell silent, saying nothing more, but staring wide-eyed as he looked around. He saw the policewoman who had investigated him earlier, and he also saw the writhing chains nearby.

"He wasn't affected?" Su Wanxi glanced at him, her gaze not very friendly.

"Shh..." The stench of blood kept filling his nostrils, accompanied by a sharp scraping sound. His mind was foggy, and Yu Jinlin couldn't even tell if he was hallucinating or in reality.

After traversing a long staircase, the four finally reached the end of the darkness.

It was a rusty iron gate, without any decorative patterns, and blood was flowing from behind it.

"Don't open it!" A strange fear flashed through Yu Jinlin's mind, and he roared, trying to stop him.

Su Wanxi ignored him, took a few steps back, and aimed at the keyhole to fire.

The door opened, and Gu Cheng raised her flashlight and shone it inside, the light casting back and forth in the space.

Not only the walls, but also the floor and ceiling were replaced by mirrors. In the very center of the room hung a dark shadow, bound in mid-air by chains from all sides, like a prisoner wearing a steel prison uniform.

"It is..." Although it was far away, the shape of the dark shadow was still vaguely discernible and resembled that of a person.

"Rustle." Yu Jinlin finally found the source of the sound—the dark figure was rubbing the iron chain with its claws. Gu Cheng turned to look at Su Wanxi, her lips moved a few times but no sound came out, and the latter nodded almost imperceptibly.

The next second, bullets flew out of the barrels, both men tacitly aiming at the shadowy figure's head. One was a regular round-nosed bullet, the other a paralyzing bullet carrying an electric current, the blue flash of electricity particularly noticeable in the darkness.

A hit? A flash of pale blue electricity streaked across the screen. No... both bullets passed through simultaneously; the dark shape wasn't a solid object!

A deafening crash rang in her ears, and the chains in the space shook violently. A dark figure darted through the mirror's reflection, then suddenly appeared before Gu Cheng, the swinging chain lashing out at her chest. Gu Cheng dodged to the right, the force of the blow stinging her skin.

"Bang!" The dark figure staggered, its long hair covering its face trembling violently.

"It becomes a physical entity when it attacks you." Su Wanxi fired another shot, hitting the shadowy figure squarely in the head.

"Understood." She instantly released Su Wanxi's hand, turned around and gripped the iron chain tightly, all the electricity surging from her heart.

The dark figure emitted a dazzling light, howling as it tried to transform into a spirit. Although lightning could also harm it as a spirit, Gu Cheng couldn't discharge electricity over long distances without a suitable vessel if she kept her distance.

Zhou Li placed Yu Jinlin against the wall, and with the help of weakened gravity, rushed to the shadowy figure. He drew his Tang sword in an arc and slashed fiercely at the target's neck.

The blade pierced through the body, but it was still a step too late; the shadowy figure had already completed its spiritual transformation.

"This is really troublesome," Su Wanxi muttered under her breath. Her abilities were completely ineffective against spirit-transformed targets.

"Captain Su, lower my gravity to the lowest level." Gu Cheng felt her mental energy was about to be exhausted. If she dragged it out any longer, it would be difficult to kill this creature. She just wanted to fight with all her might.

"Hmm." With her body freed from the constraints of gravity, Gu Cheng caught up with the soaring black shadow with a little effort.

"You can't leave."

She reached out again, and a surge of electricity shattered the chains surrounding the shadowy figure.

"Hiss!" The monster howled as it plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily onto the mirror, finally letting its long hair, which had been covering its face, fall away.

"You are..." It was a familiar face. Yu Jinlin's pupils widened slightly, and then he struggled to crawl toward the shadowy figure.

"Don't get close to it!" Everything happened too fast. Just as Su Wanxi activated her ability to pull him to the ground, Yu Jinlin was already less than a meter away from the shadow.

The shadowy figure let out a piercing laugh, using the few remaining pieces of chain to bind the man's shoulders, then dissipated into a cloud of mist that flowed along the chain into a new body.

Section 34 Chapter Thirty-Four: The Dust Settles Down

In the darkness, the man was curled up in a ball, blood trickling from his empty eye sockets.

Even without anyone's blessings, will we still make it to the end?

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm so scared, scared of Mom..."

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything clearly."

Yu Jinlin could feel the changes in himself; something was usurping his control over his body.

"Wait for me..." he stammered, his lips trembling as he managed to squeeze out a few words. The monster had finally succeeded in devouring his consciousness.

Why did she have to get close to it? It was already over. Gu Cheng fell from the air, her whole body limp, her mental exhaustion leaving her somewhat dazed. Su Wanxi quickly went to Gu Cheng's side and supported her swaying body.

An invisible force field spread out from the center of the space, binding everyone present in place. They could only watch helplessly as Yu Jinlin died.

"Hiss..." His body swelled up, his back arching and bursting through his sleeves. The muscles on both sides of his cheeks became increasingly transparent, as if two pieces of glass were embedded in them. His flat-screen glasses fell to the side, a few drops of black blood staining the lenses. The dark figure was reborn in the new body.

Su Wanxi broke free of her restraints first, and with a flick of her eyes, the gravity on Yu Jinlin instantly intensified. At this moment, the shadowy figure had not fully recovered and could not transform into a spirit form, so it could only rely on its physical body to withstand the force.

It growled and raised its arms, its body resting on a cracked mirror. Zhou Li also broke free from his restraints, severing the chains with two strokes and charging towards Yu Jinlin alone.

Just as he was about to reach his target, a huge mirror appeared out of thin air, scattering into several small pieces that flew densely toward Zhou Li.

Zhou Li hurriedly swung his sword horizontally, and most of the fragments were deflected to the ground. Occasionally, a few stray pieces would slip through the gaps and pierce his eyes and chest.

"Thud." The shard struck with a dull thud, leaving not even a shallow mark. Zhou Li spread the impact evenly across his entire body; even the sharpest shard could not pierce his skin.

With a slight tilt of the blade, the parry turned into a slash, and the Tang sword in his hand cleaved heavily towards Yu Jinlin.

"Hiss..." No more than half a meter from the target, the blade was suspended in the air, unable to advance an inch, as if it were simultaneously bound by several iron chains.