Chapter 246 - 150: Mei Yuan Was Parasitized?
A familiar scar appeared before Mei Ying and Lin Kong.
"Ha, I knew it!"
Lin Kong took out an anesthetic he had prepared in advance and jabbed the Eye Demon on Cole’s back. The moment the needle went in, the Eye Demon opened its eye and tried to resist, but it was immediately paralyzed by the drug and went still.
"My Lord, it seems there’s a problem with this hero of yours. Why don’t you come down and take a look?" Lin Kong shouted up.
Mei Ying, meanwhile, took out her Light Chain Communicator and contacted the guards at the Teleportation Gate, telling them to have a Druid bring a Death Devourer to the city.
Xiong Liang looked down at his motionless subordinate, momentarily unsure of what to do.
’It’s obvious. They’re here for the heroes Mei Yuan upgraded.’
In fact, Xiong Liang already had his own doubts about these heroes. That was why, despite bringing two of the upgraded ones, he also brought along two of his original Superior Tier heroes.
After a moment’s thought, he decided to take his men down for a closer look. His intuition told him the two of them meant no harm.
The city gate slowly opened, and Xiong Liang led a large contingent of soldiers to where Lin Kong and Mei Ying stood.
Seeing his subordinate standing motionless, Xiong Liang turned a questioning gaze on Lin Kong.
"It’s nothing. This just makes our inspection easier," Lin Kong said, understanding the unspoken question. "By the way, are there any others here like him?"
"Oh, there is one more. Moore, go on. You head over there too."
The hero Xiong Liang had called out paled and stepped forward with great hesitation.
Seeing his reaction, Xiong Liang’s suspicion of the heroes Mei Yuan had upgraded to the Superior Tier only deepened.
"Jin Peng, Jordan, give him a hand." Xiong Liang ordered his other two original Superior Tier heroes to bring Moore over to Lin Kong and Mei Ying.
"No need. Allow me!" Mei Ying chuckled. In a flash, she appeared before Moore and seized him by the shoulder.
Mei Ying’s Spiritual Energy instantly sealed Moore in place, along with all the energy in his body. He was completely immobilized.
Startled by Mei Ying’s incredible speed, Xiong Liang hastily ordered Jin Peng and Jordan to protect him.
"Hahaha, don’t be afraid. If I really wanted to make a move on you, they wouldn’t be any help at all." Mei Ying, amused by Xiong Liang’s reaction, offered a word of reassurance.
Xiong Liang thought that made perfect sense, so he had the surrounding soldiers form another protective circle around him.
Seeing this, Mei Ying said nothing more. Lin Kong walked to her side and, in front of everyone, pulled open Moore’s shirt.
The mark of the Eye Demon’s possession—the scar—was revealed on Moore’s back.
"My Lord, do you know what this is?" Lin Kong asked.
Xiong Liang stared at his subordinate’s back from a distance. "How did he get such a nasty wound? When did that happen? Why wasn’t I told?"
(Xiong Liang hadn’t changed his class or acquired a Hero Template, but as a lord, he had consumed some stat-boosting items. Combined with the territorial buffs from his "Lord" class, his stats were actually quite decent.)
"Then take a closer look!" Seeing that Xiong Liang didn’t understand the significance of the scar, Lin Kong decided to give him a demonstration.
Lin Kong produced a small knife and made a cut directly across the scar on Moore’s back.
The Eye Demon within the scar could no longer restrain itself. It opened its eye, shot out a tentacle, and attacked Lin Kong.
Lin Kong fought back, parrying with his knife.
"What is that?!"
Xiong Liang was utterly shocked. He couldn’t comprehend how a scar on his subordinate’s back could attack someone by itself.
"You don’t know?"
Xiong Liang just stared back, his face a mask of confusion.
Seeing Xiong Liang’s bewildered expression, Lin Kong sighed and pulled out a syringe with his free hand. Catching the Eye Demon by surprise, he jabbed it with the needle and injected a powerful anesthetic.
"SCREEECH!"
The Eye Demon let out a sharp cry before the anesthetic knocked it unconscious.
"This is an Eye Demon! Have you really never seen one?"
In response to Lin Kong’s question, Xiong Liang scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Ah... so that’s what they are!"
"Back in October, I heard people saying the corpses of the invading creatures were extremely dangerous. So, to be on the safe side, I always waited until after the Teleportation Gate closed to have the bodies cremated. I never actually saw what these Eye Demons looked like."
Lin Kong had to admire the man. ’Perhaps it’s precisely this cautious nature that has allowed his territory to develop so well.’
"You are a truly prudent man, My Lord!!"
"Allow me to explain, My Lord. This creature is an Eye Demon."
"It can parasitize a living creature, granting the host a significant attribute boost—enough to raise it from the Excellent Tier to the Superior Tier, whether it’s a common soldier or a hero."
"BUT!!! The parasitized creature will gradually fall under the Eye Demon’s control. The time this takes depends on the attribute gap between them—the stronger the Eye Demon is relative to its host, the faster it gains control."
"Therefore, My Lord, your eleven Superior Tier heroes... are a major liability!"
Xiong Liang’s expression shifted rapidly as he processed Lin Kong’s words.
’Damn it! I knew that son of a bitch offering free upgrades was up to no good, but I never imagined the trap was this vicious!’
’Wait... that’s not right. Mei Yuan upgraded all of his own heroes to the Superior Tier, and he bought a ton of Excellent Tier Hero Summon Scrolls and upgraded those heroes too. Isn’t he afraid they’ll turn on him?’
"Which is why... we suspect Mei Yuan himself has likely been parasitized!!"
"Huh? They can parasitize a lord?"
"Why not? Do you want to give it a try? But I should warn you, once an Eye Demon takes root, it’s nearly impossible to remove. As long as even a single tendril is left behind, it will grow back."