Deviant: No Longer Human

"We cannot release her; she harbors an evil that must be eradicated," Shi Yan declared, observing Wang Xiao's resolute demeanor. He crossed his arms in a gesture reminiscent of a monk's meditative stance and spoke with conviction.

"Evil seed?" Wang Xiao's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Encountering such ignorance was becoming a tiresome routine for him. "And where did you acquire this piece of 'information'?" he asked, his face a mask of stoic inquiry.

Shi Lei interjected, "That's none of your—"

Shi Yan cut him off, focusing his intense gaze on Wang Xiao. "Are you the origin of that malevolent presence?" he accused, squinting as if trying to discern the truth through sheer will.

Wang Xiao remained silent, offering no defense against the baseless accusation.

"Hm! Then it must be true. It seems we have no choice but to eliminate you as well," Shi Yan concluded, misinterpreting Wang Xiao's silence as an admission of guilt. He nodded slightly to himself, convinced of his righteous path.

Puchi!

"What a fool," Wang Xiao whispered under his breath, his words barely audible.

Yet, they struck the air like a thunderclap, shocking everyone present as Shi Yan's head abruptly exploded.

Boom!

Fragments of flesh and shards of metal, remnants of whatever enhancements or devices had been implanted in his body, scattered violently, causing collateral damage to those unfortunate enough to be nearby.

"..."

A hushed stillness enveloped the surroundings, every soul frozen in place.

With an ominous grace, Wang Xiao advanced, his presence casting a long, dark shadow that seemed to swallow the light around him.

Shi Lei, caught off guard, stumbled backward, his face contorted in pain as metal fragments pierced his skin, crimson rivulets tracing their path. "Y-You, how dare you attack the eld—wha!?"

Boom!

Shi Lei's words were cut short by a deafening boom, his head inflating before erupting in a shower of flesh, a haunting display that painted the air with a spray of crimson.

Silence hung heavy, every eye fixed on Wang Xiao, uncertainty etched on their faces.

"Everyone, fire at him! Fire! Right now!" The second in command, Drake's voice shattered the silence like a thunderclap, his words a desperate plea for action in the face of overwhelming fear.

Whoosh!

In an instant, before anyone could react, the very weapons they held in trembling hands were torn from their grasp, spiraling upward in a mesmerizing dance before forming a sinister ring in the sky.

"What!?"

"How!?"

"Our guns!"

"G-Ghost..."

A chorous of panic erupted, mingling with disbelief. Wang Xiao's gaze locked onto Drake, whose trembling form betrayed his fear.

"D-don't come near us, or we will kill her." With a menacing glint in his eyes, Drake leaped forward and seized Anran, her delicate form trapped in his grasp as he brandished a gleaming blade against her throat, his threat floating in the air like a dark omen.

Anran, "..."

'These guys might be a little dumb,' she thought, her mind racing as she assessed the situation.

If Wang Xiao could effortlessly disarm them of their firearms, how could they possibly think a mere knife would tip the scales in their favor?

Wang Xiao's response to Drake's threat was as cold as it was astonishing. "Then kill her," he stated with chilling indifference, his voice devoid of emotion as he continued his advance.

Drake's reaction was a mixture of incredulity and fear. "W-What!? Have you gone insane!" he stammered, the knife in his hand quivering as much as his voice. "I-I would really kill her! Don't dare to take another step!" His threat, however, was undercut by his own terror.

"..."

Anran, caught in the middle of this standoff, found herself at a loss for words.

The realization that she was considered expendable was both shocking and oddly predictable.

With a mental shrug, as if resigning herself to her fate, she closed her eyes, but in that moment of resignation, a spark of determination ignited within her.

Whoosh!

With a swift and unexpected movement, she kicked backward with all her might, targeting Drake's vulnerable spot. The impact was immediate and effective.

"Argh!...Y-you" Drake's eyes bulged in shock and agony, veins throbbing on his forehead as he collapsed to the ground, his wails echoing through the eerie silence.

Anran swiftly removed the duct tape from her mouth, a symbol of her regained agency. Wang Xiao spared her a brief glance before nodding and redirecting his focus to the remaining crowd.

The circle of guns, previously a menacing halo in the sky, now turned outward, targeting the stunned monks and soldiers who were frozen in disbelief.

!!

A chill ran down their spines, but there was no time for prayers or pleas to the gods. As if on cue, the triggers of the levitated firearms were simultaneously pulled.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The bullets flew like deadly currents, each one finding its mark with ruthless efficiency. The frozen bodies of the monks and soldiers were torn asunder, magazines emptying in a relentless barrage that reduced them to nothing more than remnants of flesh and bone.

The only sound that followed was the grim symphony of dead bodies hitting the ground, breaking the eerie silence that had briefly reclaimed the space.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

One by one, the firearms descended, their metallic bodies hitting the concrete courtyard with a series of echoing clinks.

The ground, now painted in the deep red of spilled blood, bore silent witness to the violence, while Wang Xiao's eyes roamed, searching for a camera.

The circumstances of Anran's kidnapping, coupled with the fact that the monks were merely used as bait, struck him as suspiciously convenient.

It was clear they were pawns in a larger scheme, likely manipulated to test his capabilities.

But the questions loomed large in his mind: Who was behind this elaborate setup?

And why choose him as their subject?

The realization that they had been under surveillance for some time only added to the puzzle.

Their adversaries were evolving, becoming more bizarre and unpredictable with each encounter.

However, since the intention was to test him, Wang Xiao was determined to provide them with a spectacle they would not soon forget.

His message was clear: he was not a mere participant in their games but a master of his own fate.