Chapter 425: The Werewolf Calamity
A crimson moon hung high in the sky, yet the heavens poured with torrential rain.
One after another, the island's native inhabitants—those third-class citizens who bore the blood of werewolves, many of them rebels already chained for defying colonial rule—suddenly convulsed. Their jaws jutted forward, their limbs twisted, and one by one they transformed into werewolves. Crawling and bounding, they burst through the gates and swarmed into the streets.
At first, they all knelt devoutly toward the direction of the Governor's Mansion, a sight so eerie it made the blood run cold.
Then, like a black tide, they surged toward that same direction, endless and overwhelming.
A few patrolling transcendents reacted too late. Before they could even draw their weapons, the werewolves pounced—tearing them apart with fangs and claws. Victims included not only transcendents but ordinary civilians as well. Chaos engulfed the streets. The stench of blood thickened in the rain, and those bitten by werewolves soon turned themselves, joining the mindless slaughter.
It was nothing short of a Werewolf Catastrophe.
"Rumble!"
Just as Zhou Ning was about to act, unable to stand by any longer, thunderclouds suddenly coalesced over the island. Layer upon layer of storm clouds rolled in, shrouding the crimson moon completely.
At once, the Moonlight Direwolf Seras's aura faltered. The supernatural light barrier that had been suppressed reignited. Clearly, the red moon was the key to Seras's descent—without it, its power waned sharply.
Moments later, colossal bolts of lightning forked down from the heavens, striking across the island in multiple directions.
Within a single breath, Zhou Ning could feel that nearly a third of the chaotic, violent energies across the island had vanished.
There was no mistaking it—the Sea God Church's Cardinal stationed atop White Mountain, Ronald Cregi, had sensed the crisis and decisively intervened.
As a demigod of the Sea God's faith, within the range of the cathedral's divine influence, he could wield power exceeding even his rank—altering weather, summoning sea beasts, reshaping currents. With him overseeing Teldron Island, the situation would not spiral completely out of control.
However, those unfortunate islanders who had already been turned into werewolves were beyond saving. Their corrupted bloodlines were irreversible; death was their only release.
Soon after, Zhou Ning spotted several airships resembling the Myrny Rooster, though these were heavily armed alchemical warships loaded with cannons. They flew in from the horizon—some heading to various parts of the city to contain the werewolves, others toward the main battlefield.
Onboard were rows of soldiers clad in red uniforms—troops of the Kingdom of Sepharic, fully armed and disciplined, no less formidable than their counterparts from the Bryston Kingdom.
They were clearly part of Angus Motley's contingency plan—though things had nearly gone out of hand, his preparations had not been in vain.
Such was the strength of a theocratic state. Even in a colonial territory, they could respond with terrifying force. Even if an angel itself descended, they would not panic easily. "Pluton" and the pirates had gravely underestimated Angus Motley's power.
Zhou Ning took a slow breath.
At this point, whether he involved himself or not no longer mattered much—but since Angus Motley now had the upper hand, this was the perfect opportunity to complete his mission and his hunt.
There was, however, one rule he couldn't break: the Moonlight Direwolf Seras must not die by his hand.
To ensure stability, Zhou Ning retrieved the Prepaid Hourglass from his inventory and borrowed 300 Agility from his future self. It was the equivalent of taking a double-strength combat stimulant lasting an hour. His movement speed, dexterity, and defenses all surged dramatically.
Canceling the effects of his transformation potion, he sprinted across the rooftops, then leapt high into the air with a Moon Step, gliding swiftly toward the battlefield.
The combatants below—Angus Motley and the others—sensed the approach through instinctive awareness and turned their gazes upward.
A young man descended through the rain, wearing a half-tall black top hat and a black trench coat. In his hands gleamed two pistols, one black and one white. On his right index finger shone a ring of red jade. Under the torrential rain and the glow of the supernatural barrier, he seemed to stride upon storm and thunder itself.
Wayne Sturwell?
Angus Motley's eyes narrowed. He wasn't entirely sure of the man's intent, but he knew the name well. Wayne Sturwell—the same man who had recently slain the Wind General, Gallagher, and was now wanted by the pirates. There was no chance he was on their side.
Suppressing his first instinct, Angus immediately adjusted his tactics, leaving several nearby pirates to Wayne while he turned to face Seras directly.
The Moonlight Direwolf hadn't even used divine spells—just fangs and claws—but had already inflicted devastating losses. Of the four high-tier transcendents Angus had brought, one was dead, and the other three barely clung to life through the power of their "Commandment" abilities. Only after Angus joined the fray did the situation stabilize.
As a demigod, meteorologist, and knight of the Sea God Church, Angus Motley wielded formidable weather control, beast summoning, and defensive powers. Yet his muscles remained tense—he didn't dare relax, for in a world like this, something that looked like Wayne Sturwell wasn't necessarily Wayne Sturwell.
Meanwhile, a group of players nearby had witnessed everything—the chaos, the demigod's battle, and Wayne's dramatic entrance into the fray. The sheer grandeur of his arrival was enough to confirm his role as the game's protagonist. Who could still doubt that the 2.0 version of Wayne Sturwell was the main character?
Landing softly, Zhou Ning crouched low and raised both pistols—the black ebony and the white ivory. He aimed straight at the werewolf Mason and pulled both triggers.
Bang! Bang!
The thunderous shots fired three bullets—some gold, some silver—each wrapped in spiraling flames, forming a triangle of death that sealed off every escape route around the target.
Seventh Wing Activation.
At that exact moment, the werewolf Mason abruptly shifted direction midair—dodging left, then suddenly rolling right instead, an erratic, impossible movement that barely carried him out of the blast radius.
He had evaded the Seventh Wing's multi-shot barrage—almost as if he had foreseen it.
Indeed, this was the same uncanny danger-sense ability Zhou Ning had observed earlier—the werewolf's intuitive evasive instinct saving him once again.
Mid-roll, Mason launched himself forward, claws lengthening grotesquely as he lunged for Zhou Ning, aiming to rip him apart in midair.
But Zhou Ning had already predicted his prediction. A quick Moon Step propelled him upward, evading the strike. At the same time, his fingers brushed the red jade ring, activating the power of Dark Hymn.
A wisp of green light drifted from Mason's body and flowed into Zhou Ning's chest.
That was the ability's effect: within a thirty-one-yard radius, it could randomly steal one of the target's supernatural abilities. The higher the target's divine rank, the higher the failure rate. Upon success, the victim temporarily lost the stolen ability for six hours, while Zhou Ning could use it freely for thirty minutes.
A new skill appeared on his interface—Ferocity Drive: Consume 20% Mana/Energy/Focus to gain beastlike instincts for 15 minutes, increasing Agility and Evasion by 15% while reducing Willpower by 15%.
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