Chapter 49: The Power of the Extraordinary Physique

"Hmm, that's strange, Jonathan. Why do I feel that your life force has suddenly increased so much? You seem almost like a completely different person from just a moment ago." Number 11, sensitive as always, immediately sensed Lin Xiao’s transformation and asked curiously.

Will and Chief Hope sized him up and down, sensing something was indeed different, though they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. It was just as Number 11 said—he seemed almost like someone else.

"Yeah, Jonathan, you’ve gotten so much taller! You're nearly as tall as Chief Hope now. You weren’t this big before," Will asked in bewilderment. Previously, he had stood about level with Jonathan’s chin, but now only reached his shoulder. In such a short time, Jonathan had grown nearly seven or eight centimeters—no normal second growth could explain that.

Lin Xiao chuckled, clenching his fists and looking himself up and down, then glanced at Chief Hope. Sure enough, he was now nearly the same height and could look him in the eye.

He figured that back in class, just a slight tiptoe would make him almost as tall as the handsome Stefan. It was well-known that these Westerners were towering, with a height of 1.8 meters being the norm. At just over 1.7 meters, one was practically a dwarf among them. He had spent so many days gazing up at others that his neck was sore, but now, at last, he could look them in the eye—or at least with a little help from his toes.

"Heh, I forgot to tell you all—actually, I can absorb that heat flow too. My teacher told me it’s the power of magic. When it grows strong enough, it can stimulate the body to develop again, making you taller and stronger. What else did you think I worked so hard for?

After killing that monster just now, my magical power took another leap. I’ve gained a tremendous boost—I estimate I could easily defeat three of my former selves. I’m confident I can protect you all from the source of evil."

So that’s why. No wonder he seemed so different—it was the magic power. The three suddenly understood.

Lin Xiao had explained not just to inform them, but to reassure them and strengthen their confidence. He didn’t want them to panic and break ranks at the critical moment. Protecting them while confronting the source of evil was hardly an easy task.

"Number 11, focus on protecting Will and Chief Hope. I’ll deal with the source of evil. Only if I can’t hold out and am about to fall, then you can help. Otherwise, don’t distract me."

Will’s expression darkened. He had become a burden, needing Number 11 to protect him. Thinking back, he had always been protected by others, unable to contribute anything himself. A wave of inexplicable sadness washed over him.

Chief Hope, however, didn’t dwell on it. What could he do? He felt helpless as well.

When it came to fighting, Chief Hope could handle three at once—but dealing with those supernatural things was another matter. Aside from standing in place and praying for God’s mercy, there was nothing else he could do.

Fortunately, Jonathan possessed magical power, and Number 11 had her own abilities. Otherwise, with their strength, the four black men would have wiped them out long ago.

After giving the three a pep talk, Lin Xiao took the lead once more, heading deeper into the corridor until they reached its end. Here stood a pitch-black iron door, its lock already undone and the door half ajar.

He pushed the heavy iron door open with the Star Destroyer Axe. This door was a nuclear isolation barrier, designed to resist radiation and weighing at least seven or eight tons—three or four ordinary people couldn’t hope to move it.

For Lin Xiao in his current state, it was a trivial matter. With a bit of force, he swung the door wide open. Inside, a staircase led further down. God only knew how deep this shelter had been dug.

Descending two flights, they finally reached the bottom—a hall illuminated by the dim glow of emergency lights, casting a yellowish light over the whole space.

This, then, was the real shelter. The hall’s ceiling soared five or six meters high, and the space measured three to four hundred square meters. Around the room were stacks of storage cabinets, presumably filled with food, water, and other supplies.

Several corridors branched from the hall, labeled as bedrooms, power room, storage room, nursery, recreation room, and so on. This was a fully equipped underground shelter.

The cost of building such a place alone would exceed a hundred thousand dollars. If not for the sinister evil lurking here, the house wouldn’t come cheap—at least two hundred thousand dollars, equivalent to six million dollars in the future, nearly forty million yuan.

Looking down from above, Lin Xiao could clearly see a massive pentagram inscribed in the center of the hall floor. At its heart was a small circular design, within which stood a familiar figure gazing up at them—missing Joey.

"Mom!" Will cried out, overcome with emotion, and was about to rush down to meet Joey when Lin Xiao reached out to stop him, his expression growing serious.

Joey was in an abnormal state. Her eyes were vacant, her gaze empty; she seemed to have lost her soul. Black vapors swirled around her, a chilling aura enveloping her body—something was clearly wrong.

More than that, Lin Xiao sensed an endless stream of evil flowing from the pentagram below, pouring into Joey and making her aura stronger and stronger—soon to surpass his own.

"This is bad—Joey is being invaded by the source of evil, much like Will was possessed by the Mind Thief. We must interrupt this process! I’m going in to rescue her; Number 11, protect Will and Chief Hope."

Without another word, Lin Xiao leapt from the stairway platform. It was three or four meters above the floor—an ordinary person would have broken a limb in such a fall, but he landed unscathed.

Holy Light!

The moment his feet touched the ground, Lin Xiao unleashed the power of Holy Light. He couldn’t simply attack Joey with his axe—Holy Light was harmless to mortals but a bane to evil spirits.

Sure enough, the radiant Holy Light flooded the hall, making the invading black vapors melt away like snow, accompanied by a chorus of sharp, agonized screams, as if suffering heavy damage.

Joey, at the center of the pentagram, also screamed in the Holy Light. Suddenly, she raised her arm—clutching in her hand Number 11’s Sprout Staff.

An invisible force surged forward, striking Lin Xiao with tremendous impact. It felt as though he’d been hit head-on by a car, his body sent flying and crashing against the storage cabinets by the wall.

No pain! No harm!

Lin Xiao rose in surprise, finding himself completely unharmed except for a slight dizziness. Ordinarily, a person struck by a car would be left sprawled on the ground, unable to get up. At higher speeds, it would be fatal.

Such violent force had virtually no effect on him. It had to be the extraordinary constitution he now possessed, making his body incredibly resilient—perhaps not impervious to blades and bullets, but at least difficult to injure.

Seeing her attack fail, the evil-possessed Joey changed tactics. The Sprout Staff pointed at a storage cabinet—over two meters tall—which slowly rose into the air and came down to crush him.

Lin Xiao dared not stand still and test the limits of his extraordinary physique against such a heavy blow. He immediately activated his Leap skill, advancing rather than retreating, charging straight at Joey.

He didn’t dare use his Dash Slash—a careless move could cut Joey in half, which would ruin everything.

A mocking smile twisted Joey’s face, as if she knew Lin Xiao wouldn’t dare kill her. She swung the Sprout Staff again, sending another wave of force crashing into him.

At the same moment, the storage cabinet came falling from above, pinning him to the ground and trapping him. Joey seized the opportunity, wielding the Sprout Staff to send storage cabinets flying, piling them atop him like a small mountain.