Chapter 24: The Plan to Deal with the Mindflayer's Avatar

The holy water bottle, about the size of a cola bottle, crashed into the corridor, striking the shadow that was charging fiercely. It shattered into countless fragments, unleashing a torrent of holy water that drenched the body of the Mindflayer.

A sizzling, crackling sound echoed from the opposite end of the corridor, accompanied by a piercing, agonized scream.

Will, who had been lying unconscious on Chief Hope's back, suddenly jolted awake. His face was contorted with bulging veins as he opened his mouth and screamed hysterically.

"Will! Will, what's wrong?"

His three friends quickly surrounded him, worried. Lin Xiao knew the truth: the Mindflayer was parasitizing Will. The recent holy water attack had gravely wounded the Mindflayer's main body, and its clone, inhabiting Will, suffered as well.

The Mindflayer, which had been invading the corridor, suddenly spun around and fled deeper into the passage, vanishing at the entrance—it was so terrified it bolted.

"At last, we've repelled that big boss. My thirty units of source energy barely lasted a moment before they were gone."

Seeing the Mindflayer retreat, Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. It was a pity, though—those thirty units of source energy he gained from slaying the demon hound and the corrosive vines were spent in a flash. It was as if he'd worked for nothing, and now he was left with only thirteen units.

"And more seriously, Will still has a clone of the Mindflayer inside him. We must expel it as soon as possible."

He glanced back at Will, who was calm now, but his heart tightened again. The clone of the Mindflayer would gradually seize control of its host and eventually spawn grotesque monsters. It had to be eradicated before it was too late.

The group returned to the laboratory hall. The place had been devastated by the demon hound’s massacre; nearly all staff were slain, except for a handful who had managed to hide and survive by luck.

"So many people died tonight. We’ll definitely be implicated. Remember, no one must reveal Jonathan's powers—understood?"

Chief Hope cautioned the youths, acutely aware of the significance of Jonathan’s abilities. If word got out, it would invite endless trouble.

"Not just my powers—Number Eleven's as well. If anyone finds out, we’ll be locked up and subjected to experiments and torture."

Hearing Lin Xiao’s words, Number Eleven trembled all over, haunted by memories of past torment.

They walked and talked, leaving the laboratory through the hole Chief Hope had