Chapter 112: No Turning Back
Chapter 112: No Turning Back
As Yang Haoran, in a brief daze, charged madly towards the corpse puppets emerging from the house, his speed was such that it seemed he feared losing something invaluable if he slowed down, reaching them in the blink of an eye.
Xu Meijing, too, reacted, but her attempt to intervene was futile. Yang Haoran, with a swift motion, embraced one of the corpse puppets, drawing them close.
"Father!!!"
"Mother!!!"
Yang Haoran\'s heart-wrenching cries echoed, and as he held his parents, he lost all control over his emotions. Tears poured down like a torrential rain.
In that moment, his mind held no memories of yesteryears, no scenes of childhood innocence, no mischievous antics followed by reprimands, no recollection of the sacrifices his parents made for him in adulthood, no motherly nagging, no paternal sternness. His mind was blank, devoid of any thought.
All that remained was an overwhelming surge of emotions, an inexplicable pain, and sorrow.
In that moment, he wept like a child, a child grievously wronged.
His current state infected Xu Meijing with emotions, yet he couldn\'t influence the two in his embrace.
As Yang Haoran wept uncontrollably, Father Yang and Mother Yang opened their mouths, revealing sharp, jagged teeth, sinking them into Yang Haoran\'s shoulders.
The excruciating pain caused Yang Haoran to shudder, but he didn\'t cry out or push his parents away, holding them firmly.
Observing this, Xu Meijing\'s expression shifted, intending to intervene. She knew Yang Haoran wouldn\'t harm even his clan members; hurting his parents was beyond him. If she didn\'t act swiftly, Yang Haoran\'s parents would drain him of his blood in moments.
Unwilling to witness such a scene, Xu Meijing moved to act, but before she could, Father Yang and Mother Yang released their hold, their faces contorted in agony, their mouths emitting hoarse cries. They forcibly broke free from Yang Haoran\'s embrace.
Simultaneously, as the other corpse puppets emerged from the house, they, too, noticed Yang Haoran, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust, charging towards him.
However, before they could reach him, two figures collided with them!
These figures were none other than Father Yang and Mother Yang!
The corpse puppets engaged in a savage struggle, an unprecedented occurrence. Yet, in this moment, Father Yang and Mother Yang shielded Yang Haoran from the other corpse puppets.
Yang Haoran, initially bewildered by the sight, then realized something, a glimmer of hope crossed his face. He rushed towards his parents.
Under normal circumstances, corpse puppets wouldn\'t engage in combat. The sight before Yang Haoran led him to believe his parents might still possess some consciousness, recognizing him as their son.
Ignoring the intense pain in his shoulders, Yang Haoran forcefully separated his parents from the other corpse puppets, flinging them away. In that moment, all he could think of were his parents; he paid no heed to the other corpse puppets, who were once his clan members.
Meanwhile, Xu Meijing appeared behind Yang Haoran, her body emanating a powerful Yin Qi, acting as a protective shield around them, encompassing the area including Father Yang and Mother Yang.
She remained silent, refraining from her usual taunting remarks, standing behind Yang Haoran.
Outside the shield of Yin Qi, numerous corpse puppets relentlessly assaulted it, but no matter how frenzied or forceful their attempts, they couldn\'t breach the barrier.
In this tumultuous Yangjia Bay, the area where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing stood seemed to be the only sanctuary.
Yet, to call it a sanctuary would be inaccurate, for within it, Father Yang and Mother Yang continued to roar, to struggle. Their expressions shifted between madness and pain, their faces contorting.
In moments of madness, they sought to attack Yang Haoran, driven by the irresistible lure of his flesh.
In moments of pain, they seemed to recall something, exhibiting feeble attempts at rational thought, yet too weak to regain control over their bodies.
The flicker of hope that had just sparked in Yang Haoran\'s heart shattered into pieces with his parents\' reactions. He had thought that his parents retained some consciousness, but from the current situation, it was evident that while they retained a fraction of awareness, it was merely a sliver.
"Father! Mother! Wake up! Please wake up! It\'s Haoran! It\'s Haoran!"
Yang Haoran\'s voice trembled with tears as he shook his parents, hoping to rouse them. However, his efforts only intensified their reactions.
Yang Haoran had lost all his usual calm and composure; his mind was in turmoil, blank. In desperation, he turned to Xu Meijing behind him.
"Xu Meijing, you must have a way, right? Your strength surpasses mine, you must have a solution! Please help me! I\'ll listen to you from now on! Whatever you say, I\'ll do it! Please help me!"
The notion of dignity seemed utterly insignificant in the face of his parents\' lives. Yang Haoran broke his own pride, trampling upon his dignity, begging Xu Meijing for mercy like a beggar.
This woman, who had always made him feel uncomfortable, now became his last hope, the only lifeline capable of saving his parents.
All he wanted at this moment was to save his parents. He was willing to do anything, even sacrificing his own life if it meant bringing them back.
Xu Meijing, devoid of her usual pride, looked at the frantic Yang Haoran with a complex expression and shook her head gently.
"The reason your parents still retain a shred of consciousness is that the necrosis in their bodies hasn\'t fully spread, their souls not completely dispersed. Your appearance awakened the remnants of their consciousness. But...this situation won\'t last long. At most...a few minutes. I\'m sorry, I can\'t help you."
Xu Meijing\'s soft words shattered the last glimmer of hope in Yang Haoran\'s heart.
In truth, Yang Haoran understood these theoretical concepts, but in his current state, he couldn\'t possibly consider them. His instincts told him that Xu Meijing, with her superior strength, might have a solution.
However, his hopes were just that—hopes. He didn\'t genuinely believe Xu Meijing could save his parents; he merely wished she could.
Yet, often reality and our idealized hopes diverge drastically. Instead of the desired outcome, we are confronted with the one we dread the most.
Seeing Yang Haoran\'s distraught state, Xu Meijing felt a pang of sympathy. She wanted to offer him some words of comfort, but at that moment, a hoarse voice emanated from Mother Yang, who was struggling on the ground.
"Haoran..."
The sound was unsettling, yet to Yang Haoran, it was akin to heavenly music.
"Mom..." Yang Haoran first froze, then filled with joy, turned to Mother Yang on the ground and embraced her, excitedly shouting, "Mom! Mom! You\'re awake! You\'re finally awake!"
Mother Yang\'s face contorted in pain; she continued to struggle on the ground, seemingly no different from before. However, there was a hint of humanity in her bloodshot eyes, a quality absent before.
"Child...marriage...children...continue...our lineage...I..."
Her words were fragmented, uttered with what seemed like her last ounce of strength.
Before she could finish, the trace of humanity in her eyes vanished completely. Her eyes once again became bloodthirsty and cruel. She opened her mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and lunged at Yang Haoran\'s neck!
At the same time, Father Yang, who had been struggling beside her, ceased his struggles. After a violent roar, he crouched like a spider on the ground, his gaze bloodthirsty as he launched himself at Yang Haoran, aiming for his face with open jaws.
Xu Meijing inwardly cursed; the sudden change in Father Yang and Mother Yang meant only one thing—their souls had dissipated completely. They had become full-fledged corpse puppets!
They were no longer the parents they once were; they wouldn\'t remember Yang Haoran as their son. In their eyes, Yang Haoran was merely fresh meat walking before them. If Yang Haoran didn\'t resist, he would undoubtedly perish under their sharp teeth!
Would Yang Haoran resist?
From the current situation, Xu Meijing was worried he wouldn\'t. She felt Yang Haoran wouldn\'t resist, which prompted her to act decisively.
With a swift motion, thick black chains as thick as arms appeared around Father Yang and Mother Yang, binding them securely. Ignoring Yang Haoran\'s protests, she forcibly expelled the two from the Yin Qi shield.