Bu Ying survived the ordeal of his potion exploding. He was then granted an audience with a Devil's Envoy, through whom he learned about the organization known as the Devils.
The Devil's Envoy, codenamed Snake Two, was responsible for capturing ordinary people across the country. These individuals were brought back for experimentation, imbued with supernatural abilities, and developed into the organization's apostles. However, becoming an apostle was no easy feat; it required exceptional talent and a special constitution. Such constitutions were one in a million, and the standard for suitability was surviving the potion test. Bu Ying had passed.
Snake Two made it clear that becoming a Devil's apostle and working for them was an honor for Bu Ying. He would soon be granted supernatural abilities and transformed into a powerful esper. Refusal, however, meant a swift death, with no hope of survival.
To live and to become stronger, Bu Ying agreed to Snake Two's terms. From then on, Snake Two would inject Bu Ying with crystal cores of different attributes daily to determine his elemental affinity. Bu Ying was tortured mercilessly until his water attribute was confirmed to be the most compatible. Snake Two then used a special method to melt a large quantity of water attribute crystal cores, aiding Bu Ying's absorption and level advancement, a process that was agonizingly painful.
Soon, Bu Ying's water-based abilities reached level seven. Snake Two then instructed him to return to school, with the warning to be ready to be summoned at any time. He also cautioned Bu Ying against betraying the Devils. Bu Ying's initial attempts at resistance were met with Snake Two's brutal methods, forcing him into obedience.
"Xiao Shi, before I met you, I didn't fear death. I thought dying would be a release. But now that I've found you, I want to live, so I can protect you. Snake Two is capricious and ruthless; working for him is a constant gamble with one's life. Even without the Mingyue incident, I would still want to get rid of him and break free from the Devils for a peaceful future with you. I just don't know if this plan will succeed."
Snake Two was already a nightmare for Bu Ying, and he still worried that Snake Two might escape.
"Does that even need asking? Do you think a hundred thousand zombies could kill me? Let me tell you a secret: all apostles are implanted with a mark when they are granted their abilities. As long as I wish it, I can find you no matter where you run."
A voice echoed, answering Bu Ying's question. As the voice faded, Snake Two's figure materialized in the back seat of the off-road vehicle. Accompanying him was a strong scent of blood that permeated the car.
"Envoy, spare me! I only saw the zombies surrounding the city and fled in panic. I didn't abandon you. Please spare me! I believe, with your profound cultivation, mere zombies couldn't possibly trap you. That's why I escaped alone and waited here to rendezvous with you. I kept this life to serve you."
Seeing Snake Two suddenly appear, the bread Bu Ying was chewing fell from his mouth. His face turned ashen. However, he was making a last-ditch effort, explaining rapidly regardless of logic, fearing that Snake Two might kill him without even listening.
"For my own good? To serve me? Very well, I'll give you a chance. Get out of the car!"
Snake Two's voice was icy. He didn't expose Bu Ying's lie, as he knew everything from He Shi, the maidservant of He Shi. However, Bu Ying was still useful, so he decided to let him live a little longer.
"Envoy, are you injured?"
Bu Ying glanced at Snake Two in the rearview mirror. He was covered in blood, and his right sleeve was empty. He seemed to be seriously wounded.
"I am injured, but killing you is as simple as crushing an ant. Try me if you don't believe it."
Snake Two maintained his cold tone, his gaze towards Bu Ying in front of him filled with utter disdain.
"I wouldn't dare! I'll obey your command and get out of the car now."
Bu Ying, feigning extreme fear and subservience, gestured for He Shi to open the car door, preparing to exit. The moment his foot touched the ground, a stream of water suddenly shot out, flying towards Snake Two's chest. Simultaneously, He Shi raised the handgun she had already unholstered and pulled the trigger, aiming at Snake Two's head.
Snake Two's injury presented Bu Ying with a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. How could he let it pass? While stalling Snake Two with his words, he had already signaled He Shi with his eyes to get out of the car when he made his move. Upon receiving his signal, He Shi had secretly drawn her pistol. She hadn't witnessed Snake Two's abilities and didn't believe he was that formidable, so she acted when Bu Ying did.
However, both their attacks missed. Snake Two's figure vanished from the back seat. He Shi looked on in disbelief, while Bu Ying's expression changed drastically. He quickly turned around to see Snake Two standing not far from them. At this moment, He Shi also noticed him and fired two more shots at Snake Two. She refused to believe that someone who could bleed and be injured, a mortal being, could withstand bullets.
But Snake Two could indeed withstand them. With a wave of his remaining left hand, the two bullets, still midway to their target, dropped to the ground. Snake Two extended his left hand, and He Shi, who was at least ten meters away, felt as if her neck was being choked, and she was lifted into the air towards him.
"Envoy, please let her go! She's just an ordinary person. If you let her go, I'll do anything, even die right now. Please spare her."
Seeing He Shi grasped by Snake Two and about to have her neck snapped, Bu Ying rushed forward and knelt before Snake Two with a thud, begging incessantly.
"Fine. Since you're willing to die for her, first chop off your right arm. Otherwise, with just a little more force, she'll perish."
Snake Two's left hand gripped He Shi's neck, holding her high. He Shi, like a fish out of water, turned red in the face, her eyes bulging, on the verge of suffocating.
"Alright, I promise. I'll cut off my right arm immediately. Hurry and let her go; she can't hold on much longer."
Bu Ying drew a dagger from his waist with his left hand. Looking at He Shi struggling in Snake Two's grasp, he gritted his teeth. With a swift motion, his arm was severed at the shoulder, falling to the ground, a bloody mess.
"Hurry and let her go!"
Bu Ying clutched his wound with his remaining left hand, his handsome face contorted in pain. Seeing that Snake Two still hadn't released He Shi, he staggered to his feet, his eyes red with rage, and roared at Snake Two.
"What's the hurry? She won't die. I know my limits."
He threw He Shi to the ground. Snake Two beckoned with his left hand, and the severed arm on the ground flew up, landing directly on his empty right shoulder. Then, black mist billowed from the connection, and Bu Ying's right arm miraculously grew onto Snake Two's stump. This was why he hadn't killed Bu Ying immediately; his arm, severed by a blood escape technique, required the limb of an esper to reattach. Furthermore, it had to be a live transplant, or the flexibility of the reattached limb would be significantly compromised. Thus, he had used He Shi to threaten Bu Ying into cutting off his own arm, enabling his own limb regeneration.
"Can she leave now? She has nothing to do with this. I'll stay and let you do as you please."
Bu Ying was prepared to die, intending to take Snake Two down with him, but first, he wanted to ensure He Shi was sent away from here.
"She cannot leave, because I have seen her body."
Snake Two flexed his new arm and said with a sinister grin.