Evil As Humans

Chapter 221: Landmark

A few hours ago.

Meng Huai held a blood and flesh spirit weapon made of a hand chain and a ring, while Zhong Chengfeng alertly held her gun. The two agilely jumped up and down on the edge of the cocoon. Even Xiao Zheng, the rear science post, skillfully hooked the white silk threads around him, resembling a reincarnated spider spirit.

Whenever any Elementals attempted to approach, the two would create a minor harmless disturbance in a farther location and silently slide back. There were only a few Elementals around the cocoon, and the exit agreed upon by Unit 9 was in a blind spot, ensuring a safe retreat route.

Only Fu Tianyi remained, faithfully guarding the cocoon.

The surroundings were filled with shimmering tunnel walls, making one dizzy. Various black and white Elementals crawled around, creating a scene akin to the snowflakes on an old television screen. He couldn’t afford to provoke them or hide. Fu Tianyi firmly clung to the white silk net, while Dr. Cat clung tightly to Fu Tianyi; their movements were perfectly synchronized.

It was just keeping watch, Fu Tianyi reassured himself countless times in his mind.

They were here to steal, not to openly rob a house, so they wouldn’t be targeted by a massive army of Elementals on the spot. Besides, if the sky were to fall, there would be people like Meng Huai to bear the brunt of it. Fu Tianyi, being a seasoned individual, had nothing to fear.

He didn’t remember the excitement he felt before encountering Unit 9 in the first place. Looking back at the evil beings he had dealt with before, it felt more like playing pretend. When it came to “others being stronger than oneself”, this young rising star of the Fu family could even smile like a Buddha.

His sharpness had been completely blunted, even more serene than Dr. Cat, who had just had its nails trimmed.

“Aren’t you here to investigate?” Fu Tianyi couldn’t help but ask the cat perched on his shoulder out of boredom.

“I am investigating.”

Dr. Cat looked intently at the end of the white net.

In the center of the white net lay a half immensely large white hemisphere, motionless. It was embedded in ethereal mist, resembling an eye without a pupil. With the haphazardly stretched white threads around it, it looked like a white spider lurking in the center of a spiderweb. Compared to the obese belly of that hemisphere, the small cocoons containing the missing individuals were more like tiny droplets on a spiderweb.

Insignificant and fragile, incomparable to the massive hemisphere at the center of the web.

The black cat’s fur stood on end, and its round eyes blinked without pause. Fu Tianyi looked for a while but didn’t notice any changes in the central hemisphere.

Fu Tianyi: “So, do you know what that thing is?”

“I don’t know.” Meiqiu swished its tail. “But its interference pattern on the surrounding consciousness is similar to the ‘angel’s arm’. Since we arrived here, its interference with the surrounding thoughts has been growing stronger. Look, the tunnel walls around us have visibly distorted.”

Fu Tianyi blinked hard, but he still couldn’t see any difference.

“The curvature of the hemisphere has changed, and its volume is increasing.” Dr. Cat meowed as it explained. “This pattern looks somewhat familiar…”

Although it spoke in human language, Fu Tianyi couldn’t understand a single word.

So he decisively gave up on the idea of chatting with the science post and focused his mind, attempting to meditate for a while to regain his strength.

But before half a minute had passed with his eyes closed, the cocoon suddenly shook violently. Fu Tianyi failed to hold on and almost fell off.

“What…”

Fu Tianyi didn’t even finish his sentence when his heart nearly stopped—

In his field of vision, both the image and sound came to a sudden halt.

The Elementals surrounded them, crowded and constantly crawling, all froze in their movements. After three or four seconds, they simultaneously stood up, twisted their bodies, and turned a certain part of their bodies towards the group of Shian members.

Their movements were stiff and unified, carrying a silent hostility. The gaze felt like a grinding stone, grinding away at Fu Tianyi’s spirit, threatening to shatter it into pieces.

They had been exposed.

In the next moment, bone spikes, mucus, fleshy limbs… various indescribable things shot towards the four humans and the cat. Meng Huai leaped using the white silk threads, twirling her ring and bracelet two rounds before she put them on her hand, then she clapped her hands together on her chest.

Fu Tianyi felt a gust of wind blow past him. Countless Elementals turned into balls of flesh and blood, rushing towards the incoming objects, causing numerous explosions. Several Elementals that came dangerously close were shot down by Zhong Chengfeng’s gun.

“What are you staring at, brat!” Meng Huai shouted loudly.

Only then did Fu Tianyi snap out of it. He quickly produced talismans made from the skin of Elementals, throwing them like knives. The sword wind swept out, slicing another wave of Elementals into dust.

However, it was all futile.

The surrounding Elementals had no intention of fair competition. They climbed along the silk threads around the cocoon, seemingly confident that they could crush them to death just by squeezing their bodies.

Just as Fu Tianyi was about to scream, the cocoon began to move. It slid along the silk threads like dew, heading towards the gathering place of the white net—

That peculiar hemisphere.

Fu Tianyi almost got thrown off by the cocoon, hastily clutching onto its exterior.

Meng Huai didn’t miss this opportunity. She gracefully leaped back onto the cocoon. The bracelet in her hand extended rapidly, and the ring at the end of the bracelet also grew quickly, resembling a meteor hammer. Taking advantage of the cocoon’s movement, she swung the ring. With each swing, a burst of explosions cleared out a large number of Elementals.

The cocoon slid faster and faster, then abruptly stopped, crashing heavily into the massive hemisphere at the center of the net. Immediately, something resembling an umbilical cord wriggled over from the hemisphere and connected with the cocoon.

Fu Tianyi was shaken loose by the impact. He held onto Dr. Cat tightly, managing to land softly on the hemisphere.

At the same time, countless white silk threads extended from the surface of the hemisphere, tightly wrapping around the small cocoon. They twined and exerted pressure, causing the cocoon to merge into the hemisphere.

“Shit!” Meng Huai swung her weapon, trying to blast away the encroaching white silk. But they were like falling snow, destroying one layer only to be replaced by another, seemingly endless.

Fu Tianyi’s hand trembled as he held the talisman sword.

He didn’t know the origin of the huge hemisphere; he only knew that standing on top of it felt like standing on a small planet. In comparison, the cocoon appeared significantly smaller, resembling a toy lunar module.

Wave after wave of thin white threads enveloped them, with all the “tracks” connecting to this place crawling with Elementals. The area below the net was also filled with densely packed Elementals, surrounding them completely.

The cocoon containing their companions was continuously wrapped by the unrelenting white threads, and the army of Elementals seemed boundless. Their opponents didn’t slack off just because they were outnumbered; their tactics were flawless.

And on their side, there were only four people, utterly powerless.

In a daze, Fu Tianyi felt like he was underwater. They were treading on the back of a slumbering giant beneath the sea, surrounded by a variety of magnificent aquatic creatures. The dark seawater was colored in bizarre and spectacular hues, exuding a strange and magnificent beauty.

Sharks darted by, schools of fish surrounded them, and giant jellyfish floated gracefully.

And they were nothing more than four small clams.

“Should we… run away?” Facing the overwhelming enemies in front of them and the helpless companions behind him, Fu Tianyi felt that the talisman sword in his hand was as ridiculous as a matchstick.

There were extremely fine white threads everywhere, fragmenting the space of consciousness. Perhaps they couldn’t rely on imagination to shift their surroundings. But if they could blast a path, there might still be hope of survival.

“No.”

Meng Huai’s voice was firm and resolute.

“Even if we manage to escape, we’ll be heavily injured. The missing individuals inside the cocoon are still here. If we stay, at least we’ll have a few more hands to work with.”

Fu Tianyi’s body stiffened—given the current situation, she still wanted to save the missing people?

Meng Huai didn’t care about what he was thinking. She flicked away the strand of hair that stuck to her cheek, and with a half-smile, she leaned closer to Fu Tianyi. “It’s rare to see someone from the Fu family so spineless. Well, how about that Zhong Chengshuo—is he stronger than I imagined?”

Her intuition was even more terrifying than Fu Xingchuan’s, leaving Fu Tianyi speechless.

Meng Huai smiled at him, gripping the enlarged ring tightly in her hand. Then she swung it forcefully. The previous “meteor hammer” transformed into a “metal whip”, lashing out and causing the white threads to scatter in all directions.

Accompanied by crisp cracking sounds, the white threads tangled into a cluster, controlled by her magic, floating in mid-air. Whenever a black Elemental approached, the whip would vigorously extend, dragging the Elemental towards the cluster of threads.

Flesh collided, and the magic was activated. A searing explosion tore through their field of vision, and on the other side, a small sun seemed to explode.

Before Fu Tianyi could focus his pupils, the metal whip swung twice again, and a new cluster of threads replenished the ones destroyed. They dispersed like clouds, neither too close nor too far, forming the most terrifying defense line.

Fu Tianyi couldn’t laugh or cry—these white threads seemed to be the product of Elemental flesh and blood. Meng Huai was attacking on-site and seemed unconcerned about running out of raw materials.

The army of Elementals didn’t retreat. They clung and hung, tightly enveloping the four individuals, but they no longer dared to advance. Countless eerie eyeballs looked in their direction, with large and small eyes hidden behind the cloud-like clusters of threads, as if trying to squeeze out a patch of darkness with their pupils.

Seeing such a formation for the first time, Fu Tianyi felt his whole body go numb.

What on earth were these things? Even if he were to drop dead on the spot, he had experienced more trials and tribulations than 99% of cultivators.

“The next stage might involve cognitive pollution and emotional attacks.” Zhong Chengfeng adjusted her grip on her gun and summarized it plainly.

“Face inward and don’t look at those things.” Meng Huai turned her face towards the cocoon, speaking nonchalantly. “Xiao Zheng, help keep an eye on the emotional attacks.”

“Understood.”

“Chengfeng, you and Xiao Fu continue to destroy the outer wall of the cocoon. These things want to enclose it, but we’ll fight against it,” Meng Huai ordered. “I’ll continue to guard the outside.”

Fu Tianyi hesitated and looked at Meng Huai, who noticed his gaze and grinned at him. She avoided Zhong Chengfeng and deliberately lowered her voice.

“Alright, if you’re not comfortable saying it, then don’t say it,” she whispered. “No matter what Zhong Chengshuo might be hiding, at this point, what can I really investigate? We’ll hide as much of his strength as we can.”

Fu Tianyi: “…Um.” What’s going on? How much has this senior seen through?

“Because of the enemy’s method of attack.”

Dr. Cat interjected, giving Fu Tianyi a sidelong glance and speaking solemnly.

“When the cocoon is completely enveloped, those inside must do everything they can to escape. If they manage to escape, their strength will be exposed. If they can’t escape, they’ll be wiped out.” The black cat licked its paws. “If the hidden trump cards are revealed in advance, it won’t be advantageous for us.”

The cocoon wall wasn’t thick yet, but once it was completely encompassed by the giant hemisphere, who knew where it would be transported. Even if the giant hemisphere was made of ordinary concrete, the people inside would be trapped for at least ten days to half a month.

“So we need to quickly create an escape route.” Meng Huai flicked her wrist, and the bracelet whip created a deep opening on the cocoon. The opening was right in front of Fu Tianyi. “Hurry up. There are probably many people inside who need to be saved.”

“But what about those things around us…” Fu Tianyi tried hard not to look at the suffocating eyeball covers surrounding them.

This time, it was Zhong Chengfeng who answered him. “Let’s regroup and take it one step at a time. As long as we’re all together, we’ll find a way.”

Despite not being blood-related, her expression of sternness really resembled Zhong Chengshuo. After a few shots, the opening in front of Fu Tianyi grew larger.

Fu Tianyi let out a long breath. “Okay!”

Since the situation was already so dire, how much worse could it get?

He swung his sword at the deep fissure, and the frenzied white threads surrounding it collided with the Tranquility Talisman, instantly turning into a burst of smoke. Fu Tianyi continued striking with his sword, striving to destroy faster than the threads could envelop.

Dr. Cat jumped off him and lightly tapped the giant hemisphere with its paw. While the humans around were busy, it raised its tail and paced around.

Its gaze remained fixed on the surface of the hemisphere, covered in white threads.

“It’s grown again.” The black cat murmured to itself. “The pattern of changes in size and aura—which report have I seen it in…”

……

Inside the cocoon.

“Now you know what he looks like,” Hu Tao said. “Quickly help me find him.”

Zhong Chengshuo frowned slightly. Hu Tao’s aura was incredibly powerful, almost reminiscent of Love, surpassing even Mr. Le. If they were to rely on brute force, both Yin Ren and himself would have to intervene.

But it wasn’t the right time yet.

“I understand. I need to have a meeting with my companions.” Zhong Chengshuo nodded.

Memories at this level weren’t enough to shake off fear. The remaining people weren’t faring well—Ge Tingting immediately retched, while Lu Xiaohe and Huang Jin had pale faces and vacant eyes, clearly still not fully recovered.

Hu Tao let out an indifferent hum. “I’ll give you two minutes. Whether you finish speaking or not, I’ll scatter you all.”

“Even if you scatter us, how can we contact you once we find the person?” Zhong Chengshuo asked honestly.

“Just stab him.” Hu Tao turned her bloody and blurred face. “I’ll always remember the smell of A’Shen’s blood.”

Zhong Chengshuo lowered his gaze. “…”

Hu Tao clapped her hands. “I’m starting the countdown—”

Before the others could say more, a flash of light swept by, accompanied by buzzing noises and a misty atmosphere. Hu Tao instantly narrowed her eyes, and the white arms around her started to stir, ready to grab anyone with ill intentions.

However, the mist was just mist, and the noise was just noise. No one moved, let alone any fluctuations of magic. Hu Tao tensed her arms, unsure whether she should make a move or not.

Fortunately, after a minute, the mist and noise dispersed. In the thin mist, Hu Tao flipped her hair, stained with blood. “…What are you all doing?”

Her voice was incredibly cold.

“I accidentally slipped.” Huang Jin tremblingly raised his hand. His bag fell to the ground, scattering Tranquility Talismans everywhere.

Hu Tao let out a murky ghostly breath, tilting her head. The killing intent around her grew stronger.

“We’ve roughly set our direction.” Lu Xiaohe suddenly interjected. “Can I stay here to take care of my mother?”

She sat among the pile of Tranquility Talismans. Her face was pale, looking extremely miserable.

Hu Tao slightly lowered her head, as if staring at Lu Xiaohe holding her mother’s hand. Unfortunately, evil beings were still just evil beings. She quickly turned her head. “No, you also have to come along and search.”

Lu Xiaohe bit her lip.

“Then Lu Xiaohe and I will be a team. Huang Jin and Ge Tingting will be a team,” Zhong Chengshuo said. “Clearing the threads and finding the person requires physical strength. The efficiency of a two-person team is…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Huang Jin and Ge Tingting disappeared on the spot.

Immediately, the surroundings distorted, and this time Zhong Chengshuo saw it clearly—four arms stretched out behind Hu Tao, grabbing Huang Jin and Ge Tingting directly and swiftly pulling them away.

Everything spun and became blurred. The white and dismal scene inside the cocoon turned into afterimages, quickly passing through their field of vision. The area was filled with densely intertwined webs like rainforest vines, and they all retracted, avoiding them like living creatures.

In less than two seconds, the two crashed into the soft cocoon wall and slowly slid to the ground. Zhong Chengshuo turned his head. From this position, the interior of the cocoon looked like a pale forest that stretched endlessly.

They were at the edge of the cocoon.

If he guessed correctly, Ge Tingting and Huang Jin should be on the other side of the cocoon. In any case, they were far away from the weak point of the cocoon—the exit that Unit 9 had planned.

“Alright, search with peace of mind,” Hu Tao said with a smile.

With a rapid change of location in a short period of time and obstacles all around, finding the exit was difficult. Even if they found the exit, they couldn’t contact the other group. If they randomly dug a hole and escaped… even if they succeeded, it was hard to say what the outside would be, and there was no way to effectively support the others.

Regardless of why Love wanted to buy time, this move was truly clever.

Zhong Chengshuo’s lips curled up. Truly the most human-like Primordial Elemental. If it were him, he would have done the same.

With that in mind, Zhong Chengshuo looked at his companion beside him and tidied up his slightly messy ponytail.

His companion—another “Zhong Chengshuo”—pushed his glasses and looked solemnly at Hu Tao. The backpack of that “Zhong Chengshuo” was still bulging, but there was nothing inside anymore.

As expected of Yin Ren—he played the role very well. Zhong Chengshuo himself also had to work hard. Hu Tao found them through Yin Ren’s contract, which was just perfect.

Zhong Chengshuo took a deep breath and continued maintaining the image beside him. His brain spun rapidly, and that layer of imagination turned into a thin camouflage shell, enveloping the real him in the center.

To make the imagined image move smoothly and naturally, strong computational abilities were required. Fortunately, “King Yama” excelled at calculations.

Zhong Chengshuo hobbled, pressing against Lu Xiaohe’s face, limping along behind.

Next, they needed to escape in the shortest possible time and in the least conspicuous way.

At the same time, near the weak point of the cocoon.

Under the scattered Tranquility Talismans on the ground, Lu Xiaohe struggled to pull apart the white silk and propped herself up. She coughed a few times, crawled to her unconscious and weak mother’s side, and held her in her arms.

Within her embrace lay a photo of herself and her mother.

The comments on the back of the photo were blurry, with elusive and shifting characters pointing in two directions. Lu Xiaohe knew that the words she had left on other people’s photos would steadfastly point to herself as well.

A white silk thread snake slithered over and began to wrap around Lu Xiaohe’s feet. However, Lu Xiaohe took out a can of energy drink made from transformed Elemental flesh and blood from her backpack and carefully sprinkled the liquid around her body. As soon as the liquid touched the ground, it emitted a faint red light.

Under the red light, the white threads wriggled dissatisfied and had to go around.

“I’ll stay here.”

Lu Xiaohe whispered softly, holding her mother tightly in her arms. Her mother breathed unconsciously, and the photo was warmed by their body temperatures.

“You all… Make sure to come back early.”

The development of the situation was no different from what Zhong Chengshuo had predicted—Hu Tao would scatter the group, keeping everyone away from the exit and making it difficult to regroup. However, considering that Shian was unprepared for this sudden attack and unaware of Hu Tao’s abnormality, it wasn’t wise to expose everything on the spot.

Everyone was caught in a dilemma.

Faced with such a terrible situation, amidst the swirling smoke, Zhong Chengshuo only uttered three sentences.

“Yin Ren is here; he will pretend to be me.”

“I will disguise myself as Lu Xiaohe, while the real Lu Xiaohe stays in place.”

“Everyone, remember to look at the photo.”

She would become their best landmark.