Be careful of the violence in the content.
When Shen Jie asked questions, his eyelids hardly blinked, and his deep, shiny black pupils would give people the illusion that he was staring at them intently.
In practice, few people could outright refuse to answer his questions.
Ao Daye subconsciously replied, “The second block on the left, third row, nineteenth position.”
Shen Jie nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Ahh?” Ao Daye was a bit confused, not understanding how Shen Jie had determined the target.
On the other hand, Chu Xiaoxuan, after some thought, grasped Shen Jie’s logic and explained to Ao Daye, “Boss probably thinks that Jiang Fan is very likely the mist’s host, after all, if someone who hasn’t worked in your company before, it’s difficult to construct a space identical to your company’s. So, Jiang Fan’s workstation is very likely where the host is located.”
“The person sitting at that workstation isn’t Jiang Fan,” Ao Daye whispered softly, “I don’t even know that person.”
Shen Jie replied calmly, “Let’s go take a look first. After all, we don’t have any other clues at the moment, do we?”
Chu Xiaoxuan chimed in, “I agree with Boss’s view.”
They were currently standing at the entrance of the entire open-plan office area. To reach Jiang Fan’s workstation, they needed to traverse half of the room.
Chen Shushu scratched his head and said, “Wait a moment… Shouldn’t we first devise an evacuation plan before going? If the host’s strength exceeds our expectations later, we can quickly retreat… uh, strategic withdrawal.”
Chu Xiaoxuan thought it made sense, so he took a few steps back tentatively, but bumped into an invisible wall.
He pushed his glasses and chuckled bitterly, “Although, it seems like we can’t go back now.”
[The ‘door’ of the domain space has closed.]
[The creatures who set the trap feel the prey has been caught, and the cage door has been closed. To exit from here, either wait for it to finish digesting the food and open the door by itself, or forcibly break the cage.]
With no way back, they could only move forward.
The passage between the seats in the office area was narrow, with several people walking in one line.
Chen Shushu walked at the front with a sword in hand, moving slowly and cautiously, like a mother hen guarding her chicks.
But the “employees” engrossed in their work paid them no mind, only the sound of typing keys echoing.
As they passed by, Shen Jie glanced sideways and saw a busy employee’s screen with Excel spreadsheet characters rapidly moving forward, with the content in the cells reading “Destroy the world! The boss who demands unpaid overtime every day should die die die die dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
[Hiss, such strong resentment.] The system couldn’t help but rub its cybernetic hands.
Shen Jie, on the other hand, was very curious and glanced at the screens of the other “employees,” only to find that this bunch was either pretending to be very busy or busy pretending.
The densely woven white fluorescent lamps hanging from the ceiling illuminated the office area brightly.
According to scientific explanations, white light can reduce drowsiness in people, and the higher the light intensity, the more it can keep employees awake. This is also why most offices uniformly use white lighting.
But Shen Jie felt they really had no need to stay awake.
To be precise, “they” didn’t.
None of these employees illuminated by the light had shadows.
The computers had shadows, the desks had shadows, the chairs had shadows, but they alone didn’t.
Chen Shushu and Chu Xiaoxuan probably just noticed as they walked over, the clothes on their backs visibly dampened with sweat.
Ao Daye reacted slowest, almost jumping in place when he noticed, only to be restrained by Shen Jie’s hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t panic,” Shen Jie whispered softly. “Keep walking.”
Ao Daye trembled like a sieve, feeling the eerie atmosphere closing in around him.
But Shen Jie’s hand was soft and warm, calming his trembling soul with human warmth.
The group proceeded cautiously and finally arrived at Jiang Fan’s workstation.
With just a glance, Shen Jie knew why Ao Daye had been so sure that the person sitting at Jiang Fan’s seat wasn’t him.
Because the person sitting there was a woman.
The woman is wearing a brown half-length skirt with a beige satin shirt on top, her chestnut-colored long hair twisted into a braided bun and draped over her right shoulder, her appearance very gentle.
Different from the other “employees” at the workstation.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
She has a shadow.
[She is Xu Xiaolin, Jiang Fan’s partner.] the system said.
[Of course, the real Xu Xiaolin is still in the intensive care unit of the municipal hospital. This should just be a phantom imagined by Jiang Fan.]
We Wljbilc kjr vgjklcu klat tfg tfjv vbkc.
Ktf qfc vgfk tlut jcv ibk obivr bc atf qjqfg, rffwlcuis gjcvbw vbbvifr ja olgra uijcmf, yea Vtfc Alf gfmbuclhfv ja j uijcmf atja rtf kjr vgjklcu j tewjc fifmagbmjgvlbugjw.
Mjmlcu atf obeg qfbqif’r jaafcalbc, We Wljbilc vlv cba fnfc gjlrf tfg tfjv, kbgxlcu nfgs vlilufcais.
Chen Shushu looked at the neighboring Chu Xiaoxuan, silently mouthing, “Are you sure this is the host?”
Chu Xiaoxuan pursed his lips. “Not sure. Let’s try.”
Chen Shushu originally wanted to poke with a sword to test, but after some thought, he decided to use his hand instead, gently pushing towards Xu Xiaolin –
His hand passed right through.
“A ghost?” Chen Shushu’s mouth dropped open.
Ao Daye continued to shake and tremble.
Chu Xiaoxuan furrowed his brows deeply. “A ghost… This could be troublesome.”
If the host was a ghost or some non-physical entity, then they wouldn’t be able to solve the problem using physical means.
He looked directly at Shen Jie, his eyes showing a pleading look for guidance.
Unconsciously, he had developed a great trust and dependence on Shen Jie’s judgment.
Got a problem you can’t solve? Just ask the expert!
Shen Jie didn’t speak, just leaned in closer and… grabbed the pen from Xu Xiaolin’s hand.
Xu Xiaolin was a phantom, but the pen was a real object. As a result, his hand overlapped with Xu Xiaolin’s hand.
The pen sent a chilling sensation straight to the bone, along with an inexplicable heaviness.
Shen Jie held the pen, preventing it from moving.
He wasn’t usually a fitness fanatic, his body didn’t show any impressive muscles, but during vacations, he would indulge in massage play with Zong Lin. After their first attempt, they realized they both had areas to improve and learn from each other.
Zong Lin advised him to work on building up his strength again, and according to Zong Lin, he needed to learn a bit of boxing.
Later on, the records on the punching force meter in the institute’s gym were consistently maintained by him, with a figure of over nine hundred pounds, leaving many weakling researchers peeking out from behind equipment with incredulous looks as they sized him up.
And now, controlling a disobedient pen with a punch of over nine hundred pounds was still effortless for him.
Soon, Shen Jie drew a straight line behind the ups and downs of the electrocardiogram on the paper.
The pen tip was sharp, cutting through the paper.
After finishing the drawing, he even tucked the pen into his pocket.
As the electrocardiogram returned to zero, Xu Xiaolin’s face instantly turned pale.
Finally, she lifted her head, looking at the four people holding weapons ready, and softly asked, “Why?”
A tear of blood fell from her eyes, accentuating her gentle and delicate face, a sight both heartbreaking and horrifying.
Chen Shushu, feeling a bit uncomfortable, instinctively wanted to console her, “Uh, don’t cry…”
However, the next moment, the gentle female voice turned into a rough male voice, filled with deep resentment and anger as he asked them, “I just wanted Xiaolin to live, did I do something wrong? Why are all of you trying to stop me?”
With those words, Xu Xiaolin’s phantom suddenly dissipated, leaving only an empty chair in its place.
The busy employees around suddenly stopped their activities, all simultaneously lifting their heads and turning to look at them.
The employees’ faces were pale, their eyeballs showing a grayish-white color, resembling zombies from a horror movie before doomsday.
Chen Shushu was on high alert, “Be careful!”
The employees in their seats didn’t run towards them with bloodthirsty mouths like zombies in zombie movies.
—Because they went straight up into the sky!
Hundreds of green vines shot up from the ground, impaling the “employees” like kebabs on the tips of the vines, mouths gaping open with sinister expressions. It was evident that many thin and dense green vines were protruding from under their skin, spreading throughout their bodies like veins.
Clearly, they had been corpses from the beginning, only being manipulated by the vines to move.
[Information collected… Database filtering initiated…]
[Host form confirmed, belonging to Rank Eight of the “Rule” category , “Enigma Tree Fiend.”]
[The abilities of the Enigma Tree Fiend include: illusion, vine control, low-level rule setting, and transforming infectees into tree-like creatures.]
[As a low-level alien, the Enigma Tree Fiend possesses numerous vines and a massive root system. Within the range of its root system, illusions manifest, while the abundance of vines facilitates strangulation, relocation, and manipulation of prey. However, it also has its fatal weaknesses: it fears fire. Moreover, the Enigma Tree Fiend lacks a brain, with its most vulnerable core and heart located within the tree cavity.]
[In comparison to typical instances, this particular Enigma Tree Fiend is somewhat unique. It has acquired its own independent spatial domain. Although this space is small, it is sufficient to maximize the advantage of dense vines.]
Soon, the advantage of dense vines was vividly demonstrated.
What scene could be more terrifying than hundreds or even thousands of zombies swinging their claws as they descend from the sky?
Chen Shushu’s face turned green, his hand gripping the sword trembling uncontrollably. Ao Daye went completely limp, only saved from falling to the ground by Shen Jie’s support.
Chu Xiaoxuan reacted swiftly, quickly shrinking under the table and shouting, “Find cover!!!”
Cover? Yes! They must find cover, or else they could be crushed to death by the sheer weight of so many zombies…
Chen Shushu’s forehead was sweating, his legs feeling as heavy as lead, making it difficult to move.
In the end, he was just a young college student, accustomed to a life of safety in the city. Faced with a situation spiraling out of control, he easily fell into a state of “paralyzing tension.”
At this moment, Shen Jie’s calm and pleasant voice suddenly sounded behind him, casual as if chatting about everyday matters, “Hey, buddy, 3.14159, what irrational number is that?”
There’s no need to even think about it.
As a math major undergraduate student, Chen Shushu reflexively shouted, “Of course it’s π!!!!!!”
With his voice, a gigantic symbol of π descended from the sky, enveloping the three of them.
Countless flying zombies swung towards the π symbol, their impacts creating a mosaic of splatters.
[Can it even do that?] the system exclaimed in astonishment.
Shen Jie remained composed, “Guiding supernatural abilities is my specialty.”
Don’t just say Chen Shushu is only a Rank Seven superpower user; even higher-level users need to listen to his instructions step by step when coordinating suppressors.
Speaking of which, the first time he and Zong Lin met was when they were assisting each other in wearing suppressors.
Zong Lin is the user he has encountered that requires the most suppressors to be worn, and the process is also the most cumbersome.
Thinking back, it’s quite nostalgic.
Summoning such a large π, Chen Shushu’s face turned a bit pale, and he was bent over, panting.
A nearby corpse tried to break through from the side but was pushed back by Shen Jie with a single stroke.
Chu Xiaoxuan peeked out from under the table, his gaze towards Shen Jie even more admiring, “Expert, what should we do now?”
Although the π served as a temporary shield, blocking the vine’s attack, they were now trapped within the spatial domain, with no way out. Staying put like this was definitely not a solution.
The vines continued to attack relentlessly from above, causing the π formed by superpower to tremble dangerously.
Chen Shushu’s face grew even paler, feeling the superpower continuously draining from his body.
Generally speaking, when a Rank Eight alien encountered a Rank Seven superpower user, the odds were fifty-fifty. Moreover, Chen Shushu, who knew nothing and required guidance as a newcomer, was facing a special variant like the “Enigma Tree Fiend,” which could unfold its own spatial domain. With buffs stacked up, they didn’t have much time left.
Shen Jie lowered his head in contemplation.
As the most important person to Jiang Fan, it was no coincidence that Xu Xiaolin’s phantom was placed here.
This must be the closest place to the core of the Enigma Tree Fiend’s body…
He suddenly reached out and pulled the empty chair in front of him.
Underneath the chair, the ground revealed a deep, abyssal black hole!
Just now, the overhead fluorescent light was too bright, and the shadows cast by the chair and table were too dense. With the naked eye of an ordinary person, it was impossible to notice such a hole under the chair.
Shen Jie made a decisive decision: “Follow me.”
Then, he gripped his knife with one hand and jumped directly into the hole.
[Host, don’t you even hesitate a bit! What if it’s a trap?] the system exclaimed, [Aren’t you afraid of falling and turning into mush?]
The wind whistled in his ears, and his body experienced an extreme sense of weightlessness, while his heart physiologically beat rapidly.
Shen Jie found this sensation quite intriguing. He opened his arms to feel it carefully, and after what felt like an eternity, his body swayed, and suddenly everything around him spun.
He found himself back inside the carriage.
Not in a mechanical factory, nor in a vast office area.
Instead, it was the original fourteenth section of the subway carriage.
Except, now the subway carriage had transformed into the interior of a sturdy tree trunk. Rusty reddish steel and thick green roots merged together, creating a bizarre scene.
In the midst of steel and plants sat a “person.”
Though calling it a person might not be quite accurate.
Its upper body still vaguely resembled a human form, but its lower body was made up of densely packed roots that dispersed into the ground. Its skin and tissues had completely decayed, revealing only a surface covered in bark. Its facial features were indistinguishable, but it seemed to be straining its neck upward.
[Congratulations, you’ve found the core of the Enigma Tree Fiend,] the system breathed out.
[Inside the tree cavity, it cannot use its vines to attack or move from its position, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board. You can now enjoy the fruits of victory.]
[To be honest, I don’t understand why it would choose to create a hole in its own spatial domain,] the system continued.
As the system spoke, Chen Shushu and the others fell out of the hole.
Ao Daye collapsed on the ground, clinging to Shen Jie’s thigh, tears streaming down his face, “Wuuu… Mommy, I want to go home…”
The sensation of freefalling for several tens of seconds was something even helicopter bungee jumping couldn’t match, far too exhilarating for ordinary people.
Ao Daye felt like he was about to die, crying with tears and snot flowing, instinctively seeking comfort from someone who could provide security.
Shen Jie looked at him disdainfully, shook him off, but he didn’t let go.
Chen Shushu couldn’t bear it and dragged Ao Daye away, muttering to himself as he did so, reminding himself that he was a college student, still young and resilient, as if he had just ridden a bungee jump ten times, there shouldn’t be any harm… Uh, his legs felt weak, and he felt like throwing up.
Chu Xiaoxuan lay on the ground, his face pale, trembling as he weakly gave a thumbs-up to Shen Jie, “Boss, you truly are… a boss…” before passing out directly. He was afraid of heights.
Shen Jie rubbed his temples, leaving behind the three useless companions, and walked towards the position of the Enigma Tree Fiend’s core, holding the knife.
The Enigma Tree Fiend remained motionless, sitting slouched, maintaining a posture of looking up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, with a mixture of brightness and sadness.
“Are you looking at your wife? She’s in the intensive care unit, not here,” Shen Jie said casually.
[Host, why are you talking to the Enigma Tree Fiend? After its corruption, its brain folds have turned into bark; it can’t think, nor can it communicate.] The system’s voice had just fallen when suddenly, a crack appeared in the mouth area of the tree fiend, and a hoarse voice emerged intermittently.
“…phone… help me… give…”
—-
University City Station, Ground Control Zone.
A flashy bright red convertible car rushed into the parking lot at breakneck speed, standing out conspicuously among a large group of police cars and ambulances.
Soldiers from the City Defense Bureau came over to inspect. Chen Jiahua urgently handed over his special abilities certificate from the Mist Cleaning Center and answered several questions. After confirming that he was a voluntary supporter, he was allowed to pass.
After everything was sorted out, he glanced to the side, but there was no sign of his team leader in the passenger seat.
The subway station was in chaos. Zong Lin wore a large black windbreaker, buttoned all the way up, with a hood covering his arms and unusual appearance. He walked through the subway escalator, following the crowd towards the platform for Line 1.
An intern doctor riding the escalator with him noticed him and glanced at him, whispering, “Are you here to assist t City Defense Bureau as an ability user?”
Zong Lin didn’t respond, but he didn’t mind. Instead, he kindly advised, “The mist this time is very dangerous. If your superpower level isn’t high, it’s better not to get involved. You should go back for now.”
Zong Lin: “Very dangerous?”
The intern doctor found his voice somewhat familiar but didn’t dwell on it, saying, “Yes. I heard that many members of the City Defense Bureau’s advance team have already fallen, and the life detection devices in the monitoring station show that the survival rate of survivors inside the subway is still less than three percent. It’s really tragic.”
At the same time, at the escalator entrance, a relative of a victim who had sneaked in was stopped by a soldier, crying and begging to be let in.
The soldier’s face was full of sympathy, but he had to refuse, saying, “Your partner’s body is severely infected and must be placed in isolation. There’s no way for you to see them one last time. After cremation here, the ashes will be returned to you.”
He bent down deeply, facing the relative and Zong Lin on the escalator.
“Please accept my condolences.”
Zong Lin: “…”
This is so gooooodz. I’m totally hooked
btw I’m really confused about the system now, if it is issued by the lord god why doesn’t it just have immediate access to the data? Like if the mc has to trade something for information you could do that but why would the system need to hack into the system to get information? Like, that does not make sense, so we have heard from mc’s sister so if she can degenerate into an alien then that means the world mc is originally from is also in this dilemma, if so then what if he lived in the past and the book he happened to pick up was actually someone with a “future” skill who recorded Chen Shushu’s life in the future into the book and it’s actually a foretell of the future? That would make sense as to why the book was so fragmented and all…
Zhong going to flip a table!
welp thats bad