Chapter 121: Hole In The Inner World
“What if I can’t control my negative emotions?” Li Nuowei asked cautiously yet with curiosity.
“To them, we would become very fragrant and enticing,” Xin Junmao said meaningfully.
Li Nuowei fell slightly silent. On the road traveling alongside Xin Junmao, he occasionally received Xin Junmao’s thoughtful care. The other’s sincere attitude, unlike hypocrisy, made him subtly lower some defense.
When they reached the low-house area of the city, where tall buildings were rarely seen, Li Nuowei suddenly discovered that the place was full of red and black colors. Like the sky above wrinkled red curtains, one side actually had multiple gaps of varying sizes, with dark green lines tightly clinging to each gap, as if trying to pry them open or prevent their closure. He couldn’t help but be shocked and suspicious, pointing at those holes and asking: “What are those?”
“Those are space channels,” Xin Junmao said, his eyes revealing some complex emotions. “As I said, this world has some other anomalies. The world where we humans are, as well as other races in the universe, can summon them through rituals, but this world has an anomaly that is domineering, greedy, and gluttonous ruler. Once someone initiates a summoning ritual, no matter who in this world the ritual specifies to summon, ultimately only that ruler will respond to them.
Those holes are when the other side holds a summoning ritual and opens a space channel, the ruler of this world forcibly props it open with its body to prevent the channel from closing, creating ‘unhealing’ space channels.”
“Since it can prop open a channel, why doesn’t it just drill out directly from one of them?” Li Nuowei found it somewhat unbelievable and marveled at the power of that ruler who could even open spacetime with brute force.
Xin Junmao: “That’s why I said it’s greedy. That ruler’s body is immensely enormous. Do you know why I said earlier not to drink the water in this world, and not to get close to the waters of this world? Because the waters of this world are actually all the body of that ruler. All the water in the entire world, whether on the surface or underground, is connected. Think about how much area the oceans occupy on Earth’s surface in the reality; you can imagine how enormous the ruler truly is.
This greedy guy wants to open all the space channels in this sky, so that its body in this world can reach various parts of the universe at the same time. It wants to directly devour the life of the entire universe.”
Li Nuowei was shocked by this statement, then inquired how the other knew about such things.
Xin Junmao smiled and said: “I have a delicious ‘friend’. It once explained it to me like this.”
Li Nuowei was very curious about Xin Junmao’s friend, but he didn’t pursue it further. Instead, he thought of another question: “Does that mean our way out is actually through the space channel?”
“Young fellow, you have good insight,” Xin Junmao teased, nodding as he said, “Correct. There are space channels at the boundary of this city, but the space channels in this world are very strange. Normally, only the spiritual consciousness of external beings, or simply put, souls, can enter here. And the more ‘broken and tattered’ the body in reality, preferably a near-death life, the better. As long as there is a space channel gap nearby for those lives, their souls are more likely to arrive here.
So, I guess your appearance here is very likely because there is also a hole nearby in the reality where you were, and your physical condition was probably poor, giving you the chance to come here.”
There is a “hole” nearby where I was?
Is there a teleportation channel near Liuhua Port city?
Li Nuowei’s whole body trembled as if electrified, thinking: Could that hole refer to the space channel left after the ancient people on that secluded island held a ritual to summon the sea monster? Then… is the entity of the sea monster actually the ruler of the inner world?
Guessing that he might have discovered the truth, Li Nuowei felt not the slightest excitement of parting the mist to see the sun and moon, but rather it intensified the fear and chaos in his mind. He was practically going insane.
“We’re here.” Xin Junmao pointed to a highway station entrance and exit interwoven with flesh and blood. Behind the entrance and exit was a half-wheel irregular space gap, like a tunnel, but the inside of the tunnel was pitch black, with no end in sight at a glance.
Dark green lines were supporting and pulling at the surroundings of the gap, extending from underground, their source unknown.
Looking at that pitch-black “tunnel”, Li Nuowei felt uneasy inside. He suddenly became uncertain whether he should enter it, and even more uncertain about what the consequences of going inside would be.
At the same time, after seeing those dark green lines up close, Li Nuowei became even more certain that the sea monster entity under the Liuhua Port air-raid shelter, that soul-devouring muddy swamp, was of the same origin as these irregular dark green lines.
That muddy swamp was so terrifying; Li Nuowei had already experienced it deeply. Now, making him rush into the “tunnel” supported and guarded by dark green lines was tantamount to sending him deep into the dragon’s den and tiger’s lair.
He might as well just kill himself.
Li Nuowei looked left and right, trying to find a prop that could let him die in a more normal way.
“Don’t be afraid, just run with me.” Xin Junmao saw Li Nuowei’s hesitation, patted his back, and comforted him: “Worst case, you just die once.”
Li Nuowei silently glanced at the other, thinking this person’s mind was probably not much different from his own; they both seemed a bit deranged.
Seeing the other’s confidence, Li Nuowei decided to trust him once. Anyway, if he died, he could start over. If the other betrayed him, after restarting, he would have plenty of chances to kill him.
“Stay close.” After observing near the tunnel for a while and confirming no major anomalies, Xin Junmao immediately whispered “Run” and dashed toward the hole with Li Nuowei.
Whoosh—
The moment the two approached the hole, those dark green unidentified long strips that looked like lines immediately moved, extending tentacles and wrapping toward them.
Li Nuowei stared intently at Xin Junmao running ahead. He wanted to see how the other would handle such a situation.
However, Xin Junmao just kept leading the run from the front, making no moves, as if he had no intention of resisting at all.
Just as Li Nuowei felt disappointed, a bulge suddenly rose on Xin Junmao’s back, like an expanding fleshy ball. The fleshy ball’s wall burst open, splattering foul-smelling slurry. Arms endlessly growing and extending from the palms stretched out from the fleshy ball, grabbing those dark green “lines,” tearing them apart. Then, the tips of those arms turned into huge mouths, devouring the torn “lines.”
Li Nuowei watched this eerie and grotesque scene in astonishment, then saw a well-shaped, alluring faceless female body grow out from the fleshy ball. She wanted to roar, so a mouth with torn skin gradually manifested on her elongated face.
In memory of Comrade Jiang… Only one update today. I have to do propaganda tomorrow morning, the location is a bit far, need to wake up early, so no staying up late. Make-up updates will be on the weekend.
