Invasion - Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Strong, crimson tentacles crawled out from the darkness, along the walls and the ground.
A presence, both familiar and unfamiliar, rushed towards him.
Ni Ji hesitantly retreated. He was in a lit area, in the damp and cold underground, orange-red flames flickering behind him, occasional explosions.
The fire was Ni Ji's doing. As he descended, he collected all the fuel and explosives he could find along the way, along with all sorts of powerful weapons, using explosives, launching powerful attacks, wherever he went, leaving behind the deafening sounds of explosions and blazing flames.
Here, at the bottom, looking up, the sky was too far to be seen, layers of floors rising high on both sides.
This terrifyingly large underground city, its three-dimensional, crisscrossing pipes and floors suspended high above, clusters of burning flames everywhere.
Those clusters of flames, like flickering stars, although they couldn’t pierce the darkness, they illuminated the bloody path the sentinel had carved.
The orange-red firelight illuminated half of Ni Ji's body, thick blood dripping from the hand gripping his long blade, his other hand holding an anti-gravity weapon on his shoulder.
Covered in blood, he no longer knew how many days he had been continuously fighting.
Being able to reach this place before his body collapsed could almost be considered a miracle.
He had finally, finally found the familiar presence.
Unfortunately, before he could even rejoice, a strange, giant creature emerged from the darkness.
It seemed like Lin Yuan, yet he couldn’t be sure.
“She” didn’t even recognize him.
Ni Ji cautiously stared at the tentacles, trying to find that familiar face from among the intertwining limbs.
The tentacles, radiating killing intent, surged towards him from all directions.
Ni Ji raised the anti-gravity gun in his hand.
It was a weapon he had found in the underground city, a powerful weapon from the peak of human technology, incredibly powerful. A single shot could crush anything within its range into mincemeat.
Ni Ji aimed at a pillar in front, pulled the trigger. Even sturdy superstructures couldn't withstand a destructive weapon like this from the same era.
The gravity within the space multiplied several times, and the large pillar instantly collapsed, the roof caving in.
The falling building materials crashed to the ground, burying the tentacles, briefly blocking their path.
Ni Ji quickly retreated, the tentacles quickly surging after him.
The huge, dark red tentacles slammed against the wall with a loud crash.
Their strength was great, and their speed incredibly fast. It wasn't Lin Yuan, nothing like her, Ni Ji repeatedly told himself.
It was just a creature of the same race as her mental body.
It couldn’t be, couldn’t be her.
She wouldn't forget him.
A tentacle suddenly emerged from the ground and instantly wrapped around his calf. As Ni Ji’s body tilted forward, he raised his red blade, slashing towards the tentacle.
The sentinel’s dynamic vision was excellent, even in that instant, he still saw the tentacle’s skin under the blade light.
There was a clear dividing line on that limb, the skin color distinctly different above and below.
The skin above the dividing line was clearly much more tender, lighter in color.
Obviously a limb that had been cleanly severed and regrown.
It hadn’t been long since it was severed, within the past few months.
In that Golden Tree Contaminated Zone, cruelly cut off by a pig-headed monster with a sharp blade.
Ni Ji’s blade stopped.
The sharp blade, which could cut through anything, froze in mid-air.
“Quickly cut it off! Don’t hesitate, or you won’t be able to escape!” The sharp, strange voice from the blade’s hilt rang out.
Ni Ji recognized this tentacle.
It had slapped the back of his hand, liked to wrap around his ankle, liked to take off his socks and gloves, and had once, when he wasn’t paying attention, slipped into his clothes from his collar, against his skin.
It was the one that caused him the most trouble among all of Lin Yuan’s tentacles.
But it was also the one that had touched his hair to comfort him, hooked his finger, and led him into that warm courtyard.
Ni Ji still remembered the pitiful way it had shown him its severed end after being cut, telling him how much it hurt.
The red demon blade was against the tentacle's dark red skin, yet he couldn't bring himself to cut it down.
Ni Ji recognized this tentacle, but the tentacle didn't recognize Ni Ji.
It tightly wrapped around the sentinel’s calf, pulling him hard, throwing him to the ground. A dozen tentacles emerged, pinning him down.
The sentinel discarded his sharp saber, using his strength to pry open the slippery tentacles, struggling with all his might against the surging tentacles.
He pried open almost all the tentacles, almost breaking free from the sticky embrace, but his ankle was caught, and he was dragged back.
More tentacles appeared, completely restraining him.
His waist and legs were bound, his wrists pressed overhead, even his throat constricted, his breathing becoming difficult.
Ni Ji struggled, but there was no room for him to move.
"Let me see what I've caught," a familiar voice came from somewhere. "What's this? He's warm, soft, and also sweet, so much moisture, such an interesting fellow."
That voice, light and airy, was Lin Yuan’s. But she was saying strange things.
She seemed very far away, yet also whispering right next to his ear.
"Big Sister Lin Yuan, he's a human, a real human, a living person, a sentinel," Teng Lu followed, she stood in the distance, wearing her white dress, and said with a smile.
Ni Ji, bound by the tentacles, began to struggle frantically.
"Shh, don't move, good sentinel, I don't want to hurt you," Lin Yuan’s voice came from beside his ear.
Like she was coaxing a pet struggling in her hands, coaxing a toy she liked.
A smooth, cold feeling brushed against Ni Ji’s neck, constricting his throat, gently caressing his Adam's apple.
Warning him that if he didn’t obey, she would ruthlessly strangle him the next moment.
Along with wet, dragging sounds, it seemed like many large monsters were approaching in the darkness.
In the flickering firelight, a pale, eyeless monster, dragging its long tail, slowly crawled over. It clung to a broken wall, extended its long, white neck, bared its sharp fangs at Ni Ji on the ground, and growled softly.
One of its arms was broken by an explosion, the wound charred black. It was one of the enemies Ni Ji had fiercely fought on one of the upper levels when he approached.
Another Deviant clumsily flew in, hanging upside down from the ceiling, its mouth open, letting out a strange, human-like giggle at Ni Ji, one of its wings on its back severed by Ni Ji's blade.
One after another, monsters slowly surrounded him, clinging to nearby surfaces, baring their fangs at this human. This human, who had been burning and killing all the way here, who had injured many of their companions. They were filled with hatred towards him, they couldn’t wait to swarm forward, tear him apart alive.
Some could speak, cursing in human language.
Some could only make beastly growls, expressing their anger.
"Big sister has also found a toy for herself," Teng Lu joined the onlookers, "They’re very interesting, you can try increasing their sensitivity, they'll become even more adorable."
"But you have to be careful. Their minds are very fragile, you’ll completely break them if you're not careful, and after they’re broken, they’re no fun, their minds empty, only shells remaining."
Beside Teng Lu stood a new sentinel, eyeless, his face blank.
A mindless puppet, a toy belonging to her.
Monsters of all shapes and sizes surrounded them, hanging or standing, their eyeless faces staring at the human captured by the tentacles on the ground.
The sentinel wanted to struggle to stand up.
A slender, white arm extended from the surging tentacles.
On that fair wrist was a swirling, black and white bracelet.
Ni Ji's pupils constricted, it was the bracelet he had given to Lin Yuan.
The dense crowd of tentacles parted, revealing a small, fair face. Lin Yuan's face.
The flickering firelight danced on Lin Yuan’s familiar face.
There wasn’t a single human expression on that fair face. Her golden pupils stared at Ni Ji coldly.
Ni Ji was pinned down, all his vital points restrained. He could only lift his head slightly, looking at her.
Watching as the familiar arm slowly approached him.
A cold touch against his eyes, covering his vision.
A powerful will, through that cold touch, seeped in, mercilessly invading his world.
Before, when they had been training together, Lin Yuan had been very careful every time she entered his mental landscape, gentle and meticulous, like a soft rain nourishing all things, afraid of hurting him with any excessive action.
Now, her cold mental force barged into his deep sea, forcefully invading his world without any hesitation. She didn’t recognize him, and no longer cared whether he was hurt.
Ni Ji didn’t know what had happened to Lin Yuan.
Her upper body was still in human form, but her lower body was countless surging tentacles, her golden eyes cold and emotionless.
She was strange and indifferent, a powerful, non-human presence.
She had even discarded all her human memories and common sense.
Ni Ji called Lin Yuan’s name, asking her what was wrong.
In that mindscape, he transformed into the orca form that Lin Yuan liked, and tried to approach her.
But Lin Yuan didn’t react to his calls and questions at all, even forcefully controlling his mental body.
They were deep underground, in a dangerous place, surrounded by powerful enemies. Lin Yuan had lost her memory.
If they fought each other, it would only weaken them, reducing their chances of escape.
Ni Ji finally closed his eyes, giving up his resistance against Lin Yuan.
The white arm covering his eyes was withdrawn.
The sentinel who had been mentally invaded went completely limp.
He was already at his limit, having single-handedly fought his way to the bottom of the underground city, desperately fighting for so long, holding on entirely by willpower.
Now that his mindscape had been breached, he finally let go.
His entire body felt empty. Weakness and pain, exhaustion and the drug’s aftereffects all hit him at once, even the strongest person couldn't endure it.
The burning flames in the ruins crackled, occasionally even exploding, sending out sparks.
The firelight bright.
Countless monsters and enemies surrounded him, staring.
But he could only lie there, disarmed, losing control of his body, revealing his most vulnerable and fragile side.
The tentacles played with his body, curiously lifting his bloody hands and feet, putting him in different poses, treating him like an interesting, new toy.
Innocent, yet also incredibly cruel.
Ni Ji closed his eyes, trying to curl his body up a little under the gazes of countless monsters around him.
Don't do this, he pleaded in his heart.
Don't do this to me, Lin Yuan.
Not here, not in front of these monsters.
Lin Yuan.
He had injected himself with too many drugs, his body long past its limit.
Perhaps he could have held on a little longer, but his powerful willpower, broken by Lin Yuan's invasion, the drug’s side effects surging, violently attacking his body.
Ni Ji felt every blood vessel in his body convulsing, his body turning cold, completely losing control of his limbs.
He lay there, unable to move. It made him feel very uncomfortable, as if he was back then, surrounded by enemies, alone, with no one to offer him a little warmth.
He desperately hoped Lin Yuan could hear his voice, could touch his head like before, could stop bullying him.
But Lin Yuan didn't remember him.
Despair washed over him like a tide, so cold, like being crushed under a glacier.
At this time, that tentacle, the one that had once been severed, loosened its grip on his neck. Ni Ji didn’t know where it was going, what it was going to do to him.
It wriggled, crawling over his face, moving upwards, finally rubbing his head.
That long tentacle coiled and twisted, covering Ni Ji's curled body, shielding Ni Ji within its embrace.
【He said he doesn't want to be here.】
【He doesn’t want other people.】
Ni Ji, covered by the tentacle, heard Lin Yuan speaking, towards those monsters around them, "Get lost," her voice clear, rippling like water.
"This sentinel is very hateful, he cut off my wings and injured many of my companions, we all wanted to see how you would punish him," the huge, one-winged Deviant said, it hated this sentinel who had broken its arm, baring its fangs, it seemed to want to jump down from the roof and bite the sentinel's throat.
But strangely, it restrained its ferocity, carefully seeking Lin Yuan’s opinion, even using honorifics with her.
"Yes, kill him!"
"He burned off my arm, it hurt so much.”
"He cut off my wing, I want to tear off one of his legs."
"I want to hear him scream."
"I want to see him cry and beg for mercy."
The Deviants clamored, those who couldn’t speak making angry growls.
"Yes, Big Sister Lin Yuan, we want to see his miserable state, why are you driving us away?" Teng Lu said.
Lin Yuan's golden eyes turned, just a glance at her.
And Teng Lu instantly showed a pained expression, clutching her head.
"Don’t, don’t do this, Big Sister Lin Yuan!" she screamed, scrambling and rolling away.
The monsters surrounding them, flying or running, instantly dispersed in all directions.
The tentacles, satisfied, touched the sentinel lying on the ground, wrapped around his wrist, lifted his entire body, and carried him back to their lair.
It was a large underground cave, its ceiling covered in crisscrossing metal pipes.
It was very dark here, without a single light. The water circulation system seemed to still be functioning, the sound of running water coming from a dark corner.
The sentinel was thrown onto the floor of the lair. The tentacles began to play with him again. Some took off his shoes, some peeled off his blood-stained gloves.
Pinching his slender fingers, exploring them one by one.
His skin warm, soft and elastic, a thin layer covering the small bones within, his joints very flexible.
It brought them a familiar feeling.
As if they had once wrapped around these fingers, held this hand.
This creature called a “sentinel” was very interesting.
Making them very excited.
They wanted to play with him.
The lair was very quiet, dark, safe, just the two of them.
He had said he didn't want to be outside, he didn't want to be seen by other people, everything had been done according to his request. But why was he still not responding?
The sentinel lying on the ground no longer struggled as violently as before, but he was curled up, almost motionless.
He let them do as they pleased, didn’t resist even when they lifted his hand, which would limply fall when they let go.
If they forcefully shook him, he would weakly call out, “Lin Yuan.”
He would call her name, and it sounded very nice.
So the tentacles kept shaking him, making him keep calling her name, until he almost couldn't make a sound.
Lin Yuan finally realized that something was wrong with the new sentinel toy she had just captured.
His body seemed very weak, his mindscape a mess, he might even die at any moment.
She remembered what Teng Lu had just said, “These creatures are easily broken, you have to be very careful.”
Was this creature called a “sentinel” truly so fragile?
She hadn't done anything, she had almost just shaken him, and he was about to die?
"Hey, what’s wrong with you?"
"Give me some… water," the sentinel in the darkness said intermittently, "I think… I’m having a fever… Lin Yuan."
Ehhh what happened to herrrrr🥲🥲
ReplyDelete