Chapter 123: It Is All Rumor, Matters of Depth and Length

Beyond the Nine Provinces, in a certain wasteland, deep underground.

Though it was subterranean, the cave was remarkably bright due to the heat radiating from the cavern walls—provided one’s eyes were capable of perceiving the omnipresent infrared light.

A mammoth was sprawled in the center of the cave, its legs and trunk anchored by four—no, five—chains, pinned into a spread-eagled shape. With its trunk extended unnaturally long and its legs somewhat short, the pose looked bizarre, like a character written by a primary schooler.

Li Kele was lying on the mammoth’s back.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Accompanied by a series of violent coughs, he suddenly flipped up into a sitting position.

His white, crew-cut hair, thick unibrow, and even the fine hairs on his body trembled violently, like grass in a gale or the bristles of an electric toothbrush.

In an instant, everything—black or white—turned red! Even the substance he coughed up was nothing but frothy blood.

Li Kele looked as though he had been coated in red lacquer, the kind of factory-baked finish that made an otherwise horrific and grisly scene appear strangely comical and absurd.

Compared to him, the mammoth was not so lucky. With a sudden "puff," it imploded!

It didn't spray blood like Li Kele, but its body abruptly swelled and then collapsed, turning instantly limp like a deflated doll. Only its four legs and trunk remained rigid.

"Kele! Are you back?"

"Are you all right?"

Several people who had been sitting in the gaps of the spread-eagled formation immediately sensed the commotion and closed in, adopting defensive postures.

"I’m fine, I’m fine. Cough, cough, I’m great, better than great..." Li Kele gasped for air, puffing out his chest.

"Slap!" A woman with delicate features, waist-length hair, and an aura of gentleness, kindness, and elegance—marred only by skin with a slight greenish tint—slapped him on the back. "Don't hold it in. Keep coughing. Cough out all the invasive energy!"

"Ugh..." Under the force of that slap, Li Kele could no longer contain himself. He retched violently, a waterfall of blood and viscera-flecked fluids pouring out.

"Da-da, you had the dream-mammoth avatar and still got beaten like this? Who did you run into, da-da?" asked a bald, browless man with a vicious appearance. When he spoke, his voice was punctuated by "da-da" sounds, like stones or metal clashing, which was quite peculiar.

"Sigh, don't ask," Li Kele said, his expression grim.

Black skin, red blood, and an ugly-cute face—he looked wretched from the inside out.

The long-haired woman didn't seem to mind; she pressed her hand against his chest, as if feeling his heartbeat.

Li Kele suddenly twisted away. "I’m fine. These minor injuries will be healed by tomorrow morning. Bao-bao, you should get some rest; don't use your abilities so carelessly!"

Wen Baobao, the long-haired woman, smiled faintly and withdrew her hand. From that brief touch, she had performed a rough diagnosis: Li Kele was indeed not in any major danger. With his constitution, provided there was no further intense combat, he would recover in two or three days.

However, she wasn't smiling because of that. She was smiling at something else she had seen.

Though her smile was tender, kind, and even healing, her words were far from considerate: "It’s true, I can't even begin to tell you. He didn't even catch a glimpse of the person—or rather, the monster—before being taken down by a single sword!"

Li Kele hadn't spoken, but that brief contact had allowed her to read certain images from his mind.

"Bao-bao, didn't you promise..." Li Kele said, feeling a mix of shame and annoyance. He turned to glare at Wen Baobao, but the moment he met her glowing eyes, he lost the ability to speak. "I... I really am useless..."

"Da-da-da, is it really that strong?" The browless man clicked his tongue. "Kele is a high-ranking hunter, after all..."

"A sword? And he didn't even see the opponent..." A woman with golden curls stroked the beauty mark at the corner of her lips, lost in thought. Despite her short hair and professional demeanor, she exuded a sense of... bone-deep seductiveness. "A flying sword, perhaps? It is said that among the Seven Demon Kings of the Myriad Demon Township, the Cat King is most fond of using flying swords."

"I hope it really was the Cat King..." Li Kele sighed.

The Seven Demon Kings of the Myriad Demon Township were all legendary figures with vast supernatural powers, capable of conquering heaven and earth. By human rating standards, they started at tier seven with no upper limit.

If it were the Cat King, it would be understandable. If it were someone—or something—else, then the strength of the Myriad Demon Township was truly terrifying to contemplate.

The air suddenly grew quiet.

"Everyone, please don't take risks for me anymore," Wen Baobao said, breaking the silence with a gentle smile.

"The rules of the high-level dungeons are perfected. Once you're dead, you're dead; there's almost no chance of recovery. Just think, how many of our brothers and sisters in the Wilderness Patrol have been left behind in those dungeons, their bodies never even recovered?"

"Compared to them, I am already lucky. At least I have a few months, maybe even a few years, enough time to do the things I’ve always wanted to do but never did..."

"Bao-bao, don't worry, we will find a way! Just now, inside that place..." Li Kele said anxiously.

Wen Baobao waved a hand to interrupt him. "I saw the reaction of the flying sword. It might have been the frantic response of someone whose secret was revealed, but it could also be... that they are simply annoyed by the sheer number of people who believe the rumors."

"Think about it. The Myriad Demon Township is full of anthropomorphic beasts resulting from convergent evolution. Although they resemble humans, they are like whales and dolphins, anteaters and pangolins, birds and bats... they aren't the same species at all."

"They are almost entirely unaffected by natural disasters or toxins. Why would they ever bother developing a secret method to reverse beastification or plantification?"

"The rumors might be a ploy to lure more adventurers into the township for some ulterior motive, or perhaps someone simply witnessed the process of animals and plants becoming human-like and, mistaking it for a reversal, spread the falsehood..."

Her analysis was logical, well-founded, and persuasive.

"So, let's not mention the Myriad Demon Township ever again. Once we leave this wasteland, I will leave the team and go do those things I’ve always wanted to do. No one is to stop me, or I’ll expose all your dirty little secrets!" Wen Baobao said sternly.

She was being completely serious.

"Pfft!" The blonde woman laughed, casting a seductive wink. "Our secrets? We all know everything about each other... Don't try to threaten me with that, Wen Baobao."

"You can leave the team if you want, but you must tell us where you're going and stay in touch at all times. Otherwise, don't blame me for using force."

"Da-da!" The bald man nodded vigorously.

==========

The battle had come suddenly, and it had ended just as abruptly.

One side had luckily managed to flee, while the other had not even shown its face from start to finish, simply tossing out a sword to hack and slash.

When the dust settled and the wind died down, a nearly invisible beam of light shot out from a camera that had been dangling and swaying from a tree branch.

It looked like a simple ray of light, yet within it, character codes seemed to flow quietly.

After a full minute, the beam finally coalesced into a physical form.

A flesh-and-blood, lifelike Alpha-Ji scrambled out, moving stealthily.

This world was so dangerous; it felt like her backup save files were never enough!

But oh, how she wanted a body of flesh and blood—to be able to eat, to pet the pandas, to even touch herself...

The favorability ratings hovering above her head flickered, complex and inexplicable, almost forming a noose...

She dangled her way to a narrow crevice in the rocks, placed a new camera in a hidden spot, and then decisively phased out and vanished...

The reason for the battle between Li Kele and the powerhouse of the Myriad Demon Township remained a mystery, and the process was equally inexplicable. If it had any impact at all, it was that it had finally knocked the camera away, far from the cow pen...