38: Chapter 38 Outer Encounter Battle

At the end of the Mirror Road was an open expanse.

The gray sandy ground was barren; in the distance, the outlines of buildings were faintly visible—remnants of the Source of the Sequence's outskirts, said to have existed before the descent of the Ghost Realm.

The convoy slowed down and gradually entered the area.

Chen Mo sat in the passenger seat, the Pupil of the Sequence operating at full capacity.

In his golden field of vision, the outlines of those buildings were entwined with faint lines—they were stable, not Ghost Shadows.

Something was moving beneath the surrounding sandy ground.

"Stop the car," he said.

Lin Wei slammed on the brakes, and the pickup truck came to a halt.

Iron Bear's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"What's wrong?"

"There's something underground," Chen Mo said.

No sooner had he spoken than the ground suddenly split open.

Countless black tentacles surged from the cracks, coiling around the nearest vehicles.

The tentacles were as thick as a human leg and covered in barbs; they began to tighten as soon as they wrapped around the car bodies.

"Enemy attack!"

Gunfire erupted instantly.

Iron Bear's off-road vehicle was ensnared by three tentacles, its wheels lifted off the ground and spinning wildly.

Iron Bear pushed open the door and swung an iron rod at the nearest tentacle.

With one strike, the tentacle snapped in two, spraying him with black liquid.

More tentacles surged from the distance.

Chen Mo pushed open the door and jumped out.

Time Perception operated at full power; within a thirty-meter radius, he "saw" the source of the tentacles—a massive entity moving slowly five meters underground.

[Target: C-rank Ghost Shadow "Splitter"]

[Status: Attacking]

[Ability: Splitting Tentacles; each tentacle is an independent individual]

[Weakness: The main body moves under the cover of tentacles; requires finding the core]

[Threat Assessment: High]

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver and charged toward the nearest tentacle.

He severed it with one strike.

The severed segment fell to the ground, still writhing, and then it split.

It turned into two smaller tentacles and continued to coil toward him.

Chen Mo took a step back.

Severing them caused them to split.

How was he supposed to fight this?

He looked toward Iron Bear.

Iron Bear was facing the same problem; the more tentacles he smashed, the more small tentacles split off. He was now surrounded by a tightening circle.

"This thing won't die!" Iron Bear roared.

Chen Mo didn't answer.

He was searching.

Searching for the main body.

Within his Time Perception, that massive thing underground was moving very quickly.

It knew they were looking for it, so it was hiding.

But it couldn't hide.

Because Chen Mo could "see" it.

"Iron Bear, ten o'clock direction, five meters underground," Chen Mo said. "Smash open the ground."

Iron Bear paused for a moment, then grinned.

He swung his iron rod and charged in that direction.

He slammed the rod down.

A crack appeared in the ground.

Seeing this, he struck twice more in succession.

The ground collapsed.

A massive entity emerged from beneath the earth, resembling a mass of rotting flesh at least three meters in diameter, its surface covered in black tentacles.

The tentacles were writhing frantically, like a nest of enraged snakes.

That was the main body.

Chen Mo activated Infiltrator and vanished from his spot.

Seven seconds later, he appeared above the mass of flesh and hacked down.

The blade sank halfway in and got stuck.

The mass of flesh shuddered violently, and all the tentacles retracted simultaneously, stabbing toward his position.

Chen Mo let go and jumped away.

The tentacles missed their mark and then turned toward Iron Bear.

Iron Bear was ensnared by over a dozen tentacles at once, unable to move.

"Chen Mo!" he roared.

Chen Mo ignored him.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the seven seconds of Prediction.

In seven seconds, those tentacles would tighten and snap Iron Bear in two.

But seven seconds later would also be the moment when the tentacles were most concentrated.

With all its strength focused on Iron Bear, the main body was instead exposed.

Five seconds.

Six seconds.

Seven seconds.

Chen Mo activated Infiltrator again.

Seven seconds later, he appeared beside the mass of flesh, pulled out the cleaver, and struck again.

This time, he struck the exact same spot.

The blade sank in.

Deeper.

The flesh mass's shuddering grew more intense.

The tentacles released Iron Bear and all stabbed toward Chen Mo.

Chen Mo did not dodge.

He gripped the knife and pressed down with all his might.

Tentacles pierced into his back.

Intense pain.

Chen Mo did not let go.

The blade continued to press down.

Finally—

The mass of flesh split open.

Golden liquid gushed out.

The tentacles instantly lost their strength and went limp.

[Killed C-rank Ghost Shadow "Splitter"]

[Obtained: sequence fragment × 15]

[Current fragments: 235]

[Obtained Special Reward: Splitting Core]

[Can be used to refine Clone-type items]

Chen Mo released the hilt and slumped onto the ground.

His back was covered in blood.

Blood was oozing from the wounds pierced by the tentacles; he could feel his life force draining away.

Iron Bear rushed over, tore off his own clothes, and pressed them against the wounds.

"Are you fucking crazy?"

Chen Mo looked at him, his lips twitching slightly.

"You owe me a life."

Iron Bear was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed.

The smile was complex, a mix of helplessness and admiration.

"Fine. I'll remember it."

The others gathered around, busily helping to bandage Chen Mo.

Lin Wei stood nearby, her face pale, but she didn't cry.

She just looked at Chen Mo, an unidentifiable emotion in her eyes.

Chen Mo closed his eyes.

It hurt.

But he was alive.

That was enough.

After the bandaging was finished, Chen Mo was helped into the pickup truck.

Lin Wei drove while Iron Bear's off-road vehicle led the way, and the convoy continued forward.

The outline of the Source of the Sequence drew closer and closer.

The ruins were no longer blurry shadows but clearly visible structures: dilapidated temples, collapsed stone pillars, and a massive gate.

A golden gate.

Exactly the same as the one he had seen in the Memory Corridor.

Chen Mo stared at the gate.

The wound on his back still throbbed, but his heart rate was quickening.

He had finally arrived.

The Source of the Sequence.

The place he had been waiting for for so long.

The pickup truck continued forward.

In the rearview mirror, the corpses of the tentacles grew more distant, eventually vanishing below the sandy horizon.

Chen Mo closed his eyes and let himself drift off.

On the edge of unconsciousness, he heard Lin Wei's voice.

"We're here."

He opened his eyes.

That gate was just fifty meters ahead.