His response came in the form of more tentacles. Xu Huo retreated to the base of the platform, and seeing two mechanical soldiers charging at him from both sides, he seized the opportunity while the rain had stopped to throw down the Desert Windmill!
Sand swept through the area once again. With the Painting Woman’s assistance, he easily used the “Life Core” to destroy two of them. Just as he was about to deal with the remaining ones, they abruptly withdrew from the sandstorm!
Hearing a slithering sound ahead, Xu Huo retracted the item and saw the remaining Black-Armored Soldiers return to the front of Sifang Palace, blocking the broken main gate and the second-floor open doorway. Meanwhile, more tentacles extended from above—this time, instead of directly feeding, they coiled living people up to the second floor!
Gripping the water jet gun in his hand, he severed the tentacles at full speed while simultaneously unleashing his Mental World, enveloping everyone in front of Sifang Palace.
With the Dungeon Boss weakened, its mental control correspondingly diminished. Although the residents of Sifang Palace weren’t yet fully conscious, they were no longer as deeply indulged in cannibalism. The best way to prevent them from becoming nutrients for the Dungeon Boss was to take them away...
But he couldn’t wake them up now. The only option was to try manipulating them with the same method.
The doorway and staircase of his Mental World materialized beneath the platform. Under the tug-of-war between the two forces, some people actually turned around and began walking toward the platform!
At that moment, however, an unusual calm settled over Sifang Palace.
Standing below the platform, Xu Huo scrutinized the people converging on him. Just as they got within a meter or two, the young boy in front shifted his gaze toward Xu Huo, and the next second lunged at him like a wild beast!
Just then, someone approached from behind. Xu Huo dodged with the child in his arms, only to see a woman who had clearly undergone a Mutant transformation charging on all fours into the crowd. She excitedly latched onto a living person and began tearing into them!
“Xiao Yun...!” Xiao Yun’s Brother chased after her from not far away. Clutching a blood-soaked arm, his eyes brimmed with tears as he watched his sister, who had already degenerated into a Mutant.
Too fast.
From the time Xu Huo had given them the potions to now, less than an hour had passed. Xiao Yun had lost her reason, and her body was already showing animalistic traits—this speed far exceeded normal evolution.
Knocking the child in his arms unconscious, Xu Huo walked over to Xiao Yun’s Brother. “Did the people from the county ever eat human flesh before?”
Seeing him, Xiao Yun’s Brother lit up with hope. He fell to his knees, begging, “Save my sister... save her...”
If it were simple Mutant toxin, the King Fungus could still neutralize it before irreversible changes occurred. But Xiao Yun had turned this way because she had been injected with an Evolver’s blood. This was a failed evolution, not just poisoning.
Seeing Xu Huo shake his head, Xiao Yun’s Brother’s shoulders and back sagged slowly. Watching his sister tearing through the crowd, he said regretfully, “I shouldn’t have given her that syringe...”
Xu Huo said nothing. The residents of Sifang Palace weren’t much better off. To obtain more nourishment, or to better control them, the Dungeon Boss made them eat people. What difference was there between them and Mutants?
They even reproduced, forcing their descendants to repeat this cycle.
Xiao Yun’s Brother’s breathing and heartbeat underwent a sudden, drastic change. Xu Huo looked down. “Let me warn you—once you eat human flesh, you’ll have to survive on it for the rest of your life.”
Xiao Yun’s Brother, however, let out a bitter laugh. Hatred slowly gathered in his eyes as he stared at Sifang Palace. “It’s that thing! It’s the one that ruined everyone!”
“You’re no match for it,” Xu Huo said, flexing his injured arm. “But the first floor is almost blown to bits, and most of the Black-Armored Soldiers are gone. For now, the dungeon’s control over the area probably isn’t as strong. You could try leading the others to escape the county.”
“Escape the county?” Xiao Yun’s Brother slowly rose to his feet, showing no trace of pity for his fellow townspeople. “Everyone’s eaten people before. What difference would it make even if they got out?”
“Besides, even when they were conscious, they knew what kind of place Sifang Palace was. To save their own skins, they dragged outsiders into the pit. Some even profited from it. Criminals dying—nothing to regret there.”
Xu Huo’s gaze swept over the unconscious child. “At least I think it’d be a shame if you died.”
“Thanks.” Xiao Yun’s Brother took a step toward the crowd.
Having failed to use his Mental World to lead the people of Sifang Palace away, Xu Huo decided to retreat. As he’d said, the Dungeon Boss wouldn’t be able to stage a comeback anytime soon. It would be safe enough to ride out the dungeon until the end.
Maybe Xiao Yun’s behavior was too conspicuous. A tentacle shot out from the second floor of Sifang Palace, coiled around her, lifted her high, and snapped her in half!
The crack of bones was clearly audible. Once Xiao Yun was lifeless, she was tossed down. Xiao Yun’s Brother, who had run over belatedly, didn’t catch his sister’s corpse. Instead, he leaped up and grabbed the retracting tentacle, getting pulled into the second floor of Sifang Palace!
The second-floor doors slowly closed. The tentacle that had retracted and the person who had gone in both fell silent instantly.
Dawn was approaching. A fine drizzle began to fall again. Xu Huo glanced at the people wandering the streets like ghosts, then picked up the unconscious child and headed toward the entrance of Sifang Palace.
“Click!”
The crisp metallic sound of the lighter opening and closing echoed. One building after another caught fire, plunging the city back into a sea of flames.
“Xu...” Yi Pei’s voice came from beneath the rubble. Xu Huo went over, pulled her out, poured her a dose of healing potion, then followed the bullet marks left on the ground to find Fang Penghui and the others—already dead.
The Black-Shirted Player wasn’t dead either. He was in better shape than Yi Pei—still not completely immobilized, but with one hand and one leg ruined.
He leaned against a tree, his eyes fixed on Xu Huo.
“If I were you, I’d put that item away,” Xu Huo said.
The Black-Shirted Player smiled and indeed put the item away, but then said, “If you were me, you’d probably have already used your item on me, right?”
“Want a cigarette?” Xu Huo pulled out his cigarette pack and offered it.
“Sure, give me one.” The Black-Shirted Player barely managed to hold the cigarette to his lips with his one working hand. “What about Sifang Palace...”
“As long as Suitcase Man doesn’t show up, we can make it to the end of the dungeon without any problems.” Xu Huo lit a cigarette for himself and took a drag before adding, “Take three to five minutes to rest, then let’s go. The water pool will flood back soon, and we won’t find a boat anywhere.”
After finishing his cigarette, the Black-Shirted Player extended his hand. “Bian Jin. E27-007 player.”
“Xu Zhi.” Xu Huo shook his hand, then handed him the child and lifted Yi Pei onto his back.
They walked toward the water pool. Yi Pei rested weakly on his back and said, “The Dungeon Boss won’t come kill us?”
“If it was willing to show itself at this point, it probably wouldn’t dare to leave Sifang Palace,” Xu Huo said. “With the house blown up, that’ll hurt it for a few days.”
Yi Pei cracked a grin. “Didn’t know you had a sense of humor.”
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