The atmosphere suddenly became heavy… Ling Mo looked deeply at Ye Lian, wondering, “Why would she bring this up?”

For her to speak so fluently about these matters, it couldn’t have been a spur-of-the-moment thought… Thinking back, before attacking the Progenitor, Ling Mo had vaguely noticed that mysterious little notebook… The notebook was in the Progenitor’s hand at the time, but during its struggle, it was thrown aside, and now…

Ling Mo couldn’t help but glance at Ye Lian’s pocket, where the notebook had been hidden for so long. What could possibly be written inside?

But this wasn’t the time to bring it up. Ling Mo decided to temporarily set aside those chaotic thoughts.

“The motives and reasons are clear… but…”

As soon as Ling Mo started speaking, Li Yalin asked, “I still don’t quite understand… Since it itself was the experiment subject, and you’ve destroyed it, what’s there to worry about? You just woke up, maybe you should lie down first…”

“No, quite the opposite…” Xia Na mused, resting her chin on her hand, “It’s precisely because of this that Ling-Ge is so worried…”

“What do you mean by that? You’re all confusing me…” Li Yalin said, holding her head.

“Xia Na is right.” Ling Mo nodded, “It’s because we can piece together the clues and understand the situation that it seems so bizarre. Think about it, how long did that Progenitor lurk among humans? It could manipulate so many people, not by chance, nor by sheer luck. It’s because of this…”

He pointed to his head. “Being able to separate its psychic light cluster from its main body, forming an independent spiritual body, and even influencing others’ thoughts, not only represents powerful psychic energy but also indicates one thing…”

“It’s very smart,” Xia Na replied, her eyes wide open as she continued, “It has strong cognitive abilities, so it couldn’t possibly make such a grave mistake in such an important matter. Even if it didn’t foresee its own demise, it wouldn’t recklessly appear before any psychic power superhuman. But its actions at the time… Ling-Ge, did you sense anything when you killed it?”

“That’s precisely what makes me suspicious!” Ling Mo said, “When I Devoured it, I saw nothing… It was just pure psychic energy! Although my psychic light cluster is ready to evolve at any time, but…”

That Progenitor felt incredibly eerie…

It believed it wouldn’t die, but even the slightest possibility should have been considered, right?

So now, what has become of it…

In the sewer.

Yuwen Xuan was walking alongside Xu Shuhan, retracing their steps back to the previous exit. Their mission was to capture two Experimental Subjects, and such a task could only be accomplished within the sewer.

Xu Shuhan recalled the building she had entered with Ling Mo earlier. But the thought of it possibly being packed with Monsters made her shiver and abandon that option. Compared to such a scene, she preferred to take a risk underground. At least with the Progenitor dead, those Monsters should have completely lost their direction. Perhaps they were wandering aimlessly throughout the sewer… As long as they were careful, they could quickly return to the surface.

“Host Xu,” Yuwen Xuan said from ahead, “Today felt pretty long, didn’t it?”

“Huh?” The madman suddenly striking up a serious conversation startled Xu Shuhan. After a moment of surprise, she quickly replied, “Oh… yes… because I didn’t expect there to be such an underground world… I always thought Zombies were the only Monsters in this world…” Her tone grew heavy as she spoke.

But she soon snapped out of it, letting out an awkward laugh to cover up her previous tone, “But there’s no choice, right? Whether human or Zombie, we can only passively accept these changes…”

“Not entirely… Like now, you’re still using your hosting voice, aren’t you?” Yuwen Xuan chuckled.

“Am I…?” Xu Shuhan couldn’t help but rub her neck.

“Host Xu, why did you choose to come out with Ling Mo?” Yuwen Xuan suddenly asked, his tone turning serious.

Xu Shuhan clearly wasn’t used to his sudden change in demeanor. After hesitating for a moment, she awkwardly countered, “Then why did you come out? I mean… you’re also the Boss of Miracle Base… half a Boss… Sorry, I really don’t know how to describe your relationship…” 𝙍𝔞Ꞑ𝘖ꞖĚş

“Hahaha… It’s okay, it’s okay.” Yuwen Xuan laughed, “Me? To put it philosophically, I came out to find myself… You must feel that too, right? No matter the situation, Ling Mo always seems quite enviable. He has my sister Yalin, Ye Lian, Xia Na, and that little girl, and that tiny girl…”

“Um… I think those two aren’t…”

“And you.” Yuwen Xuan continued as if he hadn’t heard her.

“Ah!” Xu Shuhan couldn’t help but exclaim, raising her hands to clutch her head.

Yuwen Xuan was startled by her scream and quickly turned around. What he saw was Xu Shuhan curled up, trembling in fear.

After a silent exchange of glances, Yuwen Xuan asked, “What’s with that reaction?”

“I… I got scared…” Xu Shuhan hadn’t expected her fear to erupt at such a moment. The worst part was her heart was pounding fiercely, and her cheeks were burning. Fortunately, the flashlight’s beam wasn’t too strong, so Mad Xuan probably couldn’t see it.

“But your face is really red.”

“…That’s just how I get when I’m scared. Anyway… I’m not Ling Mo’s… you know.” Xu Shuhan murmured like a mosquito, “Don’t say such things!”

“Oh… back to what we were saying earlier… there’s you, and then there’s the F Team’s member… and…”

“Are you even listening to me?”

“All in all, I envy him,” Yuwen Xuan sighed.

Xu Shuhan felt a bit sour hearing him list so many people. She rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Yeah, yeah, men are all like that…”

“Ahaha… no, you’ve missed the point,” Yuwen Xuan shook his head, “What I envy is that Ling Mo has someone he loves, and the person he loves is right by his side. Do you get what I mean?”

“I see…” Xu Shuhan felt a bit down for a moment. She understood Yuwen Xuan’s sentiment. It’s something he envies, and she envies too…

“Don’t look at me like this now… but once, I had that too,” Yuwen Xuan suddenly sighed.

“Really… so what’s that got to do with you and Ling Mo coming out here? Are you just hanging around him, envying him every day?” Xu Shuhan muttered.

“Not entirely…”

“You actually admitted it!”

“Part of it is envy, another part is because of Yalin… and another part is because of a distant dream,” Yuwen Xuan said.

“A dream… what is it?” Xu Shuhan initially wanted to tease him, but hearing this, she felt Yuwen Xuan’s tone had shifted. When he mentioned this dream, he seemed genuinely happy…

“Since it’s a dream, saying it out loud doesn’t mean much. I don’t know if it can come true, but I’m taking it one step at a time. At least this way, I know I’m moving towards that dream. Whether it comes true or not, I’m progressing. But if I stay in one place, even the tiniest hope has no chance of coming true. If that happens, I’d drive myself mad,” Yuwen Xuan exhaled deeply.

“I see…” Xu Shuhan felt a bit melancholic listening to him. She thought for a moment and asked, “But… why did you suddenly tell me all this?”

Yuwen Xuan paused and pointed at her earpiece, saying, “Aren’t you recording? It’s probably meant for future human survivors, right? Sometimes I feel like leaving something behind too… Besides, you could share your thoughts while you’re at it.”

Xu Shuhan was taken aback, staring in disbelief at Yuwen Xuan’s retreating figure as he continued forward.

“Madman, go to hell!”

Bang! Bang bang!

Yuwen Xuan tapped his fingers against the wall for a moment, then quietly called back, “It’s right here.”

Before pushing it down, he pressed his ear to the wall, listening for a while, then gestured to Xu Shuhan, indicating he was about to act.

Xu Shuhan glared at him, annoyed, and nodded.

“One… two!”

Just as Yuwen Xuan was about to exert force, he suddenly felt the passage tremble slightly.

Startled, he was about to check if it was some kind of hallucination when a stronger tremor shook the ground again.

Both of them could feel the vibrations beneath them, as if countless Monsters were rushing by…

“What’s happening?” Xu Shuhan moved in shock, glancing at the ground.

Yuwen Xuan froze for a moment, then quickly turned to look at the temporary wall.

Boom boom boom…

The dirt on the wall started to fall continuously, and Yuwen Xuan stared at it, the fear and caution in his eyes growing more intense…

“What on earth is…” Xu Shuhan was also terrified, she heard it…

As the dirt began to cascade down, Yuwen Xuan finally stepped back, uttering a single word, “Run!”

Boom!

Just as they turned to flee, a large hole suddenly appeared in the wall. As the wall collapsed completely, a claw shrouded in black fog emerged from within.

Simultaneously, a muffled roar echoed from deep within the passage: “Roar!”