Soon, Huai Shi, armed with an automatic rifle and wearing a gas mask, was kicked off the vehicle. He followed the burly men of the Sublimators Suppression Troops into the manor, which still had flames burning in places.
All around, a swath of white met the eye.
In the desolate ruins, amidst burnt ashes, the remains of enormous monsters were constantly visible. Whether it was scales still retaining a terrifying hardness or the savage skeletons... they looked as if they had come straight from Hell, in a bizarre form that natural evolution couldn't possibly produce.
Besides that, only a deadly silence remained in the manor.
The further Huai Shi advanced, the colder his heart became—What the hell were these bastards hiding here? Even now, streams of black gas continued to rise slowly from beneath the white ashes, dissolving into the air.
The robust soldiers in gas masks also seemed unable to withstand the pressure here. Many grew weak-kneed, stumbled, and fell, only to be quickly dragged away by their teammates for emergency medical treatment.
But Huai Shi seemed completely unfazed.
He didn't feel any discomfort; on the contrary, his mind was exceptionally clear, and his body's reaction speed and perception were becoming sharper.
"Abyss sediment. This place has been transformed into a feeding ground. The concentration of Abyss sediment here is even higher than at the Border."
In response, Ai Qing said through the communication link, "Appropriate pressure can accelerate the operation of your Soul, similar to diving. But for ordinary people without a forged Soul, these sediments are potent poison. Cultists are particularly fond of this kind of trick."
"Uh..."
Huai Shi raised his rifle, carefully watching his surroundings. "What exactly are they trying to pull off?"
"Who knows? They probably want to go big," Ai Qing replied calmly. "Once the main force enters, they would use the God-given Engraved to elevate the depth here, like stuffing us into something's stomach. The black gas you see is akin to stomach acid, slowly digesting us..."
A chill ran down Huai Shi's spine. He tucked his neck in, growing even more vigilant.
Although the Special Affairs Department's power was vast, they were still within the establishment and faced many inconveniences—they could only resort to rounds of mortar fire in situations like this. Even with terrorists, who could have imagined that there would be a lame woman in the decision-making echelons who would fire missiles at the slightest disagreement?
This is still domestic territory, for crying out loud! What are you doing?
Not just the allies, even the spirits of those unfortunate souls would probably be utterly confused.
Fortunately, Ai Qing's heaven-sent justice and the subsequent White Phosphorus Incendiary Bombs had thoroughly cleansed the ground; now, not even a live insect could be found in the manor.
Even if any worthless remnants hadn't been blasted or burned to death, they would have had their lungs ravaged by the poison gas and collapsed.
In the innermost part of the ruins, Huai Shi saw a body that could only be described as ferocious. It seemed to have been within the destruction radius when the missile exploded. Half its body was charred and mangled, yet it hadn't died on the spot but had struggled to escape.
Then it was swallowed by a White Phosphorus Incendiary Bomb that rained from the sky, burned alive by the flames that clung like maggots to bone, leaving behind a twisted mass of char.
One could vaguely make out a face reminiscent of a beast.
The half-charred, half-shattered face revealed a fragmented skull resembling that of a monkey, with large, sharp teeth, which crumbled into two pieces with a simple tap of the rifle barrel.
Though there was science, and there was Divine Power, facts had shown that Divine Power still couldn't beat science.
While it was unclear what stage Sublimator it was, or what bizarre Stigma it possessed, in the Current Circumstances, it couldn't withstand the oppression of the iron flood.
It's said that in the Old Magic Era, things weren't like this. But with the successive establishment of the three major blockades of the Current Circumstances, the difficulty for Sublimators to wreak havoc in the Current Circumstances has only increased.
As for the details, Raven said he would tell Huai Shi after he officially received his Stigma. But until then, nothing more had been mentioned voluntarily—probably some sort of hidden secret.
After Huai Shi did one final sweep for any hidden dangers, he waved. A few soldiers in hazmat suits carrying large boxes came over. They briskly tossed the body into a box, sealed it, and took it away.
The remains of Sublimators also hold value; even burned to a char, one might still be able to extract some remnants of a Stigma, and an autopsy might directly reveal their identity.
Unfortunately, the incineration from the Incendiary Bomb was too thorough; the body crumbled into pieces with a touch.
Impossible to piece back together.
Huai Shi continued forward, but after taking two steps, he sensed something off. He retreated to his original spot, bending down to sift through the still-warm ashes on the ground.
Through the ashes whose residual warmth hadn't yet dissipated, he saw a hint of metallic luster. As he dug further, he made out the outline of steel.
It was a Dagger.
Its guard was melted and deformed by the heat, and the cord wrapping on the hilt was almost completely carbonized, but the blade itself remained intact, covered only in a layer of black char.
It was about forty centimeters long and five centimeters wide, with a single-edged blade. The style resembled some kind of ceremonial artifact used in rites, but Huai Shi found it surprisingly well-balanced when he tried a few practice slashes; it seemed to be more than just for show.
He weighed it in his hand and felt it was no ordinary item.
"It's a Border Relic, you know," chimed Raven's voice, suddenly materializing as if from nowhere near Huai Shi's ear. "It should be an excavation from Hell, depth 7 to 8. Judging by the style, it's a Sacrificial Knife used for live sacrifices by the Tenochtitlan Empire—good stuff, eh!"
Hidden in the shadows, Raven peeked at him secretively, his small eyes blinking. "Think you can find a way to pocket it on the sly?"
"...Where did you spring from? And what the hell are you thinking?!" Huai Shi asked through the Book of Fate. "There are people watching from behind; where would I even hide it?"
"Isn't ninja-looting gear in a party pretty common?" Raven shrugged. "Also, watch your back."
In that instant, a biting wind howled—a Space Break—as something tore through the air.
A chill raced up from the back of his neck.
Huai Shi didn't hesitate; he parried behind him with the Sacrificial Knife. With a sharp, loud BANG, he was almost sent flying by the tremendous force.
Fortunately, he was no longer the novice he once was. Mid-air, he somersaulted, landed on his feet, and faced behind him.
Then, he saw a figure slowly materializing out of thin air.
The first thing he noticed was thick blood dripping from its charred husk. As the muscles moved, countless tiny, fresh red cracks burst open on the skin that had been burned pitch-black.
Immediately after, he saw numerous pieces of charred skin slowly peel off.
It was like a snake shedding its skin, breaking free from its old shell and death and embracing rebirth.
In the midst of painful spasms, the burned dead skin fell off bit by bit, but it seemed the new skin hadn't yet had the chance to grow, revealing only a mangled, bloody, and twisted visage.