Chapter 23 – Did you think only humans could be infected?

Under this sudden assault, Ying Xize’s hand, the one Su Fengzhou had been gripping, was ripped free. Before he could say a word, Su Fengzhou ticked off and, snarling at the provocation, charged toward the swaggering mass of tentacles, tossing out a parting line. “Wait here quietly until I return.”

Ying Xize: “…You can’t keep acting recklessly. Come back first.”

He instinctively tried to step forward, but his arms were seized, and he was dragged back to Zero’s side. “Stay put, or I can’t guarantee you won’t get hurt.”

Ying Xize frowned.

From a distance, it was clear that in mere moments, Su Fengzhou had already carved a bloody path through the swarm of tentacles. Severed segments writhed on the ground like dismembered earthworms, twisting and contorting in grotesque ways.

Yet, such a fierce outburst failed to secure him any lasting advantage.

Within seconds, fresh, soft tissue rapidly regenerated from the severed ends, layering upon itself as it pressed toward him once more.

An endless cycle of slicing and regeneration repeated, as if without limit. The only change was the increasingly nauseating stench of splattered fluid thickening in the air, casting the entire scene in an even more unsettling light.

The Sentinel’s mental fluctuations grew progressively more agitated.

This seemingly endless slaughter was unmistakably pulling Su Fengzhou toward the brink of losing control.

Just then, Ying Xize heard Zero chuckle softly beside his ear. “Hah, quite tenacious.”

When the words dropped, Ying Xize caught a spark of impatience in them. Something flashed through his mind, and he suddenly understood. “Su Fengzhou, be careful of that alien!”

Ying Xize saw Su Fengzhou instinctively glance toward him, but the moment their eyes met, his heart sank. In Su Fengzhou’s chaotic, unfocused pupils, there was more of an intense pleasure he was deriving from the whole thing. He had clearly also noticed the rapidly approaching giant mother entity nearby, licking his dry lips eagerly. “So eager to die, are you? Interesting.”

No sooner had he spoken than the clash of his raised metal blade against the creature’s forelimb produced a sharp, grating sound. The expected disparity in strength due to their vast difference in size did not materialize. Su Fengzhou handled the alien mother entity with remarkable efficiency; his attacks were so ferocious that he forced the snarling monster into a frantic retreat almost immediately. In its rage, it began summoning other smaller aliens.

Alien forms gradually closed in from all sides, surrounding Su Fengzhou bit by bit. But despite their numbers, they couldn’t gain the upper hand.

Ying Xize kept his gaze fixed on the chaos, and as more alien bodies hit the ground, a deeper sense of dread gnawed at him.

It was clear that Su Fengzhou was reaching his limit, pushed to the edge by the constant pressure.

For Sentinels, the strength of their spiritual power directly impacted their physical state. Being in such a tense, high-stakes situation for so long was never a good sign.

When a bowstring is stretched to its maximum, it’s only a matter of time before it snaps.

“What’s the matter? Getting worried?”

The tentacles suddenly jerked tighter, pulling Ying Xize straight into Zero’s grasp.

A chilling voice whispered past his ear, laced with a touch of mockery. “Humans always pay the price for not knowing their limits. So fragile and foolish, tell me, what’s so special about them that you’re so attached?”

In his line of sight, the tentacles Su Fengzhou had just severed were already silently regenerating.

Sleek and sharp, they pointed straight at Su Fengzhou as he fought the alien mother entity, ready to strike.

“I’ll give you this, your taste is impressive. I didn’t expect even Lakte to be unable to suppress this Sentinel.” Zero’s cold fingers brushed Ying Xize’s cheek. His eyes flickered with mild interest as he took in the bloody scene and the alien’s frantic screams. “But this is probably his limit. Even if I were to let him go out of consideration for you, do you think he’ll recover in this state?”

The spiritual fluctuations from the Sentinel had only become more chaotic.

Clearly, keeping up this intense combat state while tangled with the alien mother entity had shattered his abilities even further, leaving him more unstable than before.

Once the regenerated parts were severed again, the alien mother entity’s regeneration stopped completely. Its limbs lay scattered across the battlefield, thick green blood soaking into the ground.

Yet, amidst the chaos, the man with crimson staining his brows and eyes wore a faint, satisfied smile at the corner of his mouth, making him even more terrifying than the three-meter-tall monster from before.

It was as though the burning blood within him had manifested in its most raw and exposed form, reminding Ying Xize of the brief moment he had once glimpsed Su Fengzhou’s spiritual realm.

Desolate, fragmented, and alarmingly fragile.

Watching Su Fengzhou relentlessly swing his blade through the crowd of aliens, Ying Xize suddenly realized—if he didn’t intervene soon, there might never be another chance.

He instinctively took a step forward, but a sharp pressure against his chest made him stop.

The tip of the tentacle was as sharp as a blade, and Zero’s voice was cold once more. “Don’t even think about going to him.”

A light breeze stirred, brushing the strands of hair near Ying Xize’s ears.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the massive body of the alien mother twisted into an unnatural, lifeless shape, slain by the sheer brutality of the battle.

But the man beside it didn’t seem to notice that the fight was over. He continued to swing his blade with relentless fury.

The severed limbs cracked loudly with each strike.

Each splatter of blood seemed to pull him deeper into madness.

“Do you really think you can stop me?”

The words were barely more than a whisper, tinged with cold indifference, and it was enough to provoke Zero’s anger again. “The taste of being infected by me… do you want to try it aga—?”

Before the words could even finish, Ying Xize, as if completely disregarding the threat, stepped forward without a hint of expression.

The sharp tip of the chitinous tentacle dug into his protective suit with the movement.

Crimson blood seeped out, and wherever the tentacle made contact, it withered and shriveled at an alarming rate, as though exposed to some deadly corrosive substance. Without a chance to even struggle, the tentacle softened into a pulpy mess, dripping onto the ground.

The fleshy end of the tentacle twitched instinctively, but no new tissue regenerated, unlike the parts Su Fengzhou had previously severed.

Bare and jagged, it trembled slightly, reacting to the excruciating pain from the corrosion.

The sight of it caused the other tentacles to instinctively recoil.

Zero’s eyes flickered with disbelief.

In that brief moment, a spiritual barrier materialized, blocking the space between them.

Ignoring the blood that slowly spread across his chest, Ying Xize seized the opportunity, rushing toward Su Fengzhou.

The entire decaying body of the alien mother lay in Su Fengzhou’s hands, now reduced to a bloody mess. He seemed absorbed in the brutal process, but as the scent of blood thickened in the air, he instinctively looked up.

Before his foggy mind could catch up, he saw the figure rushing toward him, hands reaching out to gently cover his ears. Under the pressure of a force that wasn’t particularly strong, he was drawn to meet a pair of eyes, locking with his directly.

“Listen to me. Shut down your five senses.”

The Guide’s voice seemed to echo from a distant time and space, forming a bridge to the inner world with a unique connection, delivering an undeniable command within his consciousness.

In an instant, all the restlessness and violent impulses drained away. The chaotic storm threatening to tear apart his rational mind was quietly and delicately subdued by a force so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.

He could hear nothing, see nothing, and even lost all sense of touch.

Yet amidst his disoriented state, an indescribable tenderness surrounded him, as if he were sinking into an embrace that felt deeply cherished.

The blood-red world around him slowly faded, gradually turning into a peaceful, serene blankness.

After immediately helping Su Fengzhou shut down his five senses, Ying Xize’s forceful intrusion into his spiritual realm had drained much of his own energy.

The blood on his chest had soaked through his clothing, and cold sweat streamed from his forehead, dripping steadily onto the soil below.

Ying Xize took several slow, deep breaths, fighting off the dizziness threatening to overtake him.

The strange reactions he had repeatedly encountered with Su Fengzhou had already made him realize something. He gently dipped his fingertip into the blood, then smeared it on Su Fengzhou’s lips. Instantly, he felt the Sentinel’s body, which had been trembling instinctively, visibly relax.

His gaze shifted to the black wolf, which also seemed to be settling down, and with a slow exhale, Ying Xize felt a slight relief.

He reached for the special metal knife nearby, stained with blood, but nearly stumbled from the strain.

Ying Xize: “…”

It had looked so effortless when Su Fengzhou used it. Ying Xize never imagined the knife would be this heavy.

But with Zero steadily closing in, there was no time to dwell on it.

After confirming that Su Fengzhou was, for now, maintaining a calm manner, Ying Xize lifted his gaze to the monster before him. It was humanoid in shape, yet its rage had manifested as countless writhing tentacles dragging behind it, each one rippling with the intensity of its emotions.

The tentacles undulated around them, a reflection of their master’s fury.

“As you wished, I’ve come to see you today.” Ying Xize’s expression remained calm and steady. “Now, will we return home in peace, or perish together right here? Choose.”

Zero, clearly unwilling to accept this outcome, had lost all amusement. Its face twisted, flickering with erratic expressions. “…You’d actually go this far for this human.”

Ying Xize didn’t want to entertain the question. “I’ll give you one minute to decide.”

Anger finally flickered on Zero’s face. “Why should I choose?”

Before the situation could escalate further, heavy footsteps approached from a distance, instantly shifting the atmosphere.

Anyone who could appear here at this moment could only be certain individuals.

Ying Xize let out a soft chuckle. “It seems you no longer have a choice.”

Zero’s gaze dropped to the giant corpse that once was the alien mother. Realization hit him. Now that the host was dead, the smaller aliens around them must have completely disintegrated. His eyes then fixed on the blood-soaked clothing on Ying Xize’s chest, his voice dripping with meaning. “It doesn’t matter. After all, we’ve taken another step closer.”

As though unaware of the approaching footsteps, Zero’s voice lowered into a sinister murmur. “Give up, Ah Ze. You’ll soon realize I was right all along. The so-called X Project is nothing but a colossal joke…”

Ying Xize watched, frozen, as the corners of Zero’s mouth curled into a twisted, eerie grin. For a moment, he felt disoriented.

Then, a sharp, dangerous signal hit him, a cold wave of warning flooding his mind. Instinctively, he followed Zero’s gaze and saw a flying insect in the dim light, its wings fluttering desperately as it struggled to fly toward what could have been an opening.

“…Did you think only humans could be infected?”