novelbin Chapter 54 The Labyrinth
Chapter 54 The Labyrinth
Above the river, two gray-white tongues, like sharp swords, shot directly towards Xu Yang's temples.
The blade on his wrist instantly blocked the tongue, producing a metallic clanging sound.
At the point of impact, the soft flesh and blood of the tongue tip, which should have been covered by mucus, instantly turned into a hard, grayish-white keratin layer, enveloping the forked tongue.
It looks like a harpoon.
Xu Yang's arms were held firmly to his sides.
At this opportune moment, directly opposite the man, the frogman with his bulging jaw suddenly opened his mouth wide.
Swish!
A tongue fork shot straight toward his face!
Xu Yang's eyes turned cold.
In an instant, he exerted force from his waist and suddenly pulled his feet out.
Bang!
The frogman's face was dented, splattered with blood, and smashed!
On his face were black stones that had been kicked away.
A gurgling sound came from the water, and the frogman's body sank into the river, leaving a trail of black bloodstains.
Meanwhile, the two tongues, sensing the danger, began to pull back from the knife tip.
Xu Yang's lips curled up in a smile.
late.
In an instant, the wrist that was holding the tongue fork flipped over, and the palm grabbed and squeezed the tongue into the palm.
Lift it up sharply!
Snapped!
Two slaps landed on the clothes.
A sticky, murky liquid was spilled all over the ground, and upon closer inspection, there were also drops of black blood on the ground.
Xu Yang's eyes widened in surprise, and he tugged at his hands.
Two tongues, several meters long, licked the loose soil on the ground. Their roots had long been severed, and black blood oozed out.
His lips twitched.
Previous monster data clearly stated that frogmen have highly flexible tongues.
He just wanted to drag the other person out of the picture.
But perhaps they used too much force, or the frogman was too fragile, and with just a slight pull, it broke...
Xu Yang exhaled, and when he pulled his tongue out, only some black liquid surfaced. After two gurgling sounds, there was no further trace.
Ran.
He looked at the spot where the frogman had fallen into the water.
The water flow here isn't rapid, so the body should still be there, right?
Xu Yang took off his backpack and stretched.
With a splash, he jumped into the water.
The murky river water was right in front of us, with brownish-yellow mud and sand suspended in it, and bits of wood and algae swimming by from time to time.
Xu Yang held his breath, kicked his legs, and dived to the bottom. The current wasn't strong, so the frogman's body should be nearby.
As it approached the bottom, more black seaweed appeared, resembling a thin, brittle mold, no longer as flexible as before. After being broken by foreign objects in the water, countless black fragments floated below.
Xu Yang sneaked into the vicinity and circled the area.
Finally, he glimpsed a wisp of blackness floating in a corner, and he swung his arms and legs, moving his body forward.
I swam straight over there.
As they approached, the frogmen were lying on the bottom of the river.
A black stone was stuck in his face, yet he was still alive, though his brain must have been injured, and his limbs twitched occasionally.
Xu Yang flicked out his dagger and stabbed it into the monster's forehead. After swirling it around, the monster finally calmed down.
Next, the head was cut off, and the head, along with the inlaid stones, was carried upwards.
Along the way, he glanced around and encountered another frogman. The frogman looked at him with a hint of fear, then turned and swam away with its webbed feet, black blood spilling from its mouth.
They fled downstream along the river.
Xu Yang curled his lips, then sprang up like a fish and swayed as he reached the shore.
Take a deep breath...
He looked at the frog's head in his hand, pulled out the stone, and neatly cut off a piece of its tongue. Then he dealt with the remaining two tongues.
Four thousand contribution points have been earned.
If I buy two more, I'll have made up for the money I spent on equipment last night.
Xu Yang pulled out a few sheets of paper from his backpack, wiped his hair, and then looked at the black stone next to his head.
Previously, the first frogman I encountered was carrying this rock, seemingly preparing to go somewhere.
【Star Stone】
A complete stone, apart from its color, is no different from any other stone. It was once a living being, and now it has become a special stone, but it is still just a stone.
[Note: Is this considered a fossil?]
……
Xu Yang picked up the black stone. On the surface, it looked no different from the black vegetation, both appearing to be covered with a layer of glaze and reflecting light slightly.
What truly caught his attention was the description of "...once a creature...".
This reminded Xu Yang of his earlier conversation with the stall owner—the snake-man statue.
So it seems.
Perhaps it really was a snake-man turned into stone, but unlike the snake-man statue, this stone in front of us doesn't have the shape of a living being.
But what is this frogman doing picking up stones?
Xu Yang frowned, having no answer, and turned to continue walking into the woods.
It's okay if you can't figure it out right now; just keep moving towards the center area, and you should be able to find the answer.
……
The man walked deeper into the forest, the wind blowing through the dark woods, making his soaked clothes cling to his body.
It was noon, but there was a chill in the air.
The tree trunks stretched endlessly, the sky was bright, and beams of golden sunlight pierced a corner of the eerie world, yet there was a chillingly sinister atmosphere.
In the quiet silence, only the sound of shoes crunching through the withered leaves could be heard.
At a certain moment, it suddenly came to a standstill.
Xu Yang squinted, a fishy smell wafting from his nose, seemingly coming from top to bottom.
look up.
On the branches of the black tree, like rows of tassels, hung several venomous snake tails upside down among the branches.
They were more than twice the size of the previous ones, and their wing membranes covered their bodies, seemingly merging with their scales.
At this moment, it was opening its fangs, its body curled up and squeezed together, reaching a critical point.
Swish!
Like a rain of arrows.
Xu Yang stepped back, his expression hardening.
A white light flashed across his wrist, then swept across, and several snake heads separated simultaneously.
The clicking sound continued incessantly.
……
He stood there, took out a piece of white paper from his pocket, and wiped the black blood off the blade.
His eyes, however, were always fixed on what was ahead.
His expression remained vigilant, showing no sign of relaxation.
Facing ahead, faintly visible through countless tree trunks, in the far distance there is a cluster of shadows that seem to be trees, but are too dense. Looking at them from afar, there is an inexplicable sense of disorientation, a very peculiar feeling.
And closer.
An ugly snake-man was rushing toward him, closing the distance rapidly.
Xu Yang raised his pistol and aimed.
He suddenly frowned and put down his pistol.
The area at the very front is likely the monster settlement mentioned earlier.
If you fire your gun rashly, the noise will be too loud and might attract more monsters, some of which might be very powerful.
Unless there is no other way, it is best to proceed with caution.
Xu Yang threw his backpack on the ground and jumped around a few times as a warm-up.
With arms hanging at his sides, he moved his feet with the speed of a gust of wind, striding forward.
Like a falcon hunting its prey.
In an instant, two figures rapidly approached each other.
When they were several meters apart, the snake-man suddenly opened his mouth.
puff!
A stream of venom was spewed out, with a slender black shadow lurking within.
Xu Yang's gaze remained unchanged.
He swerved to the side to avoid the venom's trajectory, and as they met, his arm suddenly shot out.
A cold light flashed by.
In an instant, the venom was cut in two, severing the snake along with it.
Not far away, the snake-man's gaze froze, unable to react further—
The man suddenly stomped his foot.
In an instant, their figures drew close.
Chi-
A sharp blade sliced across the neck, and a hand covered the snake-man's head.
In the blink of an eye, after two sharp sounds, fingers pierced through the eyeball.
Lifting up the head.
Below, the severed neck looked as if it had been splattered with ink, with black venom and blood dripping down together.
Later--
Snapped.
The headless corpse lay on the ground.
Xu Yang shook the snake's head, but there was a hint of disdain in his eyes.
The blood and venom on the snake-man's neck are mixed together, so it's not advisable to put it in the bag immediately. His mouth is also full of venom, so cutting off his tongue would be troublesome.
He simply threw his head on the ground, stomped on it with the sole of his shoe to squeeze out the venom, and then scraped the severed neck into the soil a few times.
After some simple processing, I threw it into my backpack.
Looking ahead, nearing the furthest black outline, more venomous snakes appeared, hanging upside down from some black treetops.
Xu Yang became extremely vigilant, lowered his footsteps, and quietly probed ahead.
One step after another...
As we drew closer, the buildings ahead finally came into view.
One after another, black stones piled up, bound together by some nauseating, sticky liquid, forming cone-shaped stone pillars that rose high, complementing the surrounding dark trees—
It became a series of overlapping, winding partitions.
It seems to be an alternative protective measure.
"Gurgle!"
A strange scream.
Xu Yang then looked over and saw a frogman on a black stone pillar that had not yet been built high to the side, holding a stone in his hand, his tongue still licking it.
Seemingly surprised by the appearance of humans, it then shot its tongue towards Xu Yang.
They even greeted him warmly.
Xu Yang turned his head to the side, heard the sound of wind slashing in his ear, and his tongue suddenly pierced empty air.
Seeing that his first attack had failed, the frogman curled his tongue backward—
Snapped.
However, a hand grabbed the tongue first and pulled it forward.
This time, Xu Yang held back, and the frogman lost his balance and was pulled down.
The moment the body is suspended in mid-air.
Below, the man strolled forward as if taking a leisurely walk, and with a wave of his hand, his head was severed by the blade.
Frogman, dead.
Xu Yang's lips curled up slightly, and he withdrew another tongue.
The total reward has reached six thousand.
The salaries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are really high.
I wiped my hands on the ground to get rid of the slime.
After all, we just saw the frogman licking the stones, so the stone pillars must be stuck together by some kind of mucus from its mouth. The ones on the gloves might slowly solidify.
After a short pause, Xu Yang stood up and glanced at the dense array of stone pillars in front of him.
He seemed to be deep in thought.
Within the monster's settlement, there seems to be a division of labor. The frogmen are even undertaking the work of building. For a species, having buildings means having its own creativity, and having a division of labor means having its own social system.
This resembles the precursor to a civilization.
Xu Yang raised an eyebrow.
As mentioned in the previous description of the snake people, "...an ancient being in the starry sky..."
Before these monsters took this form, they may have been native to Earth Origin Star. However, due to some special influence, they may have become an alien civilization and seem to have their own civilizational memories.
However, its root cause does not necessarily come from the earth.
A bunch of stinky aliens have come to the Federation begging for food.
They even started to occupy the mountain and become kings, so it's clear that the area behind the stone pillar is probably their base.
If it really is related to the lab, then it's probably among them.
He exhaled softly and stepped into the area of stone pillars...
Looking around, the strangely shaped pillars were densely packed together, like thin, ghostly shadows connected to the tree trunks, perfectly dividing the originally interconnected space.
It forms a unique maze, with only a few similar-shaped passages.
……
The sixth time.
Xu Yang silently looked at the markings on the ground and returned to the same place.
His brow was furrowed, and he felt a sense of unease.
Getting lost isn't scary; what's scary is getting lost along the same route.
It's like being trapped in a maze.
The stone pillar maze before us, in its structural distribution, possesses a strange psychological suggestion, constantly tempting those who enter to repeat the same mistakes in the same direction.
Perhaps the maze wasn't fully formed yet; otherwise, he wouldn't just be going in circles. This kind of structural psychological suggestion could easily lure him into one trap after another...
It's probably because their perception isn't strong enough to discern these cues; however, continuing down this path won't help.
By this time, it was already past mid-afternoon.
Xu Yang's expression was serious.
He had previously set fire to the forest to obtain the Heart of Thorns.
Now, in the same forest, under the same obstruction, it seems possible to begin the same operation: burn down the trees between the stone pillars.
Then, the bizarre structure can be broken.
However, it is impossible in reality.
Don't even mention that this is the riverbank in Zhenjiang, which is naturally damp, and these black trees—they just look like plants…
Xu Yang lit the flame bomb and roasted the black tree trunk back and forth.
Apart from its hot surface, there was no sign of fire.
"It's no different from a stone."
He extinguished the flames and rubbed his temples.
I'm a little worried.
Walking to the base of a stone pillar, its cone-shaped form and the limited space meant it wasn't meant for climbing.
Nowadays, it's probably impossible to get through using conventional methods.
If we disregard other unforeseen circumstances, the only guarantee is that we can effectively navigate this maze of stone pillars.
Then... let's use violence.
With this thought in mind, Xu Yang took off the kite-shaped shield and carried it in front of him with both hands.
next moment,
To sacrifice oneself.
Bang! !
With a deafening explosion, several stone pillars were violently broken, and the man swayed amidst a pile of shattered black stone fragments.
The debris was shaken off.
He stepped back and instead of advancing, he quickly found a tree trunk outside to hide behind.
Making such a loud noise would almost certainly attract the attention of other monsters.
Let's see if we can handle what we attract.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Suddenly, the sound of feet stomping on the ground was heard.
"Gurgle?"
A frogman emerged from between the stone pillars, its webbed, wrinkled feet landing on the rubble, and stopped.
It noticed the shattered stone pillars on the ground, seemed a little stunned, and then looked around.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted.
His gaze was fixed on the corpse of a frogman.
"Coo! Coo coo!"
Amidst a strange cry, a black snake-man strode out from between the stone pillars. He looked around, lingering only on the corpse for a few seconds.
Finally, he stared at the frogman.
Then, with a thud, he kicked him to the ground, the snake-man hissing and growling.
It sounded like a reprimand.
The frogman rubbed the spot where he had been kicked, stood up, pointed at the other frogman corpse, and muttered a few words under his breath.
The snake-man kicked it again.
The latter fell to the ground again.
I'm not going to procrastinate anymore.
The frogman lowered his head, stuck out his tongue, and licked the black rock, beginning to repair the broken stone pillar.
On the other side, Xu Yang stood behind a dark tree trunk, observing this scene. It seemed this monster community had a cruel social hierarchy, with the frogmen at the very bottom?
He observed secretly and waited for a while longer.
Since no one else followed, meaning the noise only attracted these guys, then—
Xu Yang turned sideways and drew his gun.
At this moment, the snake-man was growling at the frog-man, making strange noises, and its scales were irregularly squeezed together, forming several layers of ugly wrinkles.
Bang!
His head exploded, and he died.
Black blood splattered on the frogman's face, who also looked up blankly, his pupils suddenly shrinking.
The next moment—
Bang!
He died too.
Beside the tree trunk, Xu Yang spun his pistol, put it back in its holster, walked up to the corpse, and with a swift stroke, slung the tongue and head into his pocket.
"It's been going on and on incessantly."
Only then did they continue to look at the stone pillars behind them.
A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.
Since destroying the stone pillars wouldn't lead to any serious consequences, even a hundred more frogmen or snakemen wouldn't be enough to kill them.
and so--
Xu Yang shouldered the shield, quietly channeling power into his legs.
Bang! !
……
Bang bang bang!
The man was like a rampaging monster, pushing open a broken corridor through the eerie stone pillar maze, perhaps because the sound was too loud and continuous.
A jumble of footsteps echoed around them.
Xu Yang ran backward, hid behind a black tree trunk, loaded his pistol magazine, and prepared to repeat his old trick.
Suddenly, the chaotic footsteps faded away, leaving only a distinct rhythm of footsteps.
It seems very light.
Xu Yang frowned slightly.
Immediately, a thin, dark figure emerged.