Translator: CinderTL
The Narrator's denial only reinforced Feng Qi's conviction:
He had always existed in reality, simply choosing to remain silent.
Please refrain from malicious speculation. Your distrust in me is deeply disappointing!
Feng Qi: ...
He chose to ignore the Narrator's denial.
If the Dream Realm's interface could manifest in reality, the Narrator could certainly do the same. After all, the Narrator wasn't a physical entity; logically, it should be able to be brought out of the Dream World.
Perhaps the Narrator was deliberately remaining silent to avoid work.
Stop with your malicious fantasies! Do I seem like the type of system to shirk my duties? Do I even need a few days off?
"Exactly like that."
Pah!
Looking down at the ape-like domain creature, Feng Qi suddenly felt a pang of regret.
If Suction Cup were here, this would make a perfect snack.
But he was still too far from the abandoned hospital where Suction Cup might be, making it impossible to bring the creature there.
He had no choice but to abandon it.
Shortly after the battle ended, the muscles on his body began to disintegrate, dissolving into a bloody mist that scattered with the wind.
As weakness washed over him, he pressed on.
Having used his Blood Source Ability, he would be utterly defenseless against any domain creatures he encountered. He proceeded with extreme caution.
When faced with obstacles requiring him to climb or cross, he no longer recklessly exposed himself. Instead, he carefully assessed the situation before making his move.
During his journey, he climbed a tall building to pinpoint little black's current location.
As he had anticipated, little black's "affection" remained unwavering, relentlessly pursuing him.
This left him utterly helpless.
Little black was like a persistent leech, tracking him wherever he went.
He couldn't defeat it in combat, and he couldn't outrun it. It was even more relentless than the Terminator's pursuit robot in the movies.
On his way to the abandoned hospital, he encountered several more domain creatures.
But having anticipated these encounters, he spotted them from afar and promptly detoured around them.
Adhering to the principle of cherishing life and avoiding domain creatures, Feng Qi proceeded cautiously throughout his journey, and no mishaps occurred.
After several hours of travel, he finally arrived at the abandoned hospital.
Looking up from a distance, he spotted a slender figure crouching on the hospital's rooftop, gazing motionless at the Blood Moon.
The moment he saw Suction Cup, he breathed a sigh of relief, instantly feeling a sense of security.
Detected: Suction-Type Automatic Combat Weapon. Proceed to retrieve?
Feng Qi: ...
Now that he had found Suction Cup, he no longer needed to worry about nearby domain creatures. As he approached, he called out to Suction Cup:
"Suction Cup, come down!"
Hearing his shout, Suction Cup slowly lowered her head and then leaped straight off the rooftop.
Upon landing, she darted forward like a startled rabbit, tackling Feng Qi to the ground before automatically attaching herself to his chest.
Feng Qi rubbed Suction Cup's head, a smile spreading across his face.
Suction-Type Automatic Combat Weapon has been equipped. Please perform a blood oath of ownership, or the weapon may attempt to escape.
Ignoring the Narrator's antics, he stood up and walked into the abandoned hospital with Suction Cup.
Inside the abandoned hospital was a metal secret door, but he couldn't find any way to open it.
But just because he couldn't, didn't mean Suction Cup couldn't.
He believed that with Suction Cup's power, she could easily smash through the secret door—made of some unknown material—with a single punch, allowing him to enter and uncover the secrets of the Scarlet Research Institute's underground base.
The abandoned hospital was overgrown with weeds, and even the walls were covered in moss.
Too lazy to search for the secret door himself, he immediately called out:
"Narrator, find the location of the secret door."
Ding! A metal secret door has been detected approximately 20 meters ahead in the left corridor.
Following the Narrator's guidance, he went to the left corridor, cleared away the nearby weeds, and indeed found the familiar pitch-black secret door.
At the center of the door, a light flickered.
Standing beside the secret door, he gathered his strength and threw a powerful punch.
But the punch didn't even make the door budge. Instead, it left him wincing in pain.
Host, please have a clear understanding of your own strength. Avoid nonsensical and insulting behavior that would embarrass me if other systems witnessed it!
Feng Qi: ...
After his failed attempt, he turned his gaze to the Suction Cup clinging to his chest.
He lifted her off and placed her on the ground, then pointed at the secret door and mimed a knocking motion.
"Suction Cup, smash it!"
The Suction Cup stared blankly at Feng Qi, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning of his gesture.
"Make a fist and smash this door."
Feng Qi demonstrated again.
This time, the Suction Cup finally reacted.
She slowly raised her fist, clenched it under Feng Qi's expectant gaze, and then, mimicking his earlier demonstration, gently tapped the secret door.
Hahahahaha, I can't hold it in anymore! Suction Cup's imitation is perfect! This judge gives her a perfect score!
Feng Qi: ...
Staring at the Suction Cup's blank expression, he felt too drained to even retort.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fist, stood up, and decided to give her a proper demonstration.
This time, he didn't hold back. He slammed his fist into the secret door with full force, his face contorting involuntarily from the impact.
"Suction Cup, do as I say! Smash it!"
After staring at Feng Qi for a few seconds, Suction Cup didn't mimic his actions. Instead, she suddenly lunged at his chest and reattached herself.
Excellent!
Feng Qi: ...
Suction Cup's reaction left him deeply frustrated.
So, how exactly could he get her to smash open this secret door?
As he pondered, an idea gradually formed.
Normally, Suction Cup entered combat mode whenever he was attacked. He could use this as a starting point.
With a plan in mind, he began searching the area for small insects, spiders, or other Domain Derivative Creatures.
After some searching, his efforts paid off. He found a completely crimson-red insect.
The insect was about the size of his pinky finger, its entire body blood-red. When he grabbed it, its surprisingly strong struggles nearly caused him to lose his grip.
Carrying the crimson insect to the secret door, he set it down and extended his finger.
Just as he'd predicted, the insect immediately opened its mouth and bit down, tearing off a chunk of rotting flesh from his finger.
This activated Suction Cup. Starlight instantly flickered in her eyes, gradually transforming into a swirling, brilliant starry sky.
Instead of directly punching the crimson insect, Suction Cup first pushed Feng Qi's hand away before suddenly unleashing its fist.
Even before the fist made contact with the secret door, the searing heat from the air pressure alone crushed the crimson insect clinging to the door into dust.
When the fist struck the secret door, the instantaneous shockwave sent Feng Qi flying several meters.
The already decaying walls nearby buckled under the force, collapsing into rubble in an instant, transforming the area into a wasteland.
Feng Qi could only curl up, shielding his head, terrified of being crushed to death by the falling debris.
This was the first time he had witnessed the full power of Suction Cup's punch up close, and he was utterly stunned.
He now understood why no domain creature could withstand Suction Cup's strikes. Each punch was like a missile strike, its aftershocks alone lethal.
As the collapse subsided, Feng Qi stood up amidst the ruins. Suction Cup immediately lunged forward, reattaching itself to his chest.
Pressing onward through the rubble, Feng Qi moved several large stones aside and discovered the twisted, deformed secret door.
The door's weight was unbelievable. He strained every muscle to barely manage to push it open.
Before him lay a downward-sloping metal tunnel.
As he stepped inside, motion-sensing lights automatically illuminated the surroundings.
After walking several dozen meters, he emerged into an underground plaza the size of a sports field. Dozens of iron doors lined the perimeter, while overhead, countless lights projected a holographic image of a starry galaxy.
The plaza's center was empty, lacking any database-like instruments. However, in a far corner, an elevator suggested another level below.
I suspect the blueprints used to construct this underground plaza are the same as those used for the Star City Underground Shelter.
"Agreed."
While there were minor structural differences, the overall layout closely resembled the Star City Underground Shelter.
Driven by the hope of uncovering the truth, he began examining the iron doors around the plaza.
Fortunately, these doors weren't made of the special material used in the outer world. A single strike with his wolf-tooth mace shattered them open.
He stepped into the first room, triggering the interior motion-sensing lights.
The room, roughly 500 square meters in size, was lined with rows of nutrient pods. Green liquid still lingered inside, emitting a foul odor.
At the far end of the room stood a surgical table, upon which lay an array of surgical instruments.
Though ancient, these tools showed no signs of rust, clearly forged from special materials produced within the Domain Field.
During his observation, he noticed that many of the cultivation tanks still contained the larval forms of domain creatures.
However, these young domain creatures were long dead, and the tubes connecting them to the tanks had deteriorated, crumbling into dust at the slightest touch.
This was clearly a laboratory for studying domain creatures.
After a thorough search, he left the room and moved to the adjacent chamber, which he once again violently breached with his wolf-tooth mace.
This room was small but crammed with paper documents.
Many of the documents had decayed beyond legibility, disintegrating upon contact. However, some documents made from special materials had survived intact.
He found this puzzling.
If there was a permanent network for storing information, why would they still use paper documents?
As this thought struck him, he paused, momentarily stunned.
Was it for secrecy? Was the network not secure enough?
If the Scarlet Research Institute was on humanity's side and knew that external forces had infiltrated human society, this approach would indeed make sense.
Considering the institute's extremely high entry requirements—requiring extensive background checks and refusing to recruit graduates from any academy—he felt his theory might be correct.
Picking up a file, he flipped to the first page, then immediately set it down.
The document contained experimental data from biological sciences, which he couldn't understand at all.
While searching, one file caught his attention.
Its title read: "The Ultimate Endpoint of Human Evolution (Conceptual)."
As he opened the document, its contents made him frown deeply.
The file was largely speculative, yet it revealed a crucial piece of information:
At the ultimate endpoint of human cultivation, a crystal would form within the body, its structure remarkably similar to that of domain creatures.
"So, if humans keep growing stronger, will rune crystals eventually form within them, just like domain creatures?"
Unknown, but after the resurgence of spiritual energy, human evolution has actually followed a similar path to domain creatures. Both species absorb spiritual energy from the world to enhance their bloodline strength, making this conclusion seem quite plausible.
Hearing the Narrator's response, Feng Qi nodded in agreement.
But when he flipped to page 37 of the document, his expression froze.
The page read:
Domain creatures and humans are like two extremes. The evolutionary endpoint for domain creatures is to dissolve rune crystals, while for humans, it is to generate them.
Perhaps this world is the same—there is a Yang side, but also a Yin side.
Domain creatures may originate from the Netherworld, a realm we have yet to explore. That is likely the true source of all calamities.
(End of the Chapter)