This wasn't because Zheng Gang was a particularly steady person—though his personality did lean that way—but simply because he knew he was nothing more than a weak Historian.
What?
If you pointed out his powerful-looking hands, capable of knocking someone out with a single punch, well, those were just some minor self-defense tricks for a Historian.
If one had to categorize him, he could barely count as a physical attacker. But this instance was clearly one that required magical attacks.
When your build doesn't match the current meta, there was no point in forcing it.
He knew very well that in this instance, he was purely an exploration-focused support.
If a fight really broke out, tagging along wouldn't help; he would only be a burden to everyone.
For a perilous situation like this, where a head-on clash seemed highly likely, staying far away was the wisest choice for a frail scholar like him.
After settling the bill, Zheng Gang walked out unhurriedly. He didn't plan on catching up with the others, choosing instead to head back to the library to wait for the outcome.
On the other side, Wu Suowei and the others followed Ou Li's real-time shared location, catching up at a brisk pace. They navigated through streets and alleys, leaving the bustling downtown area further and further behind as the surroundings grew increasingly desolate.
The surrounding shops, pedestrians, and traffic gradually vanished. In their place were barren plots of land, overgrown weeds, and a dilapidated, abandoned building standing in the middle of nowhere.
The walls were peeling and mottled, the exposed rebar was rusted, and wild grass grew rampantly amidst the broken walls and ruins.
And Ou Li's real-time location stopped dead inside the abandoned building, not moving even a fraction of an inch.
“Over there.” Not long after they stepped into the building, Mi Ke, relying on her exceptional insight as a medium, was the first to find the location shown on Ou Li's phone.
On the concrete floor cluttered with debris, a phone lay quietly, its screen still lit up.
It was Ou Li's phone.
But the reckless spirit medium herself was nowhere to be seen.
“Miss Ou's phone... Did something happen to her?” Wu Daoqing stepped forward to pick up the phone, a look of clear worry on his face.
He failed to notice that a cold, murderous intent was quietly enveloping them.
“I don't know if she's met with an accident, but we certainly are about to,” Mi Ke said, keenly sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere around them.
She unbuckled the card case at her waist and drew out half a Tarot card, ready to support the battle at any moment.
“We're ambushed.”
Wu Suowei lowered his voice to warn Wu Daoqing.
He tensed every nerve in his body, warily scanning the deathly silent shadows around them.
From the shadows of the abandoned building, a dense, rustling, and chaotic sound arose.
It sounded like countless monsters moving their bodies in the dark, their bones grinding against each other, and pebbles rolling as they scrambled forward.
The sounds converged from all directions, closing in step by step, forming a tight perimeter that completely cut off all avenues of retreat.
“The Sun.”
Mi Ke tossed her first Tarot card above her.
A burst of light broke free from the card, halting near the ceiling of the abandoned building. It instantly banished the darkness, illuminating their surroundings.
In the shadows of the ruined walls, several short, eerie silhouettes had been lurking. Thanks to the light of “The Sun,” they were now completely exposed.
They were bizarre monsters that defied all logic.
The creatures were small and hunched, yet they possessed vivid, realistic human faces—complete with eyebrows, eyes, noses, and mouths—all completely expressionless and deathly still.
The strangest part was their bodies, which were agile and ape-like, with slender yet powerful limbs covered in coarse, short black hair.
Looking further down, their feet defied nature—with heels facing forward and toes pointing backward, a bizarre, inverted posture.
There were a total of eight of them, which meant that including Bai Ci, each person would have to deal with an average of two.
But things were far from that simple.
Screeech—
Immediately after, the monsters opened their mouths, unleashing a barrage of chaotic, ear-piercing shrieks that left everyone dizzy, their blood boiling.
“I'm casting,” Wu Suowei muttered around a talisman in his mouth as his hands rapidly formed seals, offering a muffled warning. “Kite them for a bit. Wait for me to finish channeling.”
Mi Ke massaged her temples in pain. “Little Daoist, I'm buffing you. Go, interrupt them!”
“Strength.” She drew her second Tarot card, which dissolved into specks of light that enveloped Wu Daoqing.
Though Wu Daoqing was relatively simple-minded, he didn't hesitate when it came to battle, even if his teammates' combat styles were incredibly bizarre and unlike anything he had ever seen.
He showed immense adaptability. He didn't lose control of his power despite the sudden boost; instead, he quickly found his footing again.
“Rise, Wind!” Wu Daoqing drew his peach wood sword and activated a talisman.
A powerful gust of wind swept toward the hunched monsters. Because they were so small, the wind sent them flying, successfully cutting off their ear-splitting shrieks.
But no one let their guard down, because the lingering chill, far from dissipating, only grew heavier.
The original purpose of those shrieks wasn't to attack or disorient—it was a call.
Several massive shadows stepped over the rubble, slowly emerging from the depths of the abandoned building with a terrifying presence.
Judging by their appearance, what the hunched monsters had summoned were creatures resembling tigers.
But could those things even be considered living creatures?
Whether they were even alive was highly debatable.
These tiger-like beasts had mutilated and twisted bodies, where flesh, bones, and fur were chaotically intertwined.
Parts of their bodies were covered in patchy, tangled fur, while other parts were completely hairless, exposing dripping-red flesh that pulsed with their movements. In some areas, the flesh had melted away entirely, revealing pale, cold bones.
Fur, flesh, and bone were haphazardly stitched together, forming grotesque, mutated monstrosities. Their solid black, pupil-less beast eyes locked onto the group.
The flesh-stitched tiger monsters took up key positions, poised to strike.
The hunched, human-faced ape monsters blocked all the gaps, cutting off any hope of retreat.
The group was completely surrounded, their paths forward and backward entirely blocked, trapping them within the dark, deathly silent ruins of the abandoned building.
In fact, the moment she realized they had walked into a trap, Bai Ci had already used the connection between her split soul and the main soul to signal Ming Yi that she was in danger.
Soon, a warm and steady wave of reassurance flowed back through the connection—Ming Yi's comforting response.
At the same time, Bai Ci clearly felt her own power being drawn upon, as a powerful yet familiar and warm force rushed toward her from across the connection.
Rate on N.U.
