Qianju True God's "Clay Figure" was right ahead of the group. There was no need to track it deliberately; they could see it easily.
That fellow was probably the most carefree person Geng Huai and the others had seen since entering the "Forward Base," completely at home here. He could throw an arm around anyone's shoulders and communicate in bizarre languages; yet he could turn hostile at any moment, kicking anyone who said the wrong thing to the ground. Then, in the blink of an eye, he would be chased madly by law-enforcement machines for his excessive behavior. He was nothing but a street thug, an old base ruffian.
The group could not see the outcome of the clash between the law-enforcement machines and Qianju True God, but witnessing this scene still bred an absurd, eerie feeling in their hearts. It was like a venomous ant suddenly biting them—neither quite pain nor merely an itch, but utterly irritating.
"This isn't the real one, right?" Geng Huai turned to Tu Ge.
Tu Ge had already explained Mora and the Fugitive earlier, so there was no reason to avoid this subject. He gave a clear answer. "It's a shell."
Mountain Lord did not want to make a fuss, but without understanding this situation, he truly could not settle his mind. He tried to communicate with Tu Ge. "Shausedo and Mora both stayed at this 'Forward Base.' They suffered losses, so it is understandable for their entire selves—or a layer of shell—to have been left behind here. There is no need to mention the Fugitive either. But what is going on with the True God?"
"Didn't we just fight at the 'Amaterasu Pure Land' yesterday? Maybe something got torn off the True God and thrown here?"
Geng Huai jumped in with an answer.