"Quite enthusiastic..."
Looking at the shadows in the sky that opened their arms and pounced toward him, Lu Xin sighed.
He had been charging forward at a strange and astonishing speed, but at that moment, he suddenly stopped, leaped backward, and dodged the first shadow's attack. Then he spun strangely and pounced toward another shadow from the side.
He spread both hands and reached for the shadow's side.
Just like Sister pouncing on a toy.
"What is that?"
The Crimson Moon hung directly overhead, casting down a dim red glow.
Most of the lighting equipment that had been erected around the wild lake had already been destroyed by the Mental Monster's scream. The rest had suffered severe damage to their wiring, and without anyone maintaining them, the lights slowly went out one by one.
The more lights went out, the stronger the Crimson Moon's glow appeared.
Under that light, perhaps because their eyes were playing tricks on them, many people around the lake seemed to see hazy images.
They saw that just as Lu Xin was about to reach the core of the Pollution Source area, the mud suddenly split open, and a blurry mass of shadow flew out. The Crimson Moon's radiance faintly outlined the shape of a tree. That tree possessed countless vines, and at the tips of those vines grew one human figure after another, like fruit.
Some of those people were men, some women, some old, and some young. They looked like blurry, unreal phantoms, but their madness could still be seen clearly. Their features were twisted as they desperately waved their arms, like strange, humanoid carnivorous-flower tentacles.
Their method of capturing people was to leap into the air and embrace their prey.
Judging from what had happened to the three members of the investigation team, anyone embraced by them would very likely be controlled.
The sight and its consequences made their scalps tingle.
Yet Lu Xin charged straight toward the shadows. He twisted and turned, darting left and right, his body moving like something that did not belong to the human species. Amid the countless shadows' attacks, he dodged and counterattacked, then charged toward one prey after another.
When a shadow pounced at him, he took a step back before moving in again. He tilted his body slightly to the left and narrowly dodged the shadow's grab. Then he seized the shadow by the shoulder and tore off its arm. Without stopping, he lightly twisted and moved to the shadow's right side. As the shadow reached toward the left, he tore off its right leg.
His movements were nimble and bizarre. In an instant, he had circled the shadow once, taking only one or two seconds.
That shadow had already been torn apart by him.
Only then did the other shadows reach the area, but Lu Xin had already swiftly moved to the side of another shadow.
At that moment, all the vines of that "tree" surged toward him.
The "fruit" at the tips of the vines desperately opened their arms, trying to embrace Lu Xin. Judging from the fate of the three investigation team members earlier, it was not hard to imagine what would happen if those humanoid fruits caught him. Moreover, the three members had only been temporarily restrained rather than infected because they were wearing protective suits...
But Lu Xin was not wearing one.
So the battle between Lu Xin and this strange tree was a contest over a fleeting instant.
"If these shadows embrace me first, I'm the one who'll suffer. But if Sister catches them first, they're the ones who'll suffer..."
"These shadows seem to be that tree's method of attack..."
"But why do they all give me such a familiar feeling?"
"..."
In this mad and twisted battle, Lu Xin handed complete control of the fight to Sister.
The more dangerous the battle, the less he could compete with Sister for control. Otherwise, if he lost focus for even an instant, he would be the one to suffer.
But even after handing the battle to Sister, he watched it tensely, using all his strength to analyze and examine the appearance of the Mental Monster, trying to figure out what secrets it possessed.
Whether it was the investigation team by the lake, Qin Ran, or the personnel stationed at the distant perimeter,
they were all completely silent, staring blankly at the scene in the lake.
Under the strange moonlight, they could barely make out the endlessly stretching vines and the people growing from their tips.
It was a scene that chilled them to the bone and raised the hair on their backs merely by looking at it, giving rise to a sense of madness.
They all had weapons in their hands, but they did not even know how to use them against these monsters.
Yet within that scene, one person had charged forward with his bare hands and begun fighting the monster.
Strangely, amid this dangerous and bizarre scene, they could faintly sense a hint of "playfulness" in Lu Xin's movements. It was as if, when facing such a terrifying monster, Lu Xin was excited and enjoying the sensation...
He seemed even crazier than that mad monster!
"The personnel on-site reported seeing the shadow of a monster that appeared to be a combination of tentacles and humanoid objects..."
"Those humanoid shadows at the tips of the vines were the people who went after Qin Ran for revenge earlier?"
"Their corpses have all been destroyed, but their mental bodies were devoured and fused by this monster..."
"So they still remember going after Qin Ran for revenge, and remember nothing but revenge..."
At that moment, inside the Special Pollution Cleanup Department building in the Main City, Han Bing of the Information Analysis Team was still mechanically conducting intelligence analysis under her usual high-intensity training. But as she continued speaking, her voice still began to tremble uncontrollably.
"So the people who went after Qin Ran for revenge earlier only counted as 'infected subjects.' These, however, are the Mental Monster itself!"
"Then..."
Her gaze involuntarily shifted in another direction, toward Chen Jing. "What is he doing now?"
"He's conducting the Pollution Source cleanup alone!"
Chen Jing stared at the somewhat blurry image on the screen, and the video she had seen earlier on the digital camera flashed through her mind.
After a pause, she added, "Using his own method!"
Not far away, Han Bing was clearly already extremely shocked.
But Chen Jing's composure infected her and the other members of the Information Analysis Team. Although she had clearly been startled by the sight of Lu Xin fighting the Mental Monster alone, Chen Jing still forcibly maintained her calm. There was not even a trace of panic on her face. Instead, while staring at the blurry image on the display, she issued an order in a low voice: "Continue the information analysis!"
"Yes!"
Han Bing also drew in a deep breath, suppressed the panic in her heart, and continued analyzing. "The target has been confirmed as a Super Level 1 Mental Pollution Source. However, it should not yet have reached Level 2. Its active infection and attack on the investigation team members can be judged to indicate a certain degree of self-awareness. However, the entire process of draining the lake and conducting the inspection did not provoke it, indicating that its self-awareness is not highly developed and is limited to instinctive reactions..."
Level assessment: D+
Infection level: Low
Threat level: Moderate
Growth method: Capturing and seizing residual mental bodies
..."
As she spoke, her voice hesitated for a moment. "However, if it grows by capturing and fusing other residual mental bodies, and if its self-awareness is somewhat chaotic, why did its initial behavior..."
Before she could finish, Chen Jing had already realized it. "Why did it keep watching Qin Ran?"
"It was precisely because Qin Ran was targeted for revenge that this Mental Pollution incident occurred..."
"So as the first 'Avenger,' Cui Wang is the key?"
"Only by finding Cui Wang's corpse can we truly resolve this Mental Pollution incident?"
"..."
Listening to Chen Jing's analysis, Corporal Han Bing froze for a moment before adding, "Or could it be resolved directly through his method?"
Before you continue