Super Level 1 Mental Monster

"So welcoming..."

Lu Xin sighed as he looked at the shadows that had opened their arms and were lunging at him.

He had been charging forward at a strange and rapid pace, but at this moment, he abruptly stopped and jumped back, dodging the first shadow's lunge. Then, with a strange twist, he lunged towards the side of another shadow.

He spread his hands, grabbing at the side of this shadow.

It was just like his Sister pouncing on a toy.

"What is that?"

The Crimson Moon hung high in the sky, casting a dim red glow.

More than half of the lighting equipment that had been erected around the wild lake had been destroyed by the mental monster's roar just now. The others had severely damaged wiring, and without maintenance, the lights were slowly going out one by one.

The more lights that extinguished, the more intense the Crimson Moon's glow became.

And under this light, whether it was an illusion or not, many people around saw hazy images.

They saw that just as Lu Xin was about to reach the core of the source of pollution area, the mud was suddenly broken open, and a blurry mass of shadows flew out from within. The brilliance of the Crimson Moon gave this shadow the vague shape of a tree, and that tree had countless vines, with what looked like fruits growing at the tips of the vines – people.

Some of these people were male, some female, some old, some young. They looked like vague, unreal phantoms, but their madness could still be discerned. Their features were distorted, and they were desperately waving their arms, like a humanoid, grotesque, carnivorous plant's tentacles.

And the way they captured people was by leaping into the air and embracing their prey.

Judging from the encounters of the three members of the investigation team earlier, being embraced by them meant a high probability of being controlled.

Such a scene and its consequences made one's scalp tingle.

Yet, Lu Xin charged headfirst into these shadows. He moved left and right, twisting and turning, his body like that of a species not of this world. He dodged and attacked amidst the lunges of countless shadows, then charged towards one prey after another.

A shadow lunged at him, and he retreated, then charged forward again. He shifted his body slightly to the left, perfectly dodging a shadow's grasp, and then grabbed the shadow's shoulder, tearing off its arm. Without pausing, he twisted his body lightly to the right of the shadow. As the shadow was reaching out to the left, he tore off its right leg.

His movements were agile and strange. He circled the shadow in an instant, taking only a second or two.

This shadow had already been torn to shreds by him.

And only then did the other shadows arrive. But Lu Xin had already swiftly moved to another shadow.

At this moment, all the vines of that "tree" surged towards him.

And the "fruits" at the tips of the vines desperately opened their arms to embrace Lu Xin. Judging from the fate of the three investigation team members earlier, the outcome of being embraced by these humanoid fruits was not difficult to predict. Moreover, the three investigation team members were wearing protective suits, which was why they were only temporarily restrained and not infected...

But Lu Xin was not wearing a protective suit.

Therefore, Lu Xin and this strange tree were essentially fighting over a sliver of time.

"If I get embraced by these shadows first, I'll be the unlucky one. But if the shadows get caught by Sister first, they'll be the unlucky ones..."

"These shadows seem to be the tree's attack method..."

"But why do they all give me a sense of familiarity?"

"..."

In this mad and twisted battle, Lu Xin completely handed over the fighting to his Sister.

The more dangerous the battle, the less he could compete with his Sister, otherwise, a moment's distraction would be his undoing.

But while entrusting the fight to his Sister, he himself was intently watching the battle, using all his strength to analyze, to observe the appearance of this mental monster, and to ponder what secrets this mental monster held.

Whether it was the investigation team by the lake, Qin Ran, or the cordon personnel in the distance.

At this moment, they were all silent, staring blankly at the scene in the lake.

Under the eerie moonlight, they could still vaguely see the endlessly extending vines and the people growing at the tips of the vines.

It was a scene that, upon mere sight, sent chills down one's spine, made one's hair stand on end, and evoked a sense of madness.

They all had weapons in their hands, but they didn't even know how to use them to fight these monsters.

But in this scene, there was one person who charged forward, unarmed, and fought the monster.

And in this dangerous and bizarre scenario, they could faintly sense a hint of "playfulness" in Lu Xin's movements, as if, facing such a terrifying monster, Lu Xin appeared excited and was enjoying the feeling...

He looked even crazier than the mad monster!

"The on-site personnel reported that they saw a monster shadow resembling a combination of tentacles and humanoid objects..."

"Are the humanoid shadows at the tips of those vines the ones who went to seek revenge on Qin Ran before?"

"Their corpses were all destroyed, but their mental bodies were devoured and merged by this monster..."

"So they still remember to seek revenge on Qin Ran, and only remember revenge..."

At this moment, in the main city's Special Pollution Cleanup Department building, Han Bing, from the information analysis team, was still mechanically performing intelligence analysis due to her usual high-intensity training, but as she spoke, her voice couldn't help but tremble.

"So, those who went to seek revenge on Qin Ran before were only considered 'polluted bodies', but these are the mental monsters themselves!"

"Then..."

Her gaze couldn't help but shift to another direction, towards Chen Jing. "What is he doing now?"

"He's clearing the source of pollution alone!"

Chen Jing looked at the somewhat blurry image on the screen, the video she had seen on the digital camera flashing through her mind.

After a pause, she added, "In his own way!"

Not far from her, Han Bing was clearly very surprised.

But Chen Jing's calmness infected her and the other members of the information analysis team. Although she herself was clearly startled by the scene of Lu Xin fighting the mental monster alone, Chen Jing still forcefully maintained her composure. There wasn't even a hint of panic on her face. Instead, while staring at the blurry image on the display, she calmly issued orders: "Continue the information analysis!"

"Yes!"

Han Bing also took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in her heart, and continued her analysis: "The target has been confirmed as a Super Level 1 mental pollution source, though it hasn't reached Level 2 yet. Its active infection and attack on the investigation team members can be judged as having a certain degree of self-awareness. However, the entire process of draining the lake and testing did not stimulate it, indicating its self-awareness is not high, limited to instinctive reactions..."

Level Assessment: D+

Infection Level: Low

Threat Level: Medium

Growth Method: Capture and seize residual mental bodies

..."

As she spoke, her voice faltered for a moment: "It's just that if it grows by capturing and merging with other residual mental bodies, and its self-awareness is somewhat chaotic, why did its initial behavior..."

Before she could finish, Chen Jing thought of it: "Why was it fixated on Qin Ran?"

"It was precisely because Qin Ran was avenged that this mental pollution incident was triggered..."

"So, as the first 'avenger', Cui Wang is the key?"

"Finding Cui Wang's body is the only way to truly resolve this mental pollution incident?"

"..."

Listening to Chen Jing's analysis, Corporal Han Bing was taken aback and added, "Or perhaps by his method, directly resolving it?"