Fall and Escape

Li Yi was unaware that Yang Yilong and the others had successfully hunted an Extraordinary Creature. He, Brother Tao, and Zhang Gao were still holding their post at the observation point as planned, remaining vigilant of any anomalies in the surroundings.

"It's been two hours with no movement at all. This is too boring," Zhang Gao yawned, feeling drowsy.

Maintaining high alert could be very tiring.

"If you guys are tired, take a rest. I'll keep watch for the remaining few hours. I'll call you if anything special happens," Brother Tao said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

Li Yi replied, "I'll stay with you, Brother Tao. I'm wide awake right now, not tired at all."

"No need to be so serious. I've scouted the area several times, and it's safe here. The only thing that's bothering me is that spider-like monster I chased away earlier," Brother Tao frowned. "I didn't manage to kill it, so it might leave some hidden danger behind."

"Wait, listen, what's that sound."

As he spoke, Brother Tao's expression suddenly shifted. He tilted his head, listening intently ahead.

From the dark, shrouded city in the distance, faint roars and growls of beasts could be heard, along with other abnormal sounds echoing. These noises were rapidly approaching.

Beep beep!

At the same time, Brother Tao's phone rang. It was a crucial text message: Mission complete, evacuate the danger zone immediately.

Upon seeing the message, Brother Tao's face changed drastically. He immediately dropped his cigarette butt and growled, "Yang Yilong probably finished the hunt. Quick, we need to leave here fast. I have a feeling we're in for some trouble this time."

"What?" Zhang Gao exclaimed in shock.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," Li Yi said.

Brother Tao didn't hesitate at all. He turned and quickly retreated along the route they had come.

Seeing his urgency, Li Yi and Zhang Gao didn't dare to be careless and followed closely behind.

As the three of them rapidly descended the building, they could hear the commotion outside growing louder. Something was approaching them quickly.

"Nothing that can survive in the danger zone is simple. Whatever we encounter later, just run, and follow the original route back. We'll be safe once we get out of the blockade. Those ferocious beasts usually don't pursue relentlessly," Brother Tao said, still looking out for the two newcomers.

But as soon as he finished speaking.

His body suddenly halted, stopping abruptly in the stairwell.

In that instant, the pupils of the three men contracted sharply. Their hair stood on end, and a chill surged from the soles of their feet throughout their bodies.

On the wall of the stairwell before them, more than a dozen bizarre figures had appeared. Their skin was grayish-black, blending in with the surroundings. They had grown several withered, slender arms. Like spiders, they appeared on the floor, ceiling, and walls, crawling continuously. They moved forward silently. If they hadn't run into them now, these monsters might have reached the top floor without being discovered.

"I only managed to drive away one earlier, and now there are so many here," Brother Tao felt a pang of fear.

Such numbers brought a sense of despair.

If they were surrounded, it would undoubtedly be a certain death.

However, before the three of them could make a move, the group of spider-like humanoid monsters in the stairwell ahead immediately accelerated upon spotting them, closing in at an incredible speed.

"Run!"

At this moment, this was the only thought in their minds.

Brother Tao reacted first. He spun around, his body erupting with powerful strength, attempting to create distance as quickly as possible.

But the moment he turned, the wall beside him suddenly exploded, and a withered, strange arm shot out directly towards his head.

"What?"

Brother Tao was shocked and terrified. He never imagined that such monsters would be in the adjacent floor, not just in the stairwell.

No time!

This was the only thought in Brother Tao's mind at that moment.

Bang!

The next moment, Brother Tao's head took a heavy blow. He immediately lost his balance, crashing into the nearby stairs. Blood gushed out, and his vision went black, followed by nothing but crimson.

Buzz buzz!

Brother Tao's body swayed, his ears ringing.

But driven by the instinct for survival, he fumbled for his black machete and swung it wildly.

However, he hit nothing. Instead, countless terrifying hands rained down on him from above.

Screams echoed.

Li Yi watched as Brother Tao was completely swallowed by the grayish-black monstrous figures, his body torn apart, blood staining the entire stairwell.

"A Spirit Medium realm cultivator died just like that?"

His heart pounded with fear, but he didn't dare to hesitate. He immediately ran, but instead of retreating upstairs, he plunged into the floor behind him.

"Li Yi." Zhang Gao's eyes were filled with terror. He chose to retreat the way they came, and the two separated in the stairwell.

He wanted to change course and escape with Li Yi, but it was too late.

The monsters behind him were already in pursuit. Delaying now would only lead to a worse fate.

Seeing Li Yi disappear, Zhang Gao gritted his teeth and ran for his life.

Whether the two of them could survive now depended on their own abilities.

However, even though the two fled in separate directions, the monster showed no intention of letting them go and split into two groups to pursue them.

"Going to the top floor is certain death. This building is the tallest here, so going up means being trapped. We have to find another route to escape."

Li Yi's body was tense as he moved through the building like a nimble leopard.

The terrifying crawling sounds behind him were incessant.

Li Yi didn't dare to stop for a moment. His current strength didn't even allow him to activate his Spirit Medium abilities, and he had no decent weapons on him. He couldn't even handle one monster, his only reliance being his agile body.

He leaped over obstacles, smashed through tempered glass doors, and did his best to speed up his escape.

Fortunately, Li Yi could see in the dark now; otherwise, he wouldn't even have the chance to run.

Under his desperate flight, the monsters behind him gradually fell back a bit, but he still didn't dare to catch his breath.

"I have to get out of this building, or I'll die here." Li Yi's breathing was rapid, but his mind remained calm.

"Where can I escape? The stairwells are blocked, and the elevator shaft isn't this way. Otherwise, I could use the elevator shaft to get straight to the first floor. No time, I'm about to reach the end of this floor."

"The window."

Suddenly, Li Yi gritted his teeth and headed straight for the window.

Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the windowsill and leaped out.

But this was the twenty-somethingth floor.

Falling from this height would undoubtedly kill Li Yi.

In reality, Li Yi understood this, but he had no choice. It was his only way out.

The wind howled past his ears as he rapidly plummeted.

But just as Li Yi fell three or four floors, he suddenly extended his arm and grabbed the adjacent windowsill.

The physical prowess of a Cultivator was on display at this moment.

He managed to absorb the impact of the fall with his arms, leaving Li Yi safely hanging by the windowsill.

However, he didn't have time to relax. The sound of shattering glass came from above him, and several grayish-black arms stretched out from the window he had just climbed through.

The monsters were chasing him again, and these monsters could climb walls.

"Again."

Li Yi gritted his teeth and let go again.

His body plummeted once more.

After another three or four floors, he grabbed the windowsill again, stabilized himself, and then let go again.

Each fall brought him to the brink of death.

One slip, and he would be finished.

But this desperate effort was effective. The distance between him and the monsters grew, and Li Yi was getting closer to the ground.

In just over ten seconds, Li Yi had descended more than ten floors.

But above him, a group of monsters was chasing him down the wall at an astonishing speed. Without obstacles, the monsters climbed faster on the outside than they did inside.

The distance between them was closing.

"I don't want to die here." Li Yi's eyes shone with a bright light. In the face of life and death, his body seemed to accelerate its evolution and transformation. His eyes seemed to be awakening his Spirit Medium abilities.

But even so, what good would it do?

Brother Tao, the Cultivator in the previous Spirit Medium realm, had already been torn to shreds. Even if Li Yi activated his Spirit Medium abilities, he would still be in danger.

He fell again.

This desperate struggle for survival unleashed his body's immense potential. He gradually gained control of the sensation of falling, and his actions of grabbing the windowsill to slow down became more adept.

He didn't need to consciously prepare; with a simple release of his grip, his body would fall, and he would know what to do.

Soon.

Li Yi, who was originally on the twenty-somethingth floor, had now successfully descended to the fifth or sixth floor.

At this height, he wouldn't die from the fall.

One last release.

With a dull thud, he landed successfully.

But the monsters behind him were still chasing him, and they had also climbed down the wall to the ground. So, for Li Yi, the danger had not yet passed.

He fled again, retracing his steps along the route he remembered.

He didn't dare to wander in the dangerous area, as he might encounter other perils.

"Li Yi."

Just then, a shout came from the top of the building behind him.

It was Zhang Gao's voice.

Zhang Gao had already escaped to the rooftop platform. He stood at the edge of the wall and saw Li Yi, but he had reached a dead end with nowhere to go, unless he jumped.

Because several monsters on the top floor were rapidly crawling toward him.

Li Yi, who was fleeing, paused slightly. He glanced back, but then he sped up again.

"Li Yi, I can't make it. Do me a favor and give my money to my family," Zhang Gao's desperate shout echoed through the dark city, reaching Li Yi's ears.

Li Yi didn't answer, merely clenching his fist and raising his arm.

To respond would be to agree.

Zhang Gao saw this from afar and laughed, already prepared to die there.

However, just as he was preparing to face the swarm of terrifying spider monsters, something unbelievable happened.

A thin mist suddenly filled the area around the top floor. The mist was pale green and grew denser the higher it went, eventually blending into the night until it was impossible to see.

The humanoid spider-like monsters, as if sensing some terrible danger, abandoned their imminent prey and scrambled into the building one after another, their hurried climbing sounds incessant.

"Did a miracle happen?" Zhang Gao felt utterly incredulous.

But soon, his pupils suddenly constricted as he saw something truly terrifying.

Directly above the building, a giant eyeball suddenly appeared deep within the dense fog. The eyeball seemed to belong to some kind of Extraordinary Creature, as a colossal silhouette of a creature was vaguely outlined in the depths of the fog. Just then, the giant pupil shifted slightly, its gaze falling upon them.

"Wh-what is that thing?"

Zhang Gao was locked by that gaze, and an immense terror washed over him, instantly engulfing his entire body. His body seemed to be melting.

No.

This wasn't an illusion.

Zhang Gao's body was truly melting.

In just a few seconds, Zhang Gao's body melted into a pool of pale green liquid, leaving only his clothes behind, unaffected.

The dense fog gradually dissipated.

A terrifying figure, hidden within, departed and moved toward the depths of the dangerous zone, heading in the opposite direction of Li Yi's escape.