Water Mist Canyon

On the desolate northern continent.

A strange figure was speeding across the desolate Wasteland, its silhouette moving from darkness to dawn as the sun rose.

From a distance, this creature appears to have two legs, six arms, and three heads. Not only is its shape incredibly bizarre, but upon closer examination, it also does not conform to the conventional growth patterns of living organisms.

But once the light of dawn pierced the darkness, the truth was revealed.

Linsey is running on the ground.

Behind him, Linsey was holding Hilude with one hand and carrying the Sand Dune with the other.

The three of them, like a human pyramid, sped south across the Wasteland.

"..."

"This is the downside of forming a team when there is an imbalance of strength."

As the one responsible for leading the way, Linsey inwardly complained.

There's no need to mention Hilude, who's in a wheelchair; even the Sand Dune next to her can't compare to him in terms of speed.

Unfortunately, this matter was quite important, and Linsey didn't want to waste any time.

So he had no choice but to grab one in each hand and race toward his destination in this rather strange posture.

It was after dawn, before noon.

As Linsey continued his journey, the barren land gradually began to show more pronounced slopes and undulations. Looking up into the distance, the shadows of mountains began to appear in his field of vision.

"Lord Linsey, we're almost there!"

"Go a little to the west, and the valley between those two Mountain Peak is where those insects come out!"

The Sand Dune opened up as a reminder.

Linsey shifted his direction slightly and walked a little further ahead, and the canyon was indeed faintly visible.

Linsey, seeing that the distance was about right, put Sand Dune and Hilude down.

With his feet firmly on the ground again, Sand Dune moved his body around a couple of times and quickly adapted to the situation.

But Hilude wasn't so comfortable.

The young writer, her face ashen, clutched her stomach and said to Linsey, half with admiration and half with complaint:

"Compared to our first meeting, you've moved much faster."

"Life and will, the blessing of two Essence... far surpasses that of ordinary awakened beings... not to mention your messy skills."

Hilude had to pause for a moment after saying just one sentence.

Linsey ignored the other person, waved for the two to follow, and walked into the canyon first.

Sure enough, the canyon was shrouded in mist.

As Linsey stepped inside, his heightened senses gave him the sensation of passing through a thin veil. He then gently sniffed the air; it was noticeably more humid than outside.

"The environment is indeed quite different; it's not dry at all."

Linsey and switched to the [Decryption Game] module.

"The mist is non-toxic and harmless; there are no ambush traps set up around it; then, there are also the footprints of the Mutated Sheath Blade Insect..."

Sure enough, the footprints of the Mutated Sheath Blade Insect appeared in the surrounding grass.

It was a slender green trail that emerged from all sides of the canyon, initially appearing mostly in the corners of the cliffs on both sides.

Linsey was naturally going to check, but he stepped on some plants in the canyon and his pace slowed down unconsciously.

"Plant..."

[Plant: Night Sheep Grass]

[A common forage grass, which has become somewhat toxic due to infection with a disease.]

The toxicity of this infected forage grass is currently suppressed, rendering it virtually worthless.

"Infected by the disease?"

Linsey recalled the description of the Mutated Sheath Blade Insect.

Although those mutated insects were also artificially created, they also had entries about being infected with diseases.

"Is it because you ate the plants here?"

"Or does it originate from a more fundamental source?"

Linsey reached out and touched the ground.

As expected, the soil in the canyon did indeed contain traces of some kind of disease.

It's just that it's currently under suppression, so it's not being disseminated to the outside world.

Swish swish swish —

Just then, rustling sounds began to emerge from the corners on both sides of the canyon.

"Lord Linsey, it's those bugs again!"

"Oh--"

Upon noticing the movement, Sand Dune immediately alerted them to move closer to Linsey.

Hilude glanced around at the surroundings, a disdainful laugh escaping her lips.

Linsey observed her surroundings on her own.

Hidden among the plants in the corner of the valley, there seem to be some passages leading to the mountain walls and underground, from which these Mutated Sheath Blade Insect emerge.

Linsey immediately pulled up the map.

In Gutian, there are numerous tunnels and caves both underground in the canyon and on both sides of the mountain.

But besides these densely packed Red Dot that symbolize hostility, there are also some sparse Yellow Marker hidden deeper within this canyon.

At this moment, the Mutated Sheath Blade Insect had already surrounded Linsey and his two companions.

The sharp blade and mouthparts are clearly visible.

But Linsey was not afraid at all, and did not even think about turning around and leaving.

He simply stood there, openly shouting into the air within the canyon:

"I know, these insects must be controlled by someone!"

"Unknown friend, I come with both blade and goodwill!"

"Whoever you are, please come out and choose how we will communicate from now on!"

Sa—

As soon as she finished speaking, Linsey pulled out a longsword and planted it straight into the soil to the left of her.

The Sand Dune beside him were still watching everything with extreme tension.

The hunter had no further information.

In his eyes, the three of them were already in a deadly crisis, and their only option was to fight their way out.

"Ah?"

At this moment, the Sand Dune's expression froze.

He was shocked to discover that these Mutated Sheath Blade Insect had indeed stopped moving, just as Linsey had said!

"Can insects negotiate with humans?"

"..."

The Mutated Sheath Blade Insect surrounded the three of them without saying a word.

Wait a few more minutes.

A strange, hoarse voice slowly emerged from the mist:

"Human, you should not be here."

Linsey's eyes narrowed.

Before the other party fully revealed themselves, his exceptional eyesight allowed him to make out their silhouette through the fog.

At first glance, the other person had a simple human appearance.

But as he walked out step by step, the various distorted details of his body revealed his difference.

It has a carapace-like body, green skin, and compound eyes.

If the previous Mutated Sheath Blade Insect were a combination of insects, then this new creature is a combination of a human and an insect.

The flesh and blood body was twisted into a bizarre shape.

His appearance was indeed chilling.

However, on Linsey's map, it is clearly displayed as a neutral yellow.

Linsey began:

"First of all, I apologize for disturbing you, my companion."

"You may not know this, but I have established a new territory in a distant location, where the environment is..."

Linsey was preparing to negotiate.

The strange man who responded interrupted Linsey with a hoarse voice using insect-like mouthparts:

"Sir, I hope you can leave immediately."

"We don't plan to leave here, and we don't want anyone else to come in."

"If you stay here, you will only bring endless calamities to this broken world."