Standing Above the Earth

In the dark, foul-smelling, and nauseating mud, Lu Ban could sense that those murky, alien things were trying to infiltrate him.

From his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears, from every pore, the silt tried desperately to penetrate his body, altering Lu Ban's physiological structure and turning him into a half-fish, half-human monster.

As the silt gradually eroded Lu Ban Lu Ban, green plants slowly grew inside him, using the silt as nutrients to resist the mutation.

In Lu Ban's mind, countless voices came through the silt.

"I just want to be a human being, an ordinary human being."

"I wonder if Shuang Yu will be happy after marrying him."

"I don't want to stay here. I don't want to become like you."

"I don't want to die. I want to live. Yes, I'll do anything to live."

"Twisted desires inevitably lead to distorted results; it turns out everything was real, everything was predestined."

"Poor child, I only had time to see him one last time."

"Destroy everything, destroy everything, hahahahaha!"

Countless voices, men and women, young and old, in different languages, intertwined and wove together. These words were like independent wills, gathering in this filthy sludge, trying to burrow into Lu Ban's mind, trying to turn Lu Ban's consciousness into that chaotic state as well.

From ancient times to the present, the consciousness of all those who have died in this mud is now intertwined within it, forming the will of this mud.

Countless desires merge into one, ultimately only reversing everything and bringing destruction to all things.

The mental pollution, far exceeding the limits of human endurance, spread in Lu Ban's mind.

Around his body, lush green vegetation blocked the silt, forming a cocoon-like structure, but the silt still kept seeping in through the gaps.

Outside the mud, in the already dilapidated Hai Family Mansion, Trist watched helplessly as Lu Ban obtained the statue, and then watched him be swallowed by the mud.

The tower had transformed into a monster of silt, from which countless tentacles of silt spread. In the now-blackened pool of water, the massive silt extended dark hooves and slowly rose to its feet.

It was like a colossal beast from ancient legends that destroyed cities; its imposing presence undoubtedly made it a superhuman being that surpassed all humankind.

Trist felt his sanity burning. In fact, Trist had already been challenged by his sanity from the moment he saw the tower turn into mud. Fortunately, he was somewhat mentally prepared, so it didn't cause him to go completely insane.

Even so, Trist still felt an instinctive tremor when he saw that magnificent, inhuman, terrifying creature.

He raised his revolver.

He then pulled the trigger.

This was the first time Trist fired a shot during this mission.

The scene looks somewhat ridiculous.

A tiny, insignificant mortal fires a shot at the embodiment of a god, a colossal creature from mythology.

Anyone who sees it will find it ridiculous.

But Trist did it anyway.

He believed that he did not have Lu Ban's strong willpower, his fighting skills were only slightly better than others, and he had no amazing ability to fight against ghosts or control extraordinary beings.

The reason he was able to survive in the Silent Land for so long, and even dare to challenge the [Erosion] difficulty, was because of this revolver.

[Simulated Sunflare]

This is the reward item that Trist received after completing his "Detective" career quest.

As its name suggests, this revolver's effect is to create a false sun.

Buzz—

A shockwave emanated from the muzzle of Trist's gun, and the boiling heat created a golden sun, even more dazzling than the Pale sun.

Before the colossal object even touched the golden sun, it began to evaporate and dissolve, accompanied by countless wails, as if one could see souls being separated from the mud.

The warm and bright sunshine shone on the earth, bringing the Drywater Town the daylight it had never seen in centuries.

Those fishermen living outside the Drywater Town, who were affected by the Black Mother but were spared because they lived a little further away, and who could only hide in their homes when the Walking Corpses of the Hai family passed by, couldn't help but come out when they saw the bright sunshine outside their windows. They saw the radiant sun rising above the Drywater Town, a sight that transcended mythology.

They prostrated themselves, knelt, and prayed, as if a new god were rising.

As for the silt, it was completely evaporated by the blazing sun, and even the souls were exorcised.

The revolver in Trist's hand was burning hot, scalding a layer of skin off his palm. The blisters from the burns were hideous and painful, but Trist did not let go.

Only after the sunlight disappeared did Trist feel the trembling in his right hand and the excruciating pain.

Although he possesses the powerful firepower of the [Simulated Sunflare], unfortunately, this ability of the revolver can only be used once per mission, and after use, the [Simulated Sunflare] will be just an ordinary revolver for at least a week.

The cost was considerable.

However, precisely because of this, Trist's strategy for doing missions in the Silent Land is very simple: first, lie low and investigate steadily, find the mastermind or target, and finally gather all the guys who need to be dealt with together and find a way to give them a good beating.

Previously in the Night Country, this was how Trist dealt with the monsters attacking from the Black Forest.

Before embarking on this mission, Trist's original plan was to attend the wedding as planned, and if anything went wrong at the wedding, he would simply make a clean getaway. After all, he would be reduced to ashes, so there shouldn't be any monsters left behind.

Unfortunately, this mission involved Lu Ban, which triggered a lot of strange things.

"He should still be alive, right?"

Trist walked toward the epicenter of the [Simulated Sunflare] explosion.

This thing is very effective against evil and unclean things, but not so much against humans. Moreover, Trist thinks that Lu Ban's tenacious vitality is probably enough to withstand two hits head-on without any problem.

The sunlight evaporated even the metallic stench, and Trist saw a grayish-green cocoon at the very center of the explosion.

He squatted down and poked the callus with his good left hand.

The gray vegetation withered instantly and turned to ashes.

Lu Ban was curled up inside, holding the white jade-like statue in his arms.

"Was it still too late?"

Trist looked at Lu Ban, whose eyes were closed, and assumed he had died, so he squatted down.

"It's a pity. You are a good person. I will remember you."

He intended to take the statue from Lu Ban's hand, but suddenly discovered that Lu Ban had opened his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Lu Ban asked a question, sat up, and hugged the statue tightly.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Trist was somewhat speechless.

Meanwhile, in Lu Ban's vision, the ashes of the grass and trees twisted into indifferent and cold system text.

[Survive until the wedding ends 1/1]

[Task completed]

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