Come Forth, Tiger Pillar God!

"Rumble, rumble, rumble—"

Deep within the winding, rugged passageways of the underground palace, Hong Tao charged forward in great strides like a tank.

Everything in his path—whether the swarming black Shell Currency, the bizarre walls of flesh and blood, or even the Yaoyi groves of flesh and blood—was trampled to pieces or torn apart beneath his feet.

He was like a man of iron, smashing straight through the earthen walls and carving a direct passage underground.

His eyes were blank, as if he were sleepwalking. As he pressed forward, he kept murmuring:

"My heart is steadfast as a rock, fearless of all. Strong as steel, able to split stone and metal..."

He was heading toward the core of the Anomaly Infection Zone, guided by the Anomaly Radiation Detector in his hand.

On the three-dimensional waveform display, the core—which had been blank—had now turned a deep red, so dark it was almost black!

The team of Anomaly Bureau investigators followed close behind Hong Tao. Yang Gan and several other Awakened Ones were responsible for clearing away the remaining anomalies. Ordinary investigators with flamethrowers followed, disinfecting the area with high heat.

After them came the engineering crew, laying communication cables as they went to prevent radio transmissions from being disrupted by the intense anomalous mental radiation.

A deep "Vmmmmm—" rang out in everyone's minds. The ordinary investigators clutched their heads and cried out.

The Anomaly Radiation Detectors carried by everyone began displaying erratic waveforms, their readings all over the place. At their peak, the values approached 5,000.

"Thud!" Hong Tao slammed hard into the rock wall ahead, splitting his head open.

His eyes suddenly cleared. Clutching his forehead, he spoke into his earpiece:

"An intense anomalous mental radiation interference has appeared ahead. Self-hypnosis has failed. I can't get through."

A voice came over the communications channel from the subway station base behind them:

"Copy. We just detected a momentary mental radiation reading of 5,210. It's currently stable at around 3,000. The demolition team is on its way!"

As the voice spoke, several investigators carrying C4 Explosive reached Hong Tao and began setting the charges.

Watching the wall gradually break apart before him, Hong Tao took a deep breath and said:

"Send in more firepower! Bring every Awakened One here! And I want a Fuel-Air Explosive Rocket Launcher!"

Inside Bright Mall Subway Station, which had been converted into a makeshift command center, Zhao Yifeng gave the curly-haired man a slight nod. The man immediately replied:

"Copy. Heavy weapons are being deployed and will reach the front line shortly..."

Zhao Yifeng picked up the microphone, took a deep breath, and said gravely:

"Hong Tao, you understand what it means for anomalous mental radiation to reach a peak of 5,000 in the center of Gu City. I order you to contain this anomaly at any cost! I've reported the situation to the Central Bureau. Reinforcements will arrive soon!"

Hong Tao's face took on a resolute, death-defying expression as he replied:

"Don't worry, Director Zhao. Gu City is my home too. I'm prepared to make the sacrifice—after I hold that anomaly back, of course. If I die, please tell my girlfriend I love her very much."

Zhao Yifeng said solemnly, "I'll be waiting for your triumphant return."

Yang Gan chimed in from the side, "Bro Hong, which girlfriend are you talking about? Liu Yan, Zhao Xuemei, or Guo Xiao?"

Hong Tao glared at him, yanked off his earpiece, and tossed it aside. His gaze turned blank again, and he charged toward the wall, now blasted open into a large crater.

"Boom!" This time, he smashed straight through and burst inside.

The Awakened Ones and investigators behind him poured through after him.

The space before them suddenly opened up. They had entered an enormous underground palace with a towering domed ceiling!

In the distance, they could make out an underground palace and a Bronze Hanging Coffin.

A gigantic Amalgam, so maddening to look at that a single glance could drive them insane, moved through the depths!

The anomalous mental radiation here even warped their vision, blurring everything before them as though they were looking through frosted glass.

Judging by their location, they were directly beneath Silver Glow Cinema Subway Station.

But between them and their destination lay wave after wave of black shells, endless as the sea and as wide as a moat!

As the anomalous mental radiation surged, strange Ascension Tomb Murals began appearing on the rock walls of the dome surrounding the underground palace.

In everyone's eyes, the earthen platform before them gradually transformed into a complete palace, coated in blood-red cinnabar and exuding an eerie aura.

The coffin suspended in midair by bronze chains began to tremble faintly!

Everyone understood that the anomalous mental radiation in this area was simply too intense. It had warped their vision and made them hallucinate.

Mother held out her wrist and looked at her watch, encrusted with gems and diamonds. Her expression was grave.

"The anomalous mental radiation here has reached 936, and it's still climbing!"

Her watch had been modified to function as an Anomaly Radiation Detector.

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

There were no anomalous items anywhere near their current position, yet the reading had reached this level. That meant the radiation near the Bronze Coffin at the core had to be at least 3,000—and perhaps much higher!

"The one inside the hanging coffin is King Dian Li. He chose to be buried in a bronze hanging coffin to be closer to the heavens and make it easier to ascend after death. But in the end, King Zhou Li couldn't bear to part with his beloved Snake Concubine, so he came back to life while feigning death."

Old Sun spoke solemnly, sighing with emotion.

Noticing everyone around him staring at him strangely, he hurriedly added:

"That's what they said in the TV series The Ancient Kingdom of Dian. Don't you guys watch TV?"

Mother took a drag from her cigarette and said:

"According to the adults' theory, the movie is currently showing, and the plot must have reached a terrifying climax. That's why it's affected the mental fluctuations of thousands upon thousands of viewers. The bronze coffin and the other devices should all be capable of absorbing ordinary people's mental radiation. Once they've absorbed enough mental energy, that should be when the anomaly called King Zhou Li awakens."

The anomalous influence of the underground palace was gradually spreading outward. Strange blue bricks had begun appearing at the subway station's underground entrance as well. The walls had been completely sealed off, and twisted trees of flesh had sprouted all over them.

Li Fan said expressionlessly:

"Old Chen, take the people from the Dissection Department somewhere safe. They're a crucial part of the infiltration plan. Protect them."

Old Chen, the driver who had been silent until then, nodded. He put on his protective suit and immediately scurried up the nearby rock wall like a spider. In just a few leaps, he had climbed more than twenty meters to the platform where the people from the Dissection Department lay unconscious.

Then he tossed the dozen or so unconscious people onto his shoulders like a stack of bodies. Carrying them as though he had a small mountain on his back, he ran off. Before long, he had disappeared from the platform.

Inside the underground palace, the gigantic Tai Sui controlled by Huo Lei made no move to attack. Instead, it slithered around the palace and the sacrificial devices like a colossal serpent.

His eyes brimmed with the delight of a man certain of victory.

His enormous face, assembled from various body parts, wore an expression of sheer enjoyment. His power seemed to be rapidly growing.

The anomalous mental energy throughout the underground palace was also gradually falling under his control.

In the blink of an eye, he had climbed onto the underground palace. Seeing the bronze pillar altar nearby, he looked exhilarated.

The bronze pillar on the altar, decorated with tigers and pythons, was trembling!

Then Huo Lei abruptly looked up at the members of the Cleaning Association before him, a mocking expression on his face.

"One of the powerful anomalies I unearthed has returned. It's nearby! Before King Dian Li awakens, let it play with you first... Come forth, Tiger Pillar God!"

As he spoke, Huo Lei directed his immense mental energy toward the bronze pillar, offering a sacrifice to it!

Li Fan, who had been wondering whether the Tiger Pillar God was any good, immediately felt his own mental energy begin to surge!

Ticket~