The Next Stop: The Dungeon

Fan En now desperately wishes he had presbyopia.

Because he thought he just saw a parasite jump into You Fei's mouth!

"Quick, spit it out!"

The girl before them had clearly never entered the Zane Dungeon for blood therapy, and therefore could not possibly have acquired resistance to parasites. In this situation, if the parasites entered her body...

He was so anxious he almost reached out and grabbed it with his bare hands!

Unfortunately, his fist was too big to fit, so he had to Yi Sha. However, Isa was completely incapable of doing something like shoving You Fei's throat, so she simply shoved all the remaining salted fish-flavored Healing Potion into her throat.

Generally speaking, the pungent smell of salted fish and the pain of the medicine bottle stuck in one's throat would elicit a reaction. However, even after being subjected to such treatment, You Fei remained unconscious, showing no physical reaction whatsoever, like a Doll stripped of its personality.

This is so weird!

Fan En recalled hearing stories from adults when he was a child about a famous evil alchemist who attempted to create a magical beast that could not feel pain or become sluggish due to external attacks, something like a super beast. You Fei's current reaction was just like that of a humanoid super beast.

Has everyone escaped to a safe place?

Seeing that there was no hope of waking You Fei, Fan En had no choice but to tuck her under his arm like a piece of cargo, and turned to Yi Sha to ask.

Having received an affirmative answer, he took a deep breath, preparing to muster all his strength to break free of the museum, this den of iniquity.

"This guy is a rare expert. He might know what's going on outside. We absolutely can't let him become a parasite's puppet like this. I'll send him into the dungeon right now!"

Having finally encountered someone who seemed to have come from the outside world, Fan En mustered all his strength to save the person's life.

However, as is often said, lucky things happen very rarely in life, but unlucky things tend to happen in droves.

The fleshy spheres burst open, and the parasites that emerged did not immediately reassemble into the previous monsters. Instead, they attacked the two directly, swarming like rain.

Not only did the insects launch an attack, but the mutants who had been diligently carrying flesh balls into the tunnel also surrounded the exit closest to the two, effectively encircling them.

It's almost as if it was premeditated!

Hiss.

Just as Fan En was spinning the Saw Cleaver like a fan to fend off the parasites, a thick, dark shadow suddenly lashed out from the side. Although he managed to block it in time, he was still sent flying by the force. He struggled to his feet despite the pain in his body.

Surrounded by a group of bloody, fleshy lumps, a parasite as tall as an adult and as fat as a wine barrel stood upright. Yi Sha raised her Hunter Pistol and cane to confront it, while You Fei, still lost in thought, stood behind her.

That parasite was undoubtedly a mutant, but this was the first time Fan En had ever seen a parasite eat itself into such a fat state. Generally speaking, even if a mutant wanted to become a giant, it would only enlarge the host.

That parasite gave off a particularly different vibe; its bright, black bean-like eyes gleamed with greed as it stared intently at You Fei.

Suddenly, a long, thin tentacle extended from its tail and plunged into the half-eaten remains of the survivor. The survivor's upper body immediately began to speak.

"Stay here, that woman. You, go."

A talking parasite!?

Several monsters were born from the combination of parasites and surrounded Fan En and Yi Sha. The obese mutant spoke again, but this time it sounded more like it was talking to itself.

"Luckily, luckyly! I wanted to run away, but this woman fainted on her own. Hehe, the body bestowed upon me by heaven can now resist the Insect King!"

The response was a Quicksilver Bullets that severed the tentacles connecting it to the survivor's remains.

The next instant, Fan En turned and slashed, not thinking of killing the enemy but only of creating an opening to escape. So he swung the Saw Cleaver and smashed the nearest monster away, and then swooped down towards Yi Sha and You Fei!

In a typical storyline, this would be a moment when everyone is surprised that the parasite can talk, and then it rambles on for a while. There might even be a scene where this mutant explains some earth-shattering conspiracy. But clearly, Fan En and Yi Sha are not ordinary people. They don't care about conspiracies. Escaping is the only option right now!

Unfortunately, before Fan En could reach the two women, he was stopped by the two monsters who reacted quickly, and another fierce battle ensued. Although his strength had weakened, his momentum was even stronger.

The obese mutant also reacted, letting out a loud scream in exasperation, and immediately more insects emerged from their cocoons.

Fan En and Yi Sha exchanged a glance and simultaneously launched an attack on the nearest monster. While covering You Fei, they moved closer to each other, seemingly intending to regroup and find a suitable opportunity to break out.

But the parasites' greatest strength is their ability to reproduce. Their numbers are extraordinary. No matter how good Fan En and Yi Sha are, they have only trained in the dungeon for less than half a month. Before that, they were just ordinary people. Although they eventually reunited, each of them had shocking wounds on their bodies.

The obese mutant grinned maliciously, about to deliver the final blow to the two, but at that moment the brother and sister suddenly laughed and threw something into the sky at the same time. Yi Sha then swiftly fired a shot into the sky.

With a loud "bang," a pungent spray of blood filled the air—the very item from the dungeon used to lure enemies: the "Pungent Blood Cocktail"!

The parasites that had been swarming around them rushed over like flies that had smelled a toilet. Even the monster disintegrated, eagerly devouring the rare delicacy of blood. No matter how hard the obese mutant tried to control them, it was to no avail.

However, there seemed to be something greasy mixed in with this blood, which coated the dish with a layer of oil.

Wait, is this oil from the Oil Urn?

Fan En quickly pulled out a piece of Fire Paper and rubbed it on the ground. The tiny sparks from the friction between the Fire Paper and the ground instantly ignited the blood-sucking parasite, turning the scene into a sea of fire in an instant!

They had this trick up their sleeve!

The obese mutant's body froze in place.

Amidst the sea of fire, Fan En and Yi Sha simultaneously revealed a smile and gave each other a high five in perfect unison.

The former wiped the parasite blood splattered on the corner of his eye with his thumb, while the latter blew on the gunpowder smoke that hadn't yet dissipated from the muzzle of his pistol. They both stared intently at the obese mutant, which remained motionless.

Just then, an untimely voice came from below them.

"You guys are pretty stylish with those moves."

Looking down, she saw that You Fei had woken up at some point. Her eyes were filled with endless fatigue, as if she had run hundreds of 800-meter races in her dream. However, this fatigue was washed away when she saw the brother and sister high-fiving each other in the sea of fire, and instead, she was filled with great interest.

A high-five, wiping away blood, blowing on the gun muzzle—three seemingly ordinary and simple actions—felt so fitting for the current scene, understated yet dashing, more stylish than any deliberately contrived trick.

You Fei suddenly felt as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Can you tell me how you practice your moves? Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

You Fei sensed something was wrong, because both siblings froze when they saw her.

"What's wrong? Has my face turned into a monster?"

She reached out and touched her cheek, and sure enough, she touched something inappropriate.

A slippery, fat parasite had taken up half of her left cheek.

"!"

She was about to react, but the next moment, her left hand suddenly gripped her right hand tightly, and her mouth involuntarily cried out:

"Hahaha, such a strong body, it's perfect! Now I am the Insect King!"

A loud thud came from outside the sea of fire. It turned out that the obese mutant's body had fallen, its tail empty, leaving a hole exactly the same size as the parasite that had You Fei's face.

A cicada shedding its shell! Is the thing parasitizing You Fei's face its true form?

"Let me see just how powerful this gift from heaven is!"

In the blink of an eye, You Fei did a somersault and leaped up, her legs whipping through Fan En and Yi Sha like whips. The two crashed heavily into the wall, both spitting out blood.

"Amazing, incredibly amazing!"

The mutant species experienced firsthand what the joy of numerical values truly meant.

"Who, who are you?" Fan En struggled to his feet.

The mutant straightened its body, You Fei also straightened up, then proudly spoke through the girl's voice:

"I was born for the mission of transporting nutrients to the Insect King."

The nutrients it's talking about are these human flesh balls on the ground?

"But in the last few days, the Insect King seems to have found something more nutritious and no longer needs me."

The mutant said, "Because my intelligence is second only to the Insect King, it now wants to kill me. Hey, how could I sit and wait to die? I had to look for an opportunity to become stronger. First, I needed a suitable body, and then I found you."

It seemed eager to show off, revealing everything.

"I was the one who brought you here. Your bodies are the strongest in the entire city right now. I was very distressed after I found that I couldn't parasitize you."

"When the woman I'm currently inhabiting appeared, I was immediately drawn to her body—powerful, precise, and flawless. Her only weakness was that I couldn't beat her, so I wanted to run away right then and there."

"And then, this woman somehow fainted. Hahaha, she knocked herself out! Is there anything funnier than that? It's like God gave me an opportunity!"

"It's difficult to defeat her, but I can completely bypass the two of you and parasitize her!"

The mutant burst into wild laughter, and it certainly had the right to laugh, because having taken control of You Fei's body, no one present could contend with it!

"Next, I'm going north to kill the Insect King and take his place, hahahaha—"

Head north? Fan En's eyelids twitched. The north was precisely where the capital was located!

The obese mutant already possessed intelligence beyond their imagination, and now that it had acquired You Fei's body, what could possibly stop it?

An atmosphere of despair began to spread.

"Excuse me for bothering you."

You Fei's voice suddenly rang out. She snapped free from the control of her left hand and grabbed the parasite on her face with her right hand, as if to pull it out.

She wasn't completely controlled? Great, now all we have to do is remove the parasite—

The latter calmly replied, "I've already implanted myself in your brain. If you pull me out, you'll die immediately."

She paused for a moment, then realistically let go, without making a futile show of strength. She realized that the parasite was telling the truth.

"Hmph hmph hmph"

The mutant laughed wildly.

You Fei's body was very hard, and it was impossible to completely control it for a while. However, thanks to the cooperation of the parasite that had previously burrowed into her body, it immediately gained nearly half of the control. All that was left was to gradually erode the body and then it would be able to completely control it.

"Sorry, I messed up this time. You guys better run."

You Fei lowered her eyes and recalled that the reason she was parasitized was because she had carelessly glanced at Fan En with [Empathy], which resulted in her seeing strange things. As her protective aura dissipated, she was parasitized by the parasite.

She had no right or reason to blame Fan En; she could only blame herself for being careless.

I can still mobilize my body's strength now, so I can only try to fight the parasite. If I really can't resist it, then I'll self-destruct. In short, I can't let the other party control my body and harm others.

"Just like she said, I'm in a good mood now, so I'll spare your lives." The mutant said smugly, since these two couldn't escape its grasp anyway, and keeping them would add more fun to the hunt later.

Fan En stared at You Fei and suddenly said:

To what extent can you still control your body now?

You Fei didn't understand why the other person asked that question, but she still answered truthfully, "I can't move my left hand at all, and my right hand is almost gone too. I can only control my two legs."

"The legs will soon be mine too!" the mutant interjected, utterly repulsive.

"Can you hold on for another five minutes?" Fan En asked again.

Some of You Fei's fighting spirit dissipated. She nodded, saying she could hold out for five minutes, or even ten.

"Oh."

Fan En suddenly laughed, turned around and crushed the parasite's charred body, which had been burned to a crisp by the flames, and said:

"Then come with us."

"What?" You Fei and the mutant were both stunned. Where else could they have run to?

But the young man's tone was full of confidence, as if the place he was going to was a paradise that could solve all suffering, making people unable to help but believe him.

"Go to your first stop in this city, which is also the last stop for this worm."

Bathed in the descending moonlight, Fan En pointed in a certain direction and said:

"Let's go to the dungeon!"