Deep in the Living

Chapter 684 Red Sweater
【Pan Yang】

Type: Red Gate Monster
Danger level: Crimson

Affiliation: None
Appearance: The file has been updated recently. After Pan Yang received attention from the comic book store and was granted permission from outside the region, its original form has completely shed its human form and transformed into a turtleneck sweater.

The exact dimensions will vary depending on the observer.

Under heavy camouflage, it appears to be a blend of 80% wool and 20% polyamide nylon.

Plant Names & Rankings: §Under the Clothes§, NO.68
Related ability descriptions:

"Deep Disguise": The sweater that Pan Yang transforms into will be hidden in closets, clothing stores, or appear on the body of a certain monster. The color and style are random, but it will always be a turtleneck sweater.

"Mindset Influence": Any individual who directly sees or comes into contact with a turtleneck sweater will develop a strong urge to wear it, which cannot be eliminated and will grow over time. When this obsession reaches a certain level, the individual's inner clothing will be directly replaced by the turtleneck sweater*.

Even without clothes, the skin will become sweaty.

"Deadly symbiosis": Once you put on a sweater, a symbiotic relationship is formed.

An irreparable rupture of the soul will occur where the high collar meets the neck, blood will overflow from the collar, and the individual will die completely when the entire sweater is stained red.*

* (Damage Transfer) During the symbiosis period, if others attack the sweater, the symbiotic host will take the damage first. This "damage transfer" is mandatory and conceptual.

Once the host dies, those individuals who attacked the sweater will become the next targets of mind-guided attacks.

* (Long-term host) Pan Yang often leaves behind a last symbiotic host for long-term use, during which time the host's mind and consciousness will be completely taken over.

[Countermeasures]:
We recommend wearing the "sweater goggles" provided by the Technology Development Department, which can effectively isolate the effects of thought-directed thinking.

Once the sweater's existence is confirmed, quickly clear out all humanoid life forms in the surrounding area, leaving only elite agents wearing goggles, to prevent Pan Yang from escaping by parasitizing others.

[Related Information]:
Because he hated humans so much during his lifetime, Pan Yang's favorite thing to do was to hunt humans, especially agent teams on missions.

Four exploration teams of different sizes have been attacked by Pan Yang, with only two surviving.

The Exploration Bureau had arranged several capture and extermination operations, but in the most effective operation, Pan Yangqi escaped with serious injuries.

During the extraterritorial incident, Pan Yang, acting as a long-term host, assisted in opening up extraterritorial passages on the northern islands, and fled immediately afterward.

According to information obtained by the secret intelligence department, the target is most likely hiding in the fishing village.

Given the unique circumstances of the fishing village and our current position, it is not advisable to take any action against Pan Yang at this time.

……

"The 68th ranked comic book acceptor of plants seems to be inferior to Jock."

Roddy smelled the stench of malice; this extremely vile being was exactly what he had always wanted to kill.

Wu Wen frowned slightly. "Don't let your guard down. This guy might not be weaker than Jock. The ranking of plants doesn't represent the individual strength of monsters, but rather a comprehensive evaluation from an affinity perspective."

Any plant that ranks in the top 100 during its mature stage is difficult to deal with.

I had the misfortune of seeing this guy once in the City of Sin. He must have just wiped out a human squad and was dragging a big bag of valuables to enjoy himself.

Although there was no physical conflict, my body reacted strongly when I looked directly at the red-stained turtleneck sweater.

"Hmm." Roddy would naturally be cautious. The reason he seemed happy was not because he had let his guard down, but because this stuff suited his taste perfectly.

"So, what kind of place is this 'fishing village'? The document specifically emphasizes this place."

Wu Wen explained again: "The fishing village is located in the middle layer, on the southwestern edge. It is similar to the northern edge where our infiltration operation is going, adjacent to the endless open sea."

However, the geographical environment there is different; there are not many forests, but rather cliffs with unusual structures.

The fishing village stretches vertically across the entire cliff face, connected by elevators.

That area is shrouded in mist year-round. This native mist effectively conceals the appearance and physique of the locals, with extremely low visibility.

The fog can also disrupt the flow of energy, greatly weakening or even neutralizing perception.

It is precisely because of this special environmental condition,
When monsters need to evade pursuit and conceal their identities and have nowhere else to go, they will choose to go to the fishing village.

However, the fishing village itself is shrouded in unknown mysteries and unseen dangers. I've heard that a group of powerful monsters once caused trouble in the City of Sin, but ultimately offended Mr. Question Mark and were forced to flee to the fishing village.

Mr. Question Mark also dispatched company personnel to search for these people's whereabouts, and he would personally handle the matter once they were found.

To their surprise, not only did the personnel sent there completely disappear, but the monsters that had fled also vanished without a trace. The eeriness of the fishing village became widely known as more and more monsters disappeared; unless completely cornered, people generally wouldn't go there.

Roddy's focus, however, was on something else: "A fog that can suppress perception, a hidden individual? Is this fog a manifestation of fear?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't Jock have a natural advantage in the fishing village?"

Wu Wen nodded, "That's right! The reason why the Exploration Bureau can't get specific information about Jock is most likely because his real body has been hiding in the fishing village."

I can be fairly certain that after the videotape incident, Jock stayed in the fishing village until the arrival of the limping man, at which point he was assigned to go to the northern islands to assist him.

Otherwise, he would have kept his true form hidden inside. He possesses the essence of mist, and the fishing village is the perfect sanctuary for him.

"Luckily, Roddy, you killed this guy beforehand. Otherwise, if he had stayed in the fishing village and developed his skills to the level of a teacher, he would have been really difficult to deal with."

"Hmm... By the way, doesn't the fishing village have any monster organizations? Or corporate groups like Mr. Question Mark?"

"There are basically none. The fishing villages are mostly inhabited by individuals, and even if there are some groups, they are all small-scale. After all, the monsters who choose to go to the fishing villages are all desperate criminals, and no one trusts anyone else."

Moreover, from beginning to end, no one knew what dangers lurked in the fishing village, and even Mr. Question Mark dared not approach easily.

I suggest we go back to Whirlpool Town first and ask the teacher for their opinion before setting off again.

Roddy nodded. "Hmm, I'll go ask Gustav. That guy treats this whole corner like his backyard, he must know something."

However, I will definitely go eventually.

Even if it weren't for this mission, I would still go. If Jock had truly stayed in the fishing village for an extended period, perhaps he could have found his "home" there.

“I want to go and see too…” Wu Wen smiled, and several shiny fish scales appeared on the surface of her arm.

……

One day passed.

Near the southwestern edge of the highway, a vortex-like mark began to emerge, disturbing the space.

A four-person team consisting of Luo Di, Yu Ze, Wu Wen, and Song Huiwen appeared here. Their palms all had vortex patterns, which allowed them to return directly to Vortex Town if they encountered danger.

They were all wearing goggles provided by the Bureau of Exploration, which effectively mitigated the effects of the sweaters and improved visibility in the fog.

in addition,

The teachers also provided some information, but overall the information was still scarce.

Gustave stated outright that he would never go near a fishing village, which reeked of an indescribable fishy stench that made him want to vomit and gave him absolutely no desire to lick it.

Even if he turns a corner into a backyard, that kind of place still needs to be isolated.

Mr. Question Mark is in seclusion and we were unable to meet.

None of the other teachers had been to the fishing village, nor did they need to go to such a place, and their advice was always to be cautious.

The team walked through wasteland where even basic plants refused to approach.

Before we could even see the edge of the cliff, the mist had already crept in.

Like insects crawling onto their bodies, like a thin film adhering to everyone's skin, just as Wu Wen said, individuals who come here will be concealed by the mist.

Roddy also found that all his senses were weakened, but his tongue could still move normally and his sense of taste remained sensitive.

Yu Ze had also distributed the Unity Talismans to everyone early on, which could clearly determine the specific location of each team member.

Just as the team was slowly approaching the cliff,
Roddy's tongue suddenly tasted a fishy flavor approaching.
Just as he was about to unleash the consciousness slash,

A grotesquely ugly, swollen face suddenly emerged from the mist, and from its drooling mouth came a sound like that of a conch shell:
"Outsider, want to buy fish? These are all freshly caught fish, still jumping around. They can only survive here; you can't buy them outside."

The basket on their backs was brought over.

Roddy peered inside with some curiosity.
Dead fish came into view, their cold, bulging, pale eyes staring intently out of the basket.

However, on the surface of these dead fish, writhing, coiling, and leaping were strands of vibrant flesh and blood...

(End of this chapter)