This bug is amazing!

Chapter 198 Cradle of Yin and Yang, Queen Ace
As the number of transparent thorns increased, there was no longer any place to stand in the area around the tree.

Even using a spinning top, it is impossible to achieve such a large displacement.

Even more frightening is that the thorns seem to possess a certain intelligence, and have even changed their strategy, preparing to climb up the tree.

Miss Cat was already tense, ready for battle at any moment.

Ji Yi immediately grabbed the other person, shook her head at Miss Cat, and signaled her not to move.

With another princess carry, Ji Yi activated [Sound Spin] repeatedly, and she had reached a small branch at the top of the tree. This was the limit that could support the weight of two people; if she went any higher, the branch would break off on the spot.

After climbing seven or eight meters upwards without success, the colorless thorns began to slowly retreat.

About ten minutes later, they disappeared back underground, vanishing without a trace.

To be honest, this sneak attack almost caught Ji Yi off guard; this move was actually somewhat effective against Ji Yi.

Even the land in the Forbidden Zone of Strange Tales is eerie. Normally, Ji Yi wouldn't be able to see through the underground to understand the situation, let alone guess the dangers hidden underground.

“Miss Cat, I know you can beat that thing, but you have to think carefully about the consequences. We can’t beat any of the monsters here.”

As Ji Yi spoke, a sense of crisis arose in her heart.

Unlike last time, the mission objective is to survive for seven days, so this is no longer a dungeon where simply having a special ability can solve everything.

Therefore, items like the [Nascent Soul Stage Trial Card] should not be used as a trump card at all; using them in survival missions would be a waste. The same applies to items like [Synthetic Steroids]; these time-limited items are not very useful.

"Well, I see."

Miss Cat nodded in understanding, then took out her Ghost Eye and looked down:

"So what do we do now? These thorns aren't dormant like they were at the beginning. They'll react even faster once we go down."

Ji Yi picked up Miss Cat again: "Don't rush, let's find a more stable place to stand first."

After a few more turns, the two stopped on a thicker branch.

"Phew, I'm exhausted. I need to rest for a bit."

Having used [Advanced Repair Technique] and [Sound Reversal] consecutively, Ji Yi had exhausted a lot of his stamina. He sat cross-legged on a tree branch and took out a cradle that exuded an eerie aura from his inventory.

Miss Cat: "What is this?"

Ji Yi: "My son."

At this moment, the originally empty "Rotten Cradle" suddenly contained an infant whose eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to Ji Yi.

His skin was bluish-green with black spots, making him anything but good-looking. Moreover, this form of ghost infant already had teeth, with two sharp, long fangs even protruding from his lips.

Ji Yi checked the item information; the "feeding the baby" progress had reached 100%.

"Providing a complete body sacrifice will bring the progress to 100%, and the ghost baby will be born. Now, just take it out of the cradle and it will awaken."

Ji Yi introduced this epic item to Miss Cat.

“It’s a bit creepy.”

Miss Cat commented casually.

Ji Yi asked in confusion, "Miss Cat is afraid of even this? I thought you weren't actually afraid of ghosts or monsters."

Miss Cat: "Mainly because I look like you."

Ji Yi: "."

Got it, you're not afraid of ghosts, but you're afraid of lecherous ghosts, right?
Instead of continuing the conversation, Ji Yi gestured for Miss Cat to look at the second effect, "Reverse Rebirth".

"After activation, the gestation progress is reset and the cradle's quality is improved. I don't think the ghost infant in this dungeon will be of much use, so..."

The second effect is "Reverse Rebirth".

As faint baby cries emanated from the cradle, the fully formed ghost baby began to vanish like cotton candy.

Soon, the items changed.

【Name: Cradle of Decay】

[Type: props]

[Quality: Epic (Upgraded to the next tier after completing 100% progress of "Reverse Rebirth" once more)]

"Looks like I'll be guaranteed to become a legendary level, that'll be a huge profit." Ji Yi chuckled and picked up the cradle to show Miss Cat.

I thought that the "slightly improves the quality of the item" effect description meant that it required repeated feeding of the baby and a large accumulation to a certain extent before a qualitative change would occur. I didn't expect that I only needed to go through the next 100% to complete the quality improvement.

Just then, Data Eye suddenly popped up a notification:
[You're just doing this to show off in front of women? I thought you'd already figured out the real use of the cradle, but it seems I'll have to remind you.]

Text popped up rapidly in front of my eyes.

[A "ghost infant" raised with the body of a 100% virgin possesses supremely yang and powerful energy, and is effective against all creatures of the "death" and "evil" aligns.]

Therefore, after you complete the "reverse rebirth," the quality improvement progress will reach a very high level. However, if you continue to nurture the infant with a purely virgin body, then after the quality improvement, the "decaying cradle" will undergo some kind of hidden change.

At this point, the "ghost infant" you nurture with your flesh and blood will be unable to grow due to the excessive yang energy, rendering the item useless.

However, the solution is simple: nurture the new "ghost infant" with the purest and most yin-like flesh and blood of a virgin, and then initiate a "reverse birth," transforming the "decaying cradle" into a legendary "yin-yang cradle."

As for the results, well, you won't be disappointed.

Upon seeing this, Ji Yi was delighted; there was actually such a hidden effect?

He immediately looked at Miss Cat and asked, "Are you a virgin?"

Miss Cat: "?"

Ji Yi: "What kind of expression is that? I asked you if you're a virgin?"

Miss Cat: "Cancer."

Ji Yi: "I'm not asking about your zodiac sign, I'm asking if you've ever slept with a man?"

Miss Cat: "."

"what!"

As a certain delicate hand twisted the flesh around Ji Yi's waist 720 degrees, he let out a shrill scream.

brush--

At the same time, colorless thorns burst forth from the ground and quickly spread toward the location where Ji Yi and the other person were.

They were incredibly fast this time, climbing several meters in the blink of an eye!
Ji Yi thought to herself that something was wrong, put away the cradle, and prepared to pick up Miss Cat and activate [Sound Spin].

But this time, it was Miss Cat who first raised her hand and hugged Ji Yi.

Then, bang—

A pair of illusory wings unfolded behind Miss Cat.

Fluttering, fluttering.

The moment Miss Cat took off, the thorns only grazed her ankles, preventing her from continuing her ascent.

Ji Yi watched as the transparent thorn slowly retracted, a trace of blood hanging from its tip.

He frowned: "You've been marked by [Queen S], and your survival from now on may be even more difficult."

Miss Cat glanced down at Ji Yi: "Is it my fault?"

Ji Yi now realized: "I just need the flesh and blood of virgins; it has a great use."

As she spoke, Ji Yi explained the hidden effects of the [Cradle of Decay] in detail.

About five minutes later, on the rooftop of a tall building, Miss Cat landed smoothly with Ji Yi.

At the same time, there is now an extra item in her inventory.

Ji Yi's back pain had subsided, and she said with a smile, "Thank you for your trouble. I will definitely repay you handsomely afterward."

Having confirmed that Miss Cat was a virgin, Ji Yi felt at ease entrusting her with the task.

The conditions for becoming the "Cradle of Yin and Yang" are neither difficult nor easy. If Ji Yi and Miss Cat hadn't both happened to be single young women, it wouldn't have been so easy to achieve.

“Mr. Giba, could you please consider a girl’s feelings before saying such presumptuous things in the future? You won’t find a girlfriend if you do that.” Miss Cat was sitting on a chair on the terrace, pricking her finger and watching the blood drip into the cradle, speaking calmly at the same time.

Ji Yi scratched his head sheepishly; he had gotten a little emotional just now.

However, he actually felt that he and Miss Cat were old comrades-in-arms, and should theoretically have some tacit understanding.

When asking if she's a virgin, you should at least think of it in the context of a game scenario, not like you're trying to date her.

No matter how I look at it, I'm not wrong!

Ji Yi was naturally too embarrassed to say it directly, so she simply changed the subject:

"I also have [Proliferated Flesh] here. Feeding you with blood alone might not be efficient enough. Why don't you try this? If you're fast, you can max out the progress in one dungeon."

Miss Cat glanced at it and quickly lost interest: "No, it will make me ugly."

Ji Yi: "."

For girls, this reason for refusing to use it is sufficient.

Anyway, Ji Yi wasn't in a hurry. She sat opposite Miss Cat and quietly watched her feed the cradle with her blood.

"It's daytime now, so the danger we face isn't obvious yet. Once the 'mutation period' arrives at night, coupled with 'Strange Sleep,' survival will be much more difficult. We'd better prepare in advance, and from now on, we can only try to find the Faceless Ones during the daytime."

Ji Yi took advantage of her informational background, having been there before, and briefly explained the advantages, disadvantages, and objectives ahead.

"Okay, I understand."

Miss Cat stopped feeding the cat blood and put the cradle away.

"So, Mr. Giba, do you have a way to pinpoint the location of the Faceless One? We're here mainly for him, aren't we?"

Indeed, winning or losing the game is secondary; finding and recruiting the Faceless Ones is Ji Yi's biggest goal on this trip.

"If we can't find him, isn't it the same if he comes looking for me?"

Ji Yi quickly came up with a solution.

"I have a good plan right now."

【Name: Noisy Teddy Bear Messenger】

[Type: props]

[Quality: Epic (Temporary)]

[Effect 1 "Shouting Loudly": Based on the user's wishes, it will shout out the message to be conveyed, thus completing multiple functions such as mockery and information delivery.]

[Effect 2 "Precise Communication": Can be activated on a designated target, and the range at which the target can hear the teddy bear's shouts will be expanded.]

[Effect 3 "In war, envoys are not to be killed": After activation, enemy or neutral NPC units will not attack the Teddy Bear, but will lose their taunt ability during this time.]

[Note: This is a special edition teddy bear temporarily enhanced by player "Schrödinger's Cat". I think this change is bad; it completely deviates from the dashing style a teddy bear should have!]

"The faceless god! Your Uncle Ji needs to see you. Please come to the rooftop of Building B, XX Building, before nightfall!!!"

A teddy bear mascot was shouting from downstairs through a megaphone.

"Faceless One! You have forgotten your past, everyone has forgotten! You have become someone who no longer exists! But your Uncle Gibb still knows you, and he wants to see you! Please come to the rooftop of Building B, XX Building, immediately!!"

Seeing that she could hear Teddy Bear's loud voice even from more than twenty floors away, Ji Yi felt relieved.

"As you said, I used the maximum output power when I empowered and enhanced it, and its enhanced state can last for about three days."

Miss Cat also looked down from the rooftop.

Ji Yi nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. This should be enough to lure the Faceless One over."

Miss Cat glanced at Ji Yi sideways: "And what is Uncle Ji?"

"I'm eight years older than Ye Changtian. Is it too much for him to call me 'uncle'?"

Miss Cat: "."

The two did not continue their conversation and returned to their respective benches to rest.

It may seem that they have a lot to do, but that's not actually the case.

Ji Yi had previously used her skills repeatedly, which depleted her stamina. She needed time to recover to full strength.

Miss Cat has also expended a lot of spiritual energy and is now suffering from excessive blood loss, so she needs to rest.

With the help of the data eye, Ji Yi found a relatively safe address, so there was no need to worry about any danger before the "mutation period" arrived.

The two remained silent for more than two hours.

When they felt they had recovered enough, they opened their eyes at the same time.

Ji Yi raised her head and looked up at the black sun in the sky.

[There's less than an hour until the "mutation period," so it seems you won't be seeing the Faceless Ones today. I suggest you find a safe indoor environment now; exposing yourself outdoors during the "mutation period" is not a good idea.]

"Is the 'mutation period' coming?" Miss Cat asked.

"Hmm, it's time to change hiding places. If we don't leave now, it might be too late later. By the way, about your ankle injury..."

The cut on Miss Cat's foot, pierced by thorns, was still open, like a brand new wound.

The cuts she made while feeding the baby are now even starting to scab over.

[A wound that can't be healed, but fortunately it's not deep and won't affect mobility.]

There are only brief text prompts at hand.

"Aside from the inability to heal, it's not a big problem, as the bleeding won't continue."

Miss Cat was rather indifferent; after all, it was just a minor matter like pain, and it didn't seem worth taking to heart.

"But just in case, let's deal with it."

As Miss Cat spoke, she took out a knife, cut off a piece of flesh from the wound, and threw it at her feet.

She looked at Ji Yi: "Can I borrow your mutated flesh and blood?"

Soon, an eye grew out of the hole in Miss Cat's foot. Even more amazingly, she could simultaneously feel the vision that the eye on her foot gave her.

"Something strange"

Miss Cat shook her head, seemingly trying to dispel the discomfort in her heart.

Then, she spread her wings again, picked up Ji Yi, and, with Ji Yi's reconnaissance abilities, headed straight for the next hiding place.

And shortly after the two left.

With less than half an hour until dark, a faceless man slowly walked out of the stairwell, looking somewhat bewildered at the empty rooftop.

And in his hand, he was holding that teddy bear:
"Faceless man who has lost his identity, please come to the rooftop of Building B of XX Building to see your Uncle Ji before nightfall."

Teddy Bear had a loud voice, but Faceless didn't find it noisy and kept holding him in his palm.

“Gibert.”

The faceless man muttered to himself, looking around the rooftop, but he didn't see a single person.

"Sniff."

He moved his non-existent nose.

The smell of blood

The faceless man walked to a bench, looked down, and saw a piece of meat.

"This is."

Just as the Faceless One was feeling puzzled, a languid yet aggressive female voice came from behind him:

"Oh my, following the trail here, I never expected to find such an unexpected treasure."

The Faceless One turned around, shocked, and exclaimed, "Queen S?!"

(End of this chapter)