Forge a path to success.

Chapter 214 Three Days of Despair (Part 1)
Shakes inserted the prosthetic eye into its socket; the cold, foreign object gave him a terrible feeling, like he'd been shot. After a moment, he used his mental energy to reconnect the circuits, and his vision returned like a lit screen. He stared at a patch of red bricks.

Adjust focus. Switch to normal mode. Rooftops, red houses, distant flames, streets, and rapidly changing views create a sense of disorientation, and after 0.07 seconds, the visual adjustment is successful, and silver eyeballs are waving tentacles.

"How's it going? Can you see it?"

"The support is too much; it's barely usable." Shakes continued to fine-tune the parameters. "I need to have a physical restoration surgery after we get out."

“Ah, after we get out!” Van der said in a strange tone, “You talk as if we have a tomorrow. Sometimes I really envy your blind optimism as a bunch of assassins.”

It tossed the completed design drawings and the "Mixed Element Magic Manuscript" to Shax. This manuscript, obtained from the mad demon Jin Ye, only required the infusion of Floating Light Path's spiritual power to produce the design drawings, playing a crucial role once again in their difficult circumstances. After several attempts to work with the blind Shax, they finally managed to create the prosthetic eyes using the manuscript; now they needed to work on something else.

“A beautiful design.” Shakespeare examined the design carefully. “But the idea is strange. The prosthetic body you designed looks like a miniature demon possessing a person.”

“Call it a perfect symbiotic design,” Van der said smugly. “I’m a master of ergonomics; you won’t find such beautiful drawings anywhere else outside the library.”

Shax considered for a second whether he should keep the prosthetic eye, finally deciding to modify it into a new scope for the Holy Lance after they got out. He used the manuscript to create a new prosthetic body, a hand as smooth as jade. He tossed the hand out, and Vand caught it hastily.

"You scoundrel!" the Eye Demon protested loudly.

“Tell the snake to make a decision quickly.” Shax began maintaining the gun; he had only woken up two hours earlier and hadn’t had time to do anything. “Time is running out.”

Van der grabbed the rebel's hand and left the workshop dejectedly. The settlement was shrouded in gloom; the warriors were mostly arguing fiercely in their rooms, discussing food, the war situation, and the funerals of the elderly. These arguments continued all day without reaching a meaningful conclusion, as no one stepped forward to take charge.

No one was busy training the soldiers; idle children wandered the streets, unaware of what was happening, but instinctively sensing that something terrible was about to occur. A little girl named Vita, wearing a helmet, blocked Vander's path.

“Little Eyeball, how is the Warrior Captain?” Vita asked anxiously. “We haven’t seen her at all…”

“Qingxia is injured,” Fan De told her. “But it’s not serious. You know how powerful that little devil is. She’ll be fine in a few days.”

Vita asked skeptically, "Will the fire go out?"

"Of course!" the Eye Demon said with a smile. "It'll be fine in a few days, and then we'll fight our way out."

It used a little hypnosis to soothe the little girl and the other children. The trick worked immediately; they were put at ease and began discussing when to counterattack. Vande, heavy-hearted, went to the foot of the sacred pillar. Nightfall had just emerged from the pillar of light; several purplish-red marks were on her neck. The Eye Demon guessed that more unsightly wounds remained beneath her clothing.

"I almost died! Ahhhhh!" Qingye cried. "I dreamt about my grandparents last night. They were trying to drag me into hell with a rope, and then the patriarch pulled me back to shore with another rope. We were just playing tug-of-war there..."

"It's really amazing that your nightmares can be like a sitcom."

The group was initially in a life-or-death situation, but thanks to the Vortex of Calamity, the attack was deflected, preventing most of the hawk's poison from attacking them. With the help of Ji Huaisu's purifying fire, the healing abilities of the Sacred Pillar, and the crucial antidote, the group was finally saved from the brink of death. They escaped with their lives, albeit at a cost.

Below her right arm, Qingye's body was wrapped in layers of bandages, resembling a white sphere. She took the prosthetic arm, turned, and unwrapped the bandages. As she turned, the novice hand moved nimbly, as if it were her own.

"Wow!" Qingye exclaimed in amazement. "Amazing! I can't tell it's fake!"

Vande felt a pang of sadness; it had seen the girl's previous injuries. "There are only a few of us here, so don't pretend."

"I really don't care. I'll be cured once I get out." Qingye shrugged. "Besides, compared to Mr. Chu, I'm already very lucky."

Vande went around behind the sacred pillar and spoke cautiously, "Dude? Still breathing?"

In a corner of the training ground stood a simple thatched hut, emanating a putrid stench. Chu Hengkong was staying there. The external pollution on his body was too severe for him to enter the Sacred Pillar for treatment. Everyone could only choose the most primitive treatment method: using purifying fire to provide as much life force as possible, giving him enough food and "antidote," and forcing him to endure it with his Undying Technique.

A day and a half had passed since they returned to the settlement. Chu Hengkong had eaten two-thirds of their remaining food supplies but had not responded. Fan De grew increasingly anxious: "Dude?"

"It's alright," Chu Hengkong's voice was muffled, "He's still breathing."

He crawled out of the thatched hut, looking as disheveled as if he had just finished learning the Three Thousand Sets of Exercises. He spun around and straightened up, taking quite a while to turn his head in the right direction. Van der let out a long sigh.

"Thank God, buddy, I almost thought you'd be a skeleton with an alloy face from now on."

"If only I were really the Terminator, I wouldn't be afraid of poison." Chu Hengkong cracked his knuckles. "How bad is the situation right now? Are they all still alive?"

"In your words, they're still breathing."

Vande briefly explained the situation of everyone. Most of the injured had just woken up that day, and the only one who was unharmed was Gulibo. It was lucky to hide inside a cabbage ball, thus escaping unharmed. However, Vande suspected that "the banshee wanted to keep the little thing to torture it slowly."

At this very moment, Gulibo was carrying two watering cans, dancing breathlessly around the sacred pillar. Its expression was exceptionally focused: "I'm working hard to grow the flowers! Everything will be alright after the Divine Tree ascends!"

"I'm afraid I'm still not up to the task," Shi Zhong wrote sadly. "Has Chongming woken up today?" Chongming was unconscious, or rather, dead.

He leaned against the sacred pillar, motionless, his body devoid of heartbeat and breath. His form was so transparent it seemed to vanish at times, almost invisible, like a fading projection. No one knew how this had happened; ever since they fled back to the settlement, their grumpy commander had been in this state.

Chu Hengkong guessed that Chongming must have done something; they couldn't have survived the Land of Despair without a reason. But no matter how capable Chongming was, he couldn't help them now.

He felt exceptionally heavy-hearted; this was perhaps the most difficult moment since arriving in the desolate wilderness.

"How is Qingxia doing?"

“Qingxia… is still breathing,” Vande said dryly. “Let’s go to the lookout tower first, and I’ll show you our current situation.”

"I can imagine it."

"That's not necessarily the case."

The watchtower, located in the northern part of the settlement, was a hybrid ice and earth structure with a distinctly knightly style. Ji Huaisu stood on the platform, sword in hand. When Chu Hengkong stepped onto the platform, she cried out in surprise and tightly embraced her partner.

"I really should have gone with you that day."

"If you go, we'll all be exposed." Chu Hengkong patted her shoulder lightly. "How many more days can we hold out?"

“Ah Kong, you’re being a bit too optimistic.” The female knight gave a weary smile. “You should ask us how many more hours we can hold out.”

She stepped aside, allowing Chu Hengkong to see the situation outside the settlement. Even the most experienced assassin couldn't help but feel immense pressure at this moment.

Outside the watchtower stood a golden protective barrier, the Holy Pillar Seal operating at its limit. For centuries, this seal had faithfully fulfilled its duty, isolating nightmares and rejecting outsiders; even powerful beings like the Fearbringers could not set foot in the settlement. But now, the Holy Pillar Seal was crumbling, its golden barrier bearing countless layers of bloody handprints, as if countless vengeful spirits were relentlessly clawing at it day and night.

Chu Hengkong only needed one glance to know the source of the blood-red handprint. The enemy was not a group; there was only one enemy: a withered humanoid figure burning fiercely outside the settlement. The pure fire continuously scorched her flesh, yet her incredible regenerative abilities allowed her body to regenerate at breakneck speed. She laughed maniacally, scratching at the settlement's defensive walls, and in the blink of an eye, the remaining skeletal head regenerated into that exquisitely beautiful face.

"Soon, little ones!" Wen Yao laughed. "Just a little longer. Please be patient. Hahaha, hahahahahaha!!!"

Ji Huaisu turned around and walked down the watchtower with her partner. Now, Chu Hengkong's face was just as ugly as hers.

“We actually had a chance,” Ji Huaisu said. “If someone had the strength to finish her off after I killed her that day, we might have been able to end her life. But you were all almost dead by then, and I passed out after I finished. By the time I woke up, it was too late. In the past day and a half, I have watched her go from a dried-up corpse to a zombie, and now to this fire demon. She is evolving step by step, like those poisonous insects that are not afraid of insecticides. I estimate that she is no longer afraid of pure fire.”

“That’s just how this race is,” Vande said. “Everything that doesn’t kill her makes her stronger.”

"It's alright, you still have two forms." Chu Hengkong took a deep breath. "Let's make a plan—"

"Ah Kong, I told you you're too optimistic." Ji Huaisu shook his head with a bitter face. "It's not over yet."

They arrived at the western side of the settlement, in the jungle where the warriors used to hunt. As they reached the entrance, Chu Hengkong rubbed his eyes.

There stood three familiar-looking eggs.

"No, please," the assassin muttered to himself.

The anomaly began on the day of the battle. As everyone retreated back to the settlement, and Wenyao struggled in the fire, strange noises emanated from the jungle. The warriors could no longer see any of the strange beasts, not even the birds had vanished. Veteran warriors swore they had seen Qingxia as a child, saying the child was waving to them from the forest.

As night fell, a constant, faint sound arose, like insects gnawing at leaves, but a thousand times louder. The night watchmen watched helplessly as trees fell and birds vanished, as if an invisible monster lurked in the night, devouring everything in its path. When the next day arrived, the settlement was deserted.

There were no trees, no wild animals, no flowing water; only three familiar-looking giant eggs remained on the barren land. Or rather…

Three white "eggs".

"The first quality of the Lustful Demon is called the Hunter's Claw. They hunt with sharp, slender claws that can instantly drain the flesh and blood of a giant beast. If we disregard transformation and only consider feeding efficiency, a single Hunter's Claw can devour a small dust island on its own," Vand said. "After absorbing enough energy, the Hunter's Claw will transform into an egg-shaped 'Hunger Shell,' at which point their defenses become extremely strong, and their life activities slow down. During this period, the Lustful Demon will hoard energy while awaiting transformation."

Chu Hengkong felt a dryness in his mouth: "How long will it take them to rise from mass point 2 to mass point 3?"

“It won’t be long,” Vande said. “Their energy reserves were largely completed during the Claw era. They just need to wait for the right opportunity… or for instructions from the higher matrix.”

Blood-red transformation patterns appeared at the bottom of the three insect eggs.

(End of this chapter)