The high wall surrounding the spire was estimated to be twenty to thirty meters tall. The open spaces inside and outside were crammed with parasites sporting grotesque heads of all kinds.
The wall itself was also coated in a disgusting layer of flesh-and-blood “vines.” Tentacles extended from them, snatching up the parasitized individuals on the ground and feeding them into giant, fleshy maws embedded in the wall.
Whenever a parasitized victim was swallowed by one of these maws, a tumor would swell on the fleshy vine covering the wall, then burst open, giving birth to a new, writhing vine of meat.
This resulted in the entire high wall being densely covered with rotting-flesh tentacles, resembling some kind of monstrous, overgrown ivy creature. It was utterly revolting.
For Shen Ge to enter the spire, he essentially had two options. One was similar to how he entered the skyscraper in the Doom Banyan City: find a tall building nearby and jump towards the spire. The other was to use his Traits to scale the wall teeming with tentacle-vines, or to locate an entrance in the wall and fight his way through the horde at the main gate.
However, compared to the situation in Doom Banyan City, both approaches presented significant difficulties here.
The first option was hampered because the high wall had pushed outward some distance. The gap between the spire and the wall itself was several hundred meters. Moreover, there were no buildings taller than the wall in the immediate vicinity. There simply wasn’t a way to “fly” across.
The issue with the second option was that Little Seven’s analysis indicated the rotting-blood tentacles on the high wall seemed to attack based solely on “touch.” When they lashed down to the ground, they only ensnared parasitized victims upon direct physical contact, then dragged them into the flesh-maws.
Given the sheer density of the countless rotting-flesh tentacles on the wall, Shen Ge’s plan to climb over it into the spire would also be quite challenging.
In the end, Shen Ge opted for the simplest and most direct method: relying on his Traits to enter from the direction of the main gate in the high wall.
Currently, the main gate area of the wall looked like it had been smashed open by a colossal force. A pile of rubble formed a small hill, with countless parasitized beings crawling all over it, gnawing at the rotting-flesh tentacles growing on the wall.
Under the combined influence of his “Intangible + Silent + Traceless” trio of Traits, Shen Ge had no need to worry about being detected by the parasitized. His only concern was the vast number of rotting-flesh tentacles, which were as dense as weeds.
Of course, while these tentacles were formidable monsters to the parasitized, for Shen Ge, dealing with them was as easy as chopping firewood with a cleaver. It was simple work.
Although it took some time to circle around to the gate entrance, not having to scale the wall meant the actual crossing over the collapsed stone slope didn’t consume much time at all.
Shen Ge controlled two Corruption-Blood Tentacles to sweep across, scooping up the few dozen parasitized beings blocking the spire’s main entrance and hurling them into the monster horde behind. These parasitized creatures, driven solely by a zombie-like instinct to feed, and combined with Shen Ge’s current triple-Trait state, would at most sense an invisible force flinging them away, even if they possessed some awareness.
“Master, something seems off,” Little Seven reported, detecting an abnormally powerful Anomaly Energy reaction around the spire. However, a reaction this strong would typically coalesce into a dense Anomaly Energy black fog. The fact that no such fog was visible around the spire was, in itself, highly unusual!
Shen Ge cautiously approached the main entrance. Maintaining his three-Trait state, he didn’t need to worry about being noticed by the surrounding monsters.
“Seems like it’s coming from inside?” His Anomaly Eye couldn’t detect any Anomaly Energy aura either. But if Little Seven was picking up such a high-intensity reaction, there was only one likely explanation… the source was inside the spire itself!
What could it be?
A super mutant fused with the entire cloud-piercing spire?
Shen Ge instructed the System to scan the surrounding area. After filtering out the low-level Tier 1 and 2 Anomaly Energy reactions, a large number of reactions at Tier 3 and above appeared around the high wall.
Judging from the [Map], these Tier 3+ reactions were probably the larger, more developed rotting-flesh tentacles growing on the wall.
This suggested these weren’t mere “tentacles,” but each was an independent Anomaly entity, merely shaped like a tentacle.
However, these Tier 3 rotting-flesh tentacles weren’t the main concern. The crucial point was that the [Map] displayed the spire’s location as a single, massive red dot.
Was the spire itself the super mutant, or did it conceal one within?
“System, could you not go on the fritz every time we enter a dream world? How about issuing a few timed tasks or giving some hints?” Shen Ge couldn’t help but complain, looking at the [Map].
Shen Ge and Little Seven studied the entrance for a long time but ultimately couldn’t pinpoint the issue. They were left with the simplest, most direct approach—
“Collapse!”
After using “Collapse” with his Intangible Anomaly Domain to open a breach in the door, Shen Ge didn’t rush in recklessly. Instead, he first extended a Corruption-Blood Tentacle inside, letting Little Seven control it for detection.
“Report, Master. Confirmed, the Anomaly Energy reaction originates from inside the spire. However, the tentacle extended into the spire feels like it entered an Anomaly Space. Control is impossible,” Little Seven reported.
Shen Ge pondered briefly, then finally chose to deploy his full-body Crimson Mist Battle Armor, wrapped himself in the “Unleaving Domain,” and stepped into the spire.
The moment he stepped inside, Shen Ge experienced a bizarre sensation. It was as if the air in the entire space was being compressed. An immense pressure made it difficult to breathe even within his Crimson Mist Armor.
What was even more unsettling was the pitch-black darkness inside the spire. He could see nothing. Both the System’s and Little Seven’s detection capabilities were impaired.
To be precise, it wasn’t that they were being blocked, but that Anomaly Energy reactions were coming from everywhere. It was like placing a keen-nosed hound into a room filled with pungent gas; relying on its sense of smell to find anything useful became impossible.
The air was thick with a potent stench of decay, like the unique odor of Anomalies mixed with the smell of rotting corpses. It was nauseating.
This feeling reminded Shen Ge of being inside the skyscraper in Doom Banyan City. The difference was that the oppressive feeling within this dark space was far more intense!
Shen Ge took out the Anomaly Lighter “Unextinguished” and ignited it, attempting to use its light to illuminate the surroundings. Although “Unextinguished” lit due to its Trait influence, the area it illuminated was extremely limited. It was like a tiny flame existing solely within the darkness; you could see it, but it couldn’t light up anything around it.
Faced with such an eerie situation, Shen Ge was reluctant to deactivate his triple-Trait state, but maintaining all three consumed a massive amount of Anomaly Energy.
Shen Ge instructed Little Seven to assume the “Octopus Form,” essentially extending the Corruption-Blood Tentacles to their maximum length in different directions to probe for any obstacles.
After deactivating the triple-Trait state, Shen Ge, playing it safe, controlled a Corruption-Blood Tentacle from within the Crimson Mist Armor to feed a Spirit Apple to his mouth to replenish Anomaly Energy.
However, after walking for about ten minutes, Shen Ge distinctly felt the surroundings growing colder and more chilling, as if he’d entered a freezer set to several degrees below zero.
The most bizarre thing was, based on his walking speed over ten minutes, he should have covered at least several hundred meters. While the spire was large, it was unlikely a single floor would consist of a several-hundred-meter-wide empty space.
Moreover, the Corruption-Blood Tentacles stretched out in all directions hadn’t touched anything. The entire area felt like a vast, featureless plaza.
“Report, Master. The situation here… seems somewhat similar to the conditions inside the New Anomaly King No. 2,” Little Seven reminded.
Shen Ge had realized this as well. It was now almost certain that the spire was likely the entity represented by the super red dot on the [Map].
In other words, he was currently inside the belly of a super mutant fused with the spire!
Having had similar experiences before, Shen Ge expanded his Intangible Anomaly Domain and simultaneously used “Collapse” in six directions: up, down, forward, backward, left, and right.
There were no Anomaly Energy reactions ahead, behind, to the sides, or below. Only the “ceiling” above showed a warping reaction from colliding Anomaly Energies.
Shen Ge thought for a moment, then used “Collapse” on the “ceiling.” Following that, he propelled himself upward with a powerful jump, aided by his Anomaly-Leather Boots. The space he landed in remained one of complete darkness.
He could see nothing. Even using “Unextinguished” yielded no useful information. He wasn’t even sure if he had jumped from the first floor to the second.
After brief consideration, Shen Ge chose to continue jumping upward.
One floor.
Two floors.
Three floors.
He jumped several floors in a row, but the situation remained identical each time: a black space with no obstacles, as if the entire area was utterly empty.
“Wait.”
A thought suddenly struck Shen Ge. There was a simple way to verify whether his actions had actually moved him from his original position: try using “Collapse” on the floor below.
Previously, only the area above had shown an Anomaly Energy reaction. If the area below still showed no reaction now, it would mean Shen Ge had been stuck in the same spot the whole time.
With this in mind, Shen Ge expanded his Intangible Anomaly Domain again and cast “Collapse” on the floor beneath his feet.
As he suspected, no warping collision of Anomaly Energies occurred below. Clearly, despite all his efforts, he was still trapped within this dark space.
What to do?
Shen Ge didn’t hesitate for a second. He directly took out the Anomaly Energy Rocket Launcher and hefted it onto his shoulder. When in doubt, fire a round to liven things up!
Whoosh—
Shen Ge fired a rocket at the ceiling. With a sound of tearing air, the projectile seemed to fly for a considerable distance before finally exploding.
Immediately afterward, the entire space shuddered violently. Within the blackness, it felt as if powerful whirlwinds were being stirred up.
“Master, the Anomaly Energy fluctuations are growing increasingly intense!” Little Seven reported.
Shen Ge asked in return, “Where is the point of strongest fluctuation?”
“Report, Master. 10 o’clock direction!”
Shen Ge expanded his Unleashing Domain, encasing himself within an intangible barrier. He then charged at full speed toward the location Little Seven indicated.
Soon, he felt as if he had plunged into a powerful tornado. His body seemed to lose control, being swept upward toward the “sky.”
Crack, crackle.
CRACK!
A sound like shattering glass rang out. The intangible barriers Shen Ge used to envelop his Crimson Mist Armor shattered under the impact of the warping Anomaly Energies.
“Master, the Anomaly Energy of the Crimson Mist Battle Armor is dropping rapidly!”
But even if it was dropping, there was no choice. Shen Ge had chosen this most aggressive method of breakthrough, prepared for fierce resistance.
“70%”
“60%”
“…”
“30%!”
Little Seven’s emotionless AI-synthesized voice, while reporting the remaining Anomaly Energy of the Crimson Mist Armor, seemed to carry a hint of tension.
“Found it!” The Anomaly Domain Shen Ge had expanded clearly sensed an extremely intense warping reaction coming from a specific direction above. The collision of two distinct Anomaly Energies had created a fissure.
Seizing the moment, Shen Ge used “Collapse” on this fissure. Simultaneously, he controlled a Corruption-Blood Tentacle connected to the Anomaly Glove “Unyielding” to rapidly extend and accelerate into the gap.
“Master, the Corruption-Blood Tentacle has grabbed onto something!” Little Seven reported while taking control of the tentacle to pull Shen Ge out through the fissure.
Thud!
Shen Ge flew out of the fissure and crashed into a wall. Only then did he see that the Corruption-Blood Tentacle had coiled around something resembling a built-in reception desk.
It was a spacious, though still pitch-black, lobby. However, now free from the influence of the completely “dark” Anomaly Energy black fog, Shen Ge could illuminate an area whether using a flashlight or the Anomaly Lighter “Unextinguished.”
“So, I was just blocked by the Anomaly Energy black fog of the spire earlier? Now I’ve truly entered the spire itself?” Shen Ge observed the surroundings with his flashlight. The space wasn’t as vast as imagined, at most a few hundred square meters. There were three passageways, leading respectively to the elevator area, the stairwell, and an office zone.
After memorizing the fire safety map posted on the reception desk, Shen Ge decided to check the office area first. He headed towards the right-side passage with his flashlight.
Walking down the corridor, a set of locked double doors came into view.
For Shen Ge, “doors” essentially didn’t exist in this world. Just as he was about to use “Collapse” to pass through, Little Seven warned, “Master, this door seems to have a very strong Anomaly Energy reaction.”
“Hmm?” Shen Ge instinctively retracted his Intangible Anomaly Domain. He then swept his flashlight beam over the door, realizing it was covered in strange “patterns.”
He initially thought these were decorative motifs, but upon closer inspection, they weren’t patterns at all. They resembled a tree-diagram of vascular pathways.
Shen Ge directed his flashlight to the door handle. Sure enough, if you didn’t look carefully, it appeared to be a rusty iron handle. But scrutinizing it revealed the “rust” was actually a faintly visible blood vessel.
Shen Ge directly drew his Anomaly-Slaying Revolver and fired two shots at the door handle!
Thump, thump!
With a wet squelch, the bullets penetrated the handle. Immediately, black blood oozed from it. Then, as if a living organism reacting to injury, it contracted into a clump.
“Incredible. It really is similar to the situation with the New Anomaly King No. 2 in that other country… So, if this is the ‘future,’ the high tower in Banyan City and this spire would be equivalent to fully grown ‘Anomaly Kings’?”
After blasting through the “door handle” with his revolver, Shen Ge gave the door a gentle push. The double doors slowly swung inward. Even more bizarrely, the door itself had become dry and shriveled, like a desiccated internal organ, emitting a foul stench of decay.
Behind the door, Shen Ge’s flashlight beam swept across, revealing a spacious office area. Neat rows of workstations were arrayed, each occupied by a disgusting, pulsating fleshy tumor over a meter tall. Its surface was covered in grotesque blood vessels, throbbing with a “thump-thump” rhythm like a heart.
The moment Shen Ge stepped into the office area, a series of wet POP sounds erupted. Dozens of the fleshy tumors burst open simultaneously. Curled up inside each was the antibody mutant he had seen within the “Rock Layer Heart”—those revolting creatures entirely encased in a layer of greyish-white skin!
Gulp.
Gulp.
These mutants tumbled out of the burst tumors onto the floor. Slowly, they began to rise, their gazes locking onto Shen Ge at the doorway, emitting the characteristic guttural swallowing sounds of Anomalies.
