Published at 8th of October 2024 3:06 am

Chapter 1091: Across from the Mushrooms, Another Creature Lives

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The man stood upright in the cavern, his face immersed in the shadows cast by the top of the cave, making it impossible for Mei Jia to see his expression. He was clearly enraged, his hands hanging down to his side had clenched into dead fists, but still stood still without moving a step.

It wasn’t enough to make him angrier.

Mika’s mind was clearer than ever, despite being so scared that she could spit when she opened her mouth.

At least a few facts were clear: one, they were most likely still within the confines of the mushroom society; two, this underground cavern was newly dug, and the creature was behind her; and three, since the creature was behind her, it was common sense to assume that the exit of this underground cavern would be right behind the man- That is, in front of Mei Jia.

The third point is crucial, just relying on guessing was not safe… She thought of this, and once again moved her hands that were tied behind her back.

Yes, that’s right – whenever she struggled with her wrists, she could feel a counterforce pulling her back; it didn’t feel like the other end of the rope was being grasped in a person’s hand, but more like it was tied to something heavy, which was why she couldn’t free herself. In that case, when she was unconscious just now, she was probably dragged all the way in by the rope.

“What is harmful to humans will only be replaced, aren’t these words all instilled into your head by the mushrooms as well? What’s harmful and what’s harmless, who stipulates that?” As she pondered her response, the man in front of her actually suppressed his anger and said in a slowly calming tone, “Those small animal corpses, did your mom find them? She heard it from hearsay, right? There are as many such rumors as it takes, once the mushrooms have signaled-”

“So,” Mei Jia asked with the intention of irritating him, trying her best to use a tone of contemptuous disdain, “what is your so-called true longing? And what does a true personality look like? How is it that the mushrooms don’t let you have your way?”

Seeing that he couldn’t answer for a moment, she hurriedly held back her fear and pursued while she could, “I didn’t expect that you still have a little bit of morality left in you, little brother Jian, and that you’d still be ashamed of sadism and don’t want to admit it.”

Once she thought of the possible consequences of intentionally provoking the other party, even her voice was trembling.

But her words had a significant impact; the cave fell silent. The man’s chest heaved, and his breathing grew heavier, drowning out the heated exhalations of the creature behind her. He suddenly raised his voice with a furious roar, causing Mei Jia to flinch. “Shut up! The ones I despise the most are self-righteous scum like you, always blabbering about personal values and such. The mere thought of it makes me sick!”

It was as if a certain thread in his mind had suddenly snapped. The man erupted in a fit of rage. If he had seemed like a person answering questions just moments ago, he now appeared completely out of control, resembling a wild beast. “Clearly a bunch of idiots brainwashed by mushrooms, yet you dare to look down on me. You lot are no different from those filthy animals; it wouldn’t be a loss if you all died!”

Mei Jia felt her hair being yanked, her scalp stinging as he dragged her away. She was lifted by her hair, and then, with a swift motion of his arm, she tumbled onto the ground. Mei Jia’s face landed hard under the man’s feet, and she heard her own whimper. Despite the pain wracking her body, she knew she had been pulled a bit farther away. Her earlier guess was that if ‘Little Jian’ wanted to lay hands on her, he would need some space. The cave behind her was likely entirely occupied by the creature. To strike her, he’d have to pull her away from that creature’s presence. Fortunately, her guess was correct!

A 16-year-old girl naturally had no chance against a fully grown man. The next several seconds felt like hours. Her abdomen, back, and cheeks were relentlessly kicked and punched as if they belonged to someone else. The pain was almost surreal.

Nevertheless, Mei Jia persevered. When the man kicked her, she used the opportunity to twist her body, loosening the rope around her bound hands. She quickly huddled in a corner, her fists like raindrops against her attackers, while she desperately tugged her bound hands free.

“It’s been a while for me too,” the man panted as he paused, reaching into his back pocket to retrieve a small knife with a gleaming metallic sheen. His rage seemed to have dissipated during the brutal beating, and now, with peculiarly bright eyes, he spoke in a calm tone. “Since you’re going to undergo surgery anyway, why don’t I make a small hole in your head and insert some earthworms or something? Like flower arranging, envision your head as a round vase, and I’ll see if I can find something suitable to put inside, perhaps your mother’s bones—”

Upon hearing the word ‘mother,’ Mei Jia suddenly ignited with anger. Her mother, who had always been so gentle to her, and the mushroom society in which she had happily spent sixteen years were contaminated by this man’s words. “You’ll never come near them!” she exclaimed.

With her hands abruptly freed, Mei Jia used the newfound freedom to push herself up from the ground. She lunged forward, wrapping herself around the man’s waist, and knocked him down to the ground, causing the knife to slip from his grasp and land nearby. She quickly disentangled herself from him, staggering to her feet, and snatched up the small knife lying on the ground. Without looking back, she bolted.

“Stop!” the man behind her roared. “Quick, grab her with me!”

He was in such a hurry because she realized that the exit was right there. The creature had dug this underground tunnel, and she had been bound to it all the way down. When the creature stopped digging and she sat up, she’d have ended up behind it, just like earlier.

Mei Jia raced desperately, relying on her good physical condition and confidence in her abilities from her school’s physical education classes. However, after the brutal beating, her vision was blurry. She felt the ground beneath her feet vibrating rhythmically. Soil continued to fall into the newly dug tunnel, the friction sounds of limbs moving over the ground resembling those of a living creature, and it seemed to be drawing nearer. All of this indicated that the creature was hot on her heels.

How could she outrun something with so many legs?

When she was on the brink of despair, a faint misty white light appeared in her field of vision. Beams of light penetrated through the cracks in the soil, although dim, and they immediately brightened her sight. The creature must have been in a hurry while digging the tunnel and hadn’t sealed the entrance completely, allowing light from the outside to pass through.

Mei Jia had newfound hope. She yelled loudly as she ran towards the light. By the time she reached the end of the tunnel, slender and elongated shadows had appeared in her peripheral vision, moving towards her, reaching out to grab her. Thinking quickly, Mei Jia leaped forward, slamming her backpack onto the top of the tunnel. The cave had just been newly dug, and the entrance hadn’t been properly secured. Her backpack’s impact caused the soil at the entrance to collapse, sealing it off.

Mei Jia had been eagerly awaiting this moment. As she hurled her backpack, she quickly dove forward, evading the cascading dirt and soil. The earth mound fell directly behind her, forming a barrier that separated her from the creature.

Bright daylight suddenly poured into the tunnel through the opening, casting a faint glow on the suspended dust particles and the tall pile of soil. As Mei Jia lifted her gaze, she noticed that the colossal, inhuman creature had also taken a step back into the shadows. Only two large, round, plastic-like eyes with no sign of human emotions remained on each side of its pointed head. Although it shouldn’t possess such a function, beneath the black, pointed head, between the two blade-like serrations, it was emitting hot, foul-smelling breath.

As she’d heard, it was a massive ant-like creature that left people breathless.

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