Chapter 78: 76. The Bhikkhuni in the Comb

76. The Bhikkhuni in the Comb

It seemed the appearance of the Bhikkhuni deeply provoked Miss Zhao, to the point that at this very moment, the form Miss Zhao transformed into was even more deformed and twisted. Xin Junmao felt a deep sense of terror again just by glancing at her, but when he saw the existence within the Comb appear before him in her true form for the first time, his fear was well suppressed.

"A nun?" Xin Junmao was extremely surprised. He had imagined the owner of the Comb might be a glamorous long-haired woman, or perhaps a gloomy and haggard witch, but he had never expected her to be a woman without hair.

Immediately, Xin Junmao recalled the story of *Fish Transformation Miscellaneous Notes* he had read. Combining this with Miss Zhao's angry words just now, he instantly realized that the nun protecting him at this moment was the very Bhikkhuni mentioned in the story who had once used profound magic to repel the Daughter of Gluttony.

Xin Junmao's spirits lifted; if it were this Bhikkhuni, perhaps there would be a way to defeat the Daughter of Gluttony.

Miss Zhao let out a shrill shriek. That sound, which seemed capable of piercing through space, struck directly at Xin Junmao's soul. His consciousness and life both wanted to peel away from his flesh at that instant and throw themselves into the embrace of Miss Zhao's ugly and bizarre demonic body.

But just at the moment Xin Junmao embraced death, a hand as warm and smooth as jade always managed to grab his shoulder at the first opportunity, sending his fragile and pitiful consciousness back into his humble Vessel.

The instant his consciousness returned to his body, Xin Junmao found he had fallen to the ground, his face pressed against the foul-smelling mucus and rotting flesh covering the floor.

It seemed fear had once again stimulated his potential. He didn't know where he found the strength, but ignoring the filth that covered almost his entire body, he rushed out of Miss Zhao's palace in one breath.

As Xin Junmao ran out of Miss Zhao's bedchamber in a panic, Miss Zhao let out a sorrowful and angry roar. It sounded to Xin Junmao like a sad woman accusing him, a heartless man and a big liar.

Yet Xin Junmao had his reasons for having to flee, because she was a yandere, and she was an evil entity poisoning humanity.

"Not suitable, not suitable..." Xin Junmao's only thought was to escape this place.

Running out of the bedchamber, Xin Junmao turned into a resplendent palace corridor, but in Xin Junmao's "eyes," all the magnificence was merely a disguise of walls of flesh and blood; all the exquisiteness was just a cover for hatred and filth. The famous paintings on the walls were blasphemous forbidden images, the golden candlesticks were tangled and writhing intestines, and the armor of the guards standing watch on both sides of the corridor were rotting corpses.

Slimy, eerie, and green-oily, corrosive fluids and digestive matter were everywhere. This was the digestive tract of Miss Zhao's body; this entire palace was an alternative manifestation of the interior of Miss Zhao's body.

He was already inside the monster's belly; how was he supposed to run out?

Xin Junmao did not know either. He just kept running, passing through one narrow, blood-colored corridor after another. From time to time, those blood-human monsters lurking in the shadows, along with those incomplete humans who had long since lost their sanity and volunteered to become Miss Zhao's meal, would fly out from the darkness and from corners that shouldn't exist, viewing him as their greatest enemy, pursuing him relentlessly, swearing never to stop until he was dead.

Boom, boom, boom—

Behind him came a violent surging and piercing sound. The entire flesh-and-blood bedchamber was trembling. A mass of intertwined white flesh, carrying a torrent of blood, angrily burst through the wall and chased after him.

Miss Zhao, whose beautiful appearance could no longer be discerned at all, had now completely turned into a ferocious, unrecognizable creature. The pustules and male and female limbs covering her entire body made strange, wild noises as she sprinted. Miss Zhao, who could barely be seen to have a mouth structure, shouted to Xin Junmao in front: "Why do you want to leave? Didn't you already promise me? Be crazy for me again just like before!"

Xin Junmao's heart refused. He absolutely did not want to become the Executioner Miss Zhao spoke of. He did not want to become a pervert like that female killer who jumped in front of a train. Although he was not a qualified son, nor a capable man—having no job, no girlfriend, and not even a sound mind—he still wanted to refuse to fall into depravity.

Suddenly, large swaths of filthy blood chased up from both sides of Xin Junmao, covering him like shapeless red cloth.

At this moment, the Bhikkhuni appeared by his side again, driving an invisible power, like some kind of will, easily dispersing the things around him that were trying to stop and harm him. Miss Zhao was repelled once more, her strangely flowing body annihilated within the invisible power.

Once she had done all this, the Bhikkhuni would disappear again, returning to the Comb in his pocket in a way unobservable to Xin Junmao.

"So you really only promised to protect me, and didn't intend to help me completely repel her?" After a few back-and-forths, Xin Junmao finally understood the behavioral logic of the Comb: the Bhikkhuni would only come out to protect him when she sensed he was about to be harmed, and would withdraw her power immediately after temporarily repelling the danger, seemingly unwilling to give even the slightest bit of extra favor.

Bang!

Just as Xin Junmao was grumbling in his heart, a violent explosion sounded from downstairs. The entire palace shook violently. The intense blast wind shattered glass and walls. Xin Junmao, who was running, was made to stumble by the invisible force and fell. After the tremors subsided slightly, he climbed back up to continue running, trying to find a way downstairs.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Xin Junmao's heart. This kind of explosion was definitely man-made; the smell of gunpowder smoke permeating the air was the best evidence. The people from the Xuanmi Group had already charged into the palace; they had come to save him, he had not been abandoned!

After passing through several corridors, he finally saw a staircase leading downward, but the entrance to the staircase was blocked by a translucent membrane. He tried to break through the membrane but found it carried astonishing stickiness, and he was lucky to struggle free only after nearly losing his jacket.

This way was blocked; Xin Junmao had to look for another path.

"What a luxurious and magnificent palace." Breaking through the Stone Gate, the members of the Tiger Team couldn't help but exclaim after seeing the scene inside the Stone Gate.

Li Yingqi was not attracted by the luxury of the palace for too long and said, "It hasn't been too long since those previous explorers disappeared from the hidden Tunnel, and I don't know if there are any survivors left now."

"The primary mission is still to explore the secret of the Daughter of Gluttony. She and Evolution Heaven choosing to build an underground kingdom here must have some special reason," He Jia'an emphasized.

Yu Lianyun rubbed the back of her cold neck, feeling that this palace was exuding a terrifying danger everywhere. Every inch of her skin was using trembling pores to warn her to be careful.

Noticing Yu Lianyun's action, He Jia'an was accustomed to it and asked, "What did you sense again?"

"There might be something over there." Yu Lianyun also knew this was her Inspiration Antenna activating again, and she pointed in a direction.