Chapter 70: Inner Fear

Those eyes were hidden by me in the emptied oil storage tank.

This is a gas station; when I first came into contact with it, I was still an ordinary person. And this group of people had guns that could threaten me. At that time I was afraid someone would snatch it away, so I put it there.

Mo Ling stood silently to the side, but she harbored some doubt in her heart.

Why could she not understand a word of what the two people were saying?

Eyes? Mirror?

Why, when Lin An uttered these two completely unrelated things, did the Scaled Beast immediately think that Lin An and his secret were one and the same?

Lin An noticed Mo Ling prick up her ears and listen attentively, and he felt somewhat amused.

It seems the girl is not as indifferent to everything as she appears.

"Those eyes... no! Mirror!"

When the Scaled Beast spoke of those eyes, a flicker of fear passed through its eyes.

"Even I have only seen it once! It's absolutely impossible for a second person to have seen it!"

"So I'm very curious—who exactly are you, and how do you know about those eyes!?"

"If you had seen it, you definitely wouldn't look like you do now!"

Lin An remained silent; in his past life, he too had chanced upon those eyes by a fortunate coincidence.

He could understand the fear the Scaled Beast felt when speaking of the eyes.

Because those eyes act like a mirror, showing oneself.

As long as one holds it in hand, the soul and consciousness seem to sink into it, as if looking into a mirror and seeing one's own face.

If that were all, it wouldn't be a problem.

But if the viewing time exceeds two seconds, you will see yourself gradually transform into the embodiment of your deepest fear.

This change is not an illusion; it is real.

A change affecting body and reason, spirit and thought—comprehensive.

Once the viewing time exceeds ten seconds, the player will watch helplessly as their own body slowly melts, turning into the embodiment of their inner fear.

Therefore, the moment the Phosphorus Beast heard him mention glasses and mirror, it instantly understood that Lin An must have seen those eyes!

It appears that, before its transformation, the Phosphorus Beast's deepest fear was the dread of becoming such a monster.

After all, in this world, nothing is more terrifying than turning into the very embodiment of one's deepest fear.

If you fear insects, you will become a gigantic cockroach, a bedbug; your head will turn into the insect's mouthparts, your eyes into dense compound eyes, and your limbs into thin, disgusting segments.

If you fear snakes, you will watch helplessly as your hands and feet fall off, turning into a being that can only wriggle using its abdominal cavity.

If you fear 'ghosts,' you will forever be confronted by yourself, never able to transcend.

"Which tank number?"

Without answering the Scaled Beast's question, Lin An simply spoke calmly, then casually handed back the Scaled Beast's skull he was holding to Mo Ling.

"Number six."

"If you're uneasy, you can bring me along; besides, I also need that mirror to restore my flesh."

Without hesitation, the Scaled Beast cooperated fully.

Anyone who has seen those eyes and become an existence within the mirror can, in a sense, achieve blood‑drop rebirth and an indestructible body.

As long as one still has a breath, merely re‑exposing oneself to the mirror can reshape the body.

"You know, even if I regain my body, I still couldn't beat you."

"Moreover, I no longer want that mirror. After a few more uses, I have a premonition I will completely turn into a monster. If not for power, who would willingly become such a monster? So once I restore my body, I will leave on my own."

On the lone skull, the death‑white vertical pupil revealed sincerity.

Lin An nodded, indicating understanding.

The Scaled Beast's transformation differs from Zhang Tie's bear‑shift.

One is a genuine metamorphosis into a monster, possessing the monster's habits, and moreover it is the image of one's deepest fear.

The other is merely an illusion.

However, those who have not experienced it cannot understand this pain.

However, having only looked at the mirror once?

Lin An gave a cold snort; if the Scaled Beast had only looked at it the first time, how could it possibly know so much information?

Clearly, it has been tested many times.

It wouldn't even lie; it seems its brain may have mutated.

"That's it."

There was some fear in the Scaled Beast's voice, but it was not feigned.

"I've already told you where it is. You promised not to kill me, and I hope that after I recover my body you will keep your word."

Lin An turned his head to look at the Scaled Beast and nodded to indicate.

"I won't kill you; rest assured, I, Lin An, never go back on my promises."

His gaze was sincere, just as the Scaled Beast had just manifested.

Upon hearing this, the Scaled Beast let out a great sigh of relief; being sensitive to killing intent, it could sense that Lin An truly had no desire to kill it, and thus it could not help but start urging him on.

"Then let's go in first; perhaps we'll be able to fight side by side in the future."

"Before, I was in the wrong; I hope you don't take it to heart. From now on, wherever I can be of use, I won't say a word."

Able to bend and stretch, the Scaled Beast doesn't mind saying a couple of kind words at this critical juncture.

When one's life is in another's hands, spouting harsh words at this point is nothing but brainless villainy.

"There will be a use for you."

Lin An's words carried a double meaning.

The phosphorus beast was slightly stunned after hearing it, but it was just him saying it casually.

Seeing Lin An about to open the can, a hint of anticipation couldn't help but flash in his eyes.

I thought just playing dead to get past this ordeal would be a huge luck, but I didn't expect things to turn out even better than I imagined.

Inside the can, he had pressed more than thirty mirrors onto it, and those eyes were right in the center.

Although I don't know how Lin An managed to look at the eyes without mutating, perhaps he only glanced at them for a second?

But under the reflection of more than thirty mirrors, the time needed to stare directly for ten seconds before melting and mutating would rapidly shrink to just one second!

He had absolute confidence that this arrangement would certainly catch Lin An off guard.

The transformation takes a long, painful time, during which one cannot move at all.

And as a player who has undergone mutation, upon entering he will instantly rebirth his limbs!

At that point, wouldn't a Lin An trapped in melting mutation be completely at his mercy?

Suddenly.

A flash of blade light passed, and the Scaled Beast felt a sudden intense pain in its skull; in terror it saw half of its own skull being chopped off and falling to the ground.

"Damn it! You clearly promised to spare me!"

"You actually went back on your word!"

Lin An looked at the furious Scaled Beast with a strange expression.

"I said I wouldn't kill you."

"But I never said I wouldn't let someone else kill you."

As soon as his words fell, the Scaled Beast felt a cold little hand instantly plunge into its exposed brain matter, stirring it.

"Mo Ling, wait here for me a moment; after you come out, tell me your ability."

Resentful, unwilling.

The deathly white vertical pupils gradually dimmed, life fading away.

Strands of black-white light drifted up from the head that had lost its life, slowly seeping into the girl's body.

"Do you still want to go in?"

"That guy clearly set up something."

Mo Ling's brows were tightly furrowed; although a few bandages of unknown purpose still wrapped her delicate little face, one could faintly see she was now in some pain.

The symbiote's advancement does not bring the pleasurable sense of power gain felt by Awakened Ones upon upgrading; each advancement for them is a struggle against the virus within their bodies, ultimately reaching balance.

Lin An gave no reply, simply stepping into the can without hesitation.

The Scaled Beast's most likely arrangement was nothing more than using the mirrors' own ability.

Either it accelerates the mutation, or it enhances the mutation's effect.

Becoming the embodiment of one's inner fear is indeed terrifying.

But for Lin An, who in his past life had experienced what fear truly is, it's not a big deal.

Because.

What he fears most is himself.

A cold-blooded killer who wants to destroy the entire world—himself.

……

In the dim light, the beams shining through the cracks reflected layer upon layer.

At the center, surrounded by thirty-one mirrors, a pair of eyeballs slowly floated.

In an instant, Lin An indifferently met the eyeballs' gaze.

The perspective shifted.

He saw himself.

"Hello, Lin An."

I said.