Chapter 118: The Only Scarlet

As the bloodied figure was smashed into the ground, an endless tide of shadows surged in. Countless shadow centipedes swarmed over Han Meng, their bodies piling up like a small mountain as they tore into him.

The next moment—

Boom!

The mountain of shadows exploded. Under a barrage of gunfire, swaths of centipedes disintegrated into nothingness. A figure shot out like a cannonball, charging unstoppably toward the distant canyon!

Just then, the massive mother shadow centipede blocked Han Meng’s path.

Han Meng’s blood-streaked face showed no trace of despair, only icy calm. His hand swept behind his waist, and a dagger shot into the air like a streak of cold light, hurtling toward the mother’s head!

Slender shadows erupted from the mother’s maw, instantly ensnaring the dagger mid-flight. Han Meng lunged forward, his fingers brushing the trapped blade—

"Judgment."

Boom—!!

Han Meng summoned the dagger back into his grip and seized the opening to dash past the mother, mustering his last reserves of strength to sprint toward the canyon.

Then—wind howled above him once more!

A dozen bone spikes impaled Han Meng’s body. He grunted, his momentum faltering. Gritting through the pain, he turned and fired several shots at the diving skeletal eagle, forcing it back midair before staggering backward.

Under the combined assault of two fifth-tier Calamities, Han Meng’s body had long reached its limit. Even the most promising five-stripe enforcers in Aurora City wouldn’t have lasted this long… Sadly, his perseverance had no audience.

"So close…"Han Meng felt the churning energy within him, a bitter taste flooding his mouth.

Pebbles tumbled from the cliff’s edge, plummeting into the narrow canyon below.

The wounded mother centipede roared in fury, its massive body charging forward. The pale skeletal eagle circled overhead before diving again, its beak splitting the air with sonic booms.

The auras of the two fifth-tier Calamities crashed down like an unstoppable tsunami!

Han Meng took a deep breath and leaped backward, his body falling like a stone into the canyon.

The canyon was extremely narrow—barely a meter wide. From its depths, the sky was reduced to a sliver. The mother centipede’s colossal frame could only wedge half its head into the gap, while the larger skeletal eagle could barely poke its beak inside.

They slammed against the cliffs in rage, shaking the entire canyon. Rocks tumbled from above, but the structure held.

Han Meng’s body plummeted. The 200-meter drop rapidly distanced him from the Calamities. Just before he smashed into the canyon floor, he burned his last mental energy to slow his fall, crashing onto the ground with a grunt.

"Cough… cough cough—"

The bone spikes embedded deeper into his flesh. Han Meng lay weakly on the ground, blood trickling from his lips as he coughed violently.

He glanced up at the sliver of sky. The two Calamities were still ramming the cliffs, but they could no longer reach him.

Han Meng’s stamina and mental energy were utterly depleted. If not for spotting this terrain advantage and fighting his way here, he’d have died under the Calamities’ assault.

Yet before he could catch his breath, the mother centipede suddenly retreated. Moments later, the tide of shadow centipedes began crawling down the cliffs, squeezing through the narrow gap toward him.

The mother was too large to pass, but its offspring could manage. Han Meng clenched his teeth and forced himself up, dragging his ravaged body deeper into the canyon…

Will I really die here today?

Under normal circumstances, Han Meng could slaughter hundreds of these offspring without breaking a sweat. But now, with no energy left for skills, he was virtually powerless.

Dying not to the fifth-tier Calamities, but to these lowly offspring—what a pathetic end.

Bloodied hands braced against the canyon walls as Han Meng inched forward. The shadow centipedes closed in rapidly.

Then—a crimson figure emerged from the depths of the narrow path.

At the sight of that scarlet hue, Han Meng froze.

This was the first time he’d seen a color beyond black, white, and gray in this world. Against the monochrome desolation, that vibrant red was dazzling—sinister, eerie, unnatural. Even from hundreds of meters away, it was impossible to miss.

Every hair on Han Meng’s body stood on end. He halted abruptly, his gaze locking onto the figure with wariness.

A person?

This is the Gray Realm!

Humans couldn’t survive here long. And retaining such vivid colors in this world was inherently unnatural. Whatever that thing was, Han Meng refused to believe it was human.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to glimpse its face—

Then, with a flick of its sleeve, a pitch-black mask materialized over its features.

A grotesque grinning face.

Crimson orbs for eyes. A crescent-mouth stretched ear to ear in an exaggerated, almost deranged smile.

At first glance, it resembled a clown’s mask—absurd, comical. But the longer Han Meng stared, the more unsettling it became. Mockery laced with malice, sending an involuntary chill down his spine.

This mask was modeled after the audience, conjured on a whim.

Han Meng had saved Chen Ling’s life once. He couldn’t just let him die here. But this was the Gray Realm—Chen Ling couldn’t appear as Enforcer Chen Ling, or too many questions would arise.

Thus, disguise was necessary.

Though[Faceless]had already altered his features, Han Meng’s terrifying ability to read micro-expressions made Chen Ling wary. For extra insurance, he’d crafted this mask.

With two layers of disguise, he doubted Han Meng could see through him.

The crimson robe swayed as he approached. The black-masked grin drew nearer. Han Meng’s muscles tensed. In this oppressive gray world, the atmosphere thickened unbearably—

Then, from behind the mask, a low voice spoke:

"...Move aside."