Chapter 203: Resentment Within the Calamity Mist

Wu Chang plunged into the Calamity Mist, as though entering an entirely unfamiliar space.

The surroundings became extremely vast; the area shrouded in white mist far exceeded the size of the banquet hall.

The atmosphere within the white mist also differed from that of the underground shelter—the specific difference was hard to describe, but if one had to put it into words, it would be that the world within the white mist carried a sense of impending disaster, of a world on the brink of collapse.

Perhaps precisely because of this, it was called the Calamity Mist.

He Yun stood at the center of the Calamity Mist and, seeing Wu Chang follow her in, the tension on her face visibly eased.

Wu Chang asked, "Miss He Yun, surely you can tell me now what exactly this Calamity Mist is. It doesn't look like any ordinary toxic gas."

He Yun warily surveyed her surroundings and replied, "I don't know exactly what they are either. I only know that once the Calamity Mist latches onto you, it drags you into a special space where the thing you fear most in your heart takes concrete form."

"The only way to escape the Calamity Mist is to destroy those monsters, or to flee beyond the mist's range."

As if to confirm He Yun's words, a great many heavy footsteps sounded from within the mist, and immediately after, large swathes of bullets tore through the mist, strafing toward where the two of them stood.

He Yun raised the energy shield on her mecha, shielding Wu Chang behind her, then swiftly moved him along as they dodged the barrage of bullets.

By the firelight that dispersed the mist, Wu Chang saw the source of the gunfire—a zombie clad in a full-body combat mecha.

Its face was a mangled mess of flesh, its body shriveled and withered, yet its movements and reactions were extremely agile, the muzzle tracking Wu Chang and He Yun without pause.

Wu Chang used spatial movement to blink behind the zombie, drew out the greatsword transformed from the Golden Throne, and in one thrust pierced straight through the mecha.

"A mecha-piloting zombie—is this the thing you fear most?"

Wu Chang stood atop the mecha, feeling the thing wasn't much of a big deal; it shouldn't have been enough to frighten He Yun to such an extent.

But upon seeing him destroy the mecha zombie, He Yun grew anxious instead. "Damn it, you shouldn't have killed it so quickly!"

The instant He Yun finished speaking, three mecha zombies stepped out of the mist, all pulling their triggers at once and strafing toward Wu Chang.

"You should have warned me about that ahead of time!" Wu Chang hastily employed the Lightning Flash Thunder Shadow movement technique, sprinting toward He Yun's side.

He Yun raised her energy shield and charged toward Wu Chang, successfully pulling him under its protection, then said in displeasure, "Who told you to strike so fast! Their source is the Calamity Mist—as long as the Calamity Mist doesn't disperse, killing them only makes more of them appear."

"Why would you be afraid of something like this?"

Because the components were so complex, Wu Chang couldn't tell for the moment whether He Yun feared the zombies themselves or the suppressive fire.

He Yun said, "How would I know? I suppose I'm afraid of mechas that refuse to die and don't fear death."

"Then what should we do now?" Wu Chang asked.

He Yun said, "Every space the Calamity Mist condenses has a core node. Destroy it, and the Calamity Mist will disperse. We split up—we have to find it as fast as possible!"

Wu Chang: "What does it roughly look like?"

He Yun replied, "Don't worry about that. You just need to destroy every suspicious thing you see! Except for these zombies—if you run into them, try to disable them rather than kill them. That'll slow down their reinforcements."

"I'll go draw them away. You use the chance to move!"

After speaking, He Yun counted down with her fingers—three, two, one.

When her hand clenched into a fist, she shoved her energy shield forward and charged in the opposite direction toward the mecha zombies, sending all three of them flying backward.

Then, taking advantage of the gap while the mecha zombies were getting back up, she headed off in the direction away from Wu Chang.

Mecha zombies were, after all, the thing He Yun feared, and the space formed by this Calamity Mist had also arisen because of He Yun. The three mecha zombies hesitated only briefly before abandoning Wu Chang and unanimously giving chase to He Yun.

Wu Chang seized the opportunity, released his spiritual sense, and searched for the mist node He Yun had mentioned.

Following his spiritual sense, he hadn't walked more than a few minutes before running into another mecha zombie.

This time he'd learned his lesson. He first approached using Social Anxiety Disorder and Elite Stealth, then suddenly burst forth and ripped both mechanical arms off the mecha.

To be safe, he also broke off the mecha's two legs, creating a zombie-mecha version of a human stick.

Confirming the mecha zombie could no longer resist, he began examining the mecha zombie closely.

Although he hadn't known He Yun for long, in their brief contact he trusted that she wouldn't be so wary of the Calamity Mist over a few mecha zombies.

As he separated the zombie from the mecha, he indeed made a discovery.

The zombie piloting the mecha was actually wearing a Shelter 88 uniform.

Perhaps it was this uniform—and what it represented—that was the real reason He Yun feared them.

Wu Chang tossed the zombie aside and continued following his spiritual sense. After another few minutes, he arrived at an area where the mist was especially thick.

At the center of the area stood a blurry stone stele.

By the look of it, this was the node He Yun had mentioned.

The surface of the stone stele was covered in a layer of mist that couldn't be dispersed, making it impossible for Wu Chang to read what was inscribed on it. But there was another thing on the stele he could see clearly—a patch of deep crimson resentment.

This resentment wasn't clinging to He Yun herself; instead, it had appeared in the space created by the Calamity Mist's effect on He Yun. This was the first time Wu Chang had seen such a thing.

His gaze fixed on the resentment, and he muttered to himself, Let me see what's going on here.

As the crimson light from the resentment rushed toward him, his consciousness wavered, and from a first-person perspective, he arrived at a place both familiar and strange.

Judging by the architecture, he appeared to be at the underground shelter's power station, but compared to the one he had visited before, this place was far more bustling. Hundreds of people were busying themselves back and forth inside the power station, everyone moving at a run, as though preparing for some major event.

Before Wu Chang could take in the surrounding scene, a piercing alarm blared from the downtown area of the underground shelter. Starting with the downtown alarm, alarms began sounding throughout the underground shelter, including the power station.

At the same time, a voice came through his earpiece.

"Backup plan has failed. The situation is evolving toward the worst-case projection. All personnel assemble. Initiate the final protocol."

The voice in the earpiece was highly distinctive—it was He Yun's voice. However, compared to the He Yun Wu Chang knew, the He Yun in the earpiece was more decisive and more aloof.

Upon receiving He Yun's order, the owner of the resentment took the elevator down toward the power station's underground circuitry passage.

"I thought guarding the power station would mean I'd be the first one here. I didn't expect you lot to show up even earlier than me!"

The instant he entered the circuitry passage, Wu Chang saw over twenty comrades in mechas already waiting inside the circuitry passage—apparently all members who had received He Yun's order.

Among the crowd, one person stood out conspicuously. He wasn't wearing a mecha, but rather a suit that looked like something an insurance salesman would wear.

The owner of the resentment shouted, "Mercury, you bastard really are a jinx—you called it, and we really did hit the worst-case scenario."

The man called Mercury adjusted his tie and said calmly, "Zhuo Jie, I've explained to you many times: I'm not a jinx, I have foresight. As long as your vision is far enough, when many things happen, you can already see how they'll end."

"Sure, you've said that before, but I still think it's your jinx mouth that cursed it into happening."

From their conversation, Wu Chang learned that the owner of his current point of view was named Zhuo Jie, and that Mercury—who had taken a god's name as his own—was clearly a player.

Moreover, he was a very powerful player.

While everyone was chatting and laughing, the gate deep in the circuit passage opened, and He Yun walked out together with a man who bore an eight-part resemblance to her.

He Yun swept her gaze over the crowd and said:

"What we need to do, I suppose everyone already knows. This is our last chance, and the last chance for Underground Shelter No. 88."

"This matter is extremely dangerous. If we fail, everyone will die. But if we don't do it, everyone will die anyway. So, everyone, please lend me your strength."

After He Yun finished speaking, the crowd was infected by the atmosphere in her words and all grew solemn. Only Zhuo Jie burst out laughing and shouted:

"Boss, it's not like this is our first day knowing each other. Just one word from you, and when have we ever been afraid? What's with you being so wishy-washy today, acting like some old lady."

A companion beside him punched Zhuo Jie and cursed with a laugh: "Such a good atmosphere, and you bastard ruined it. Besides, the boss was originally a woman."

Zhuo Jie rubbed his arm and muttered: "The boss's records in the three major events are higher than any of us. She was definitely reincarnated as the wrong gender." He Yun stared at Zhuo Jie with dark lines all over her face, the aloofness in her tone dissipating considerably, and said with a headache:

"If we can come back alive this time, you brat, you'll wear a maid outfit and hand out flyers for me at the entrance of the Bliss Sect for a whole month."

Zhuo Jie exaggerated: "Oh no, I wasn't planning to die before, but is it too late to start writing my will now?"

With Zhuo Jie's interruption, the tragic atmosphere livened up. People crossed the gate laughing and joking, arriving at the deeper underground of the power plant.

Following Zhuo Jie's perspective, Wu Chang entered the place He Yun had mentioned.

Contrary to what he had imagined, the deeper area was not like a mine tunnel, a space specifically existing for researching underground energy, but rather a region comparable to the shelter's city district, even more developed than the shelter's city district.

Although there were no tall buildings here, it was densely packed with various factories and research facilities. Many buildings that should have appeared in the city center had been moved to this deeper space.

It seemed that the entire center of gravity of Underground Shelter No. 88 was shifting toward the deeper underground.

Only at this moment, all these buildings had ceased operation, and alarm sirens were sounding just like in the upper city district.

Passing through these buildings, the group boarded a large transport vehicle and set off toward the end of the road.

At the end of the road was a massive metal gate. He Yun swiped her identity card to open a small door on the gate.

!

Under He Yun's command, the group opened the protective shields on their mechas and entered behind the large gate.

Passing through the gate, what appeared before everyone's eyes was a vast expanse of white Calamity Fog.

The Calamity Fog here was exceptionally active, floating on its own without wind as if it were alive.

The group could only travel through the Calamity Fog by relying on the protective shields on their mechas that could isolate the fog.

In the center of the fog, the group saw a massive stone temple.

The temple was only a dozen or so meters tall. Compared to the skyscrapers on the surface, or even the twenty-story buildings in the underground shelter's city district, it could be called "short."

But at this moment, in the eyes of the group, the temple exuded a wild, magnificent feeling, as if a single temple could fill the heavens and earth, far taller than any skyscraper.

Zhuo Jie muttered to himself: "I can't imagine how those primitives still using pictographs managed to build such a magnificent temple thousands of meters underground. Could those guys yelling about the Inner Earth world not be crazy, and our ancestors really did come from the Inner Earth?"

No one answered Zhuo Jie's question, because no one knew the answer. Everyone was immersed in the shock of the stone temple.

He Yun's voice came through the earpiece: "We're about to step into the temple. Everyone be careful. This temple is far more terrifying than what you see."

The temple was filled with stagnant Calamity Fog. The fog had extremely poor light transmission; even with strong lights on, visibility did not exceed two meters. Those behind could only barely see the heels of the companion in front.

If the formation wasn't kept tight enough, it would be easy to completely lose the group and get lost inside the temple.

Everyone was a long-time partner paired for years, experienced and extremely skilled. Barring accidents, the formation wouldn't break up.

But in this kind of situation, if you say there won't be an accident, then an accident is about to happen.

Not long after entering the temple, a companion's scream came through the comms platform, followed by shouts:

"Damn it! There's a monster in the fog!"

"Boss, my protective shield broke, the fog is pouring in, I feel something drilling into my body!"

"Don't come over, get lost, get lost!"

Accompanied by hysterical shouting, dense gunfire began to ring out in the fog.

Hearing screams and gunfire isn't a big problem. Not hearing screams and gunfire is the real problem.

For example, Zhuo Jie, whose perspective Wu Chang was viewing through, could no longer hear any movement from the others at this moment. Even shouting into the walkie-talkie got no response.

Because of the attack, the team's formation had long since scattered. Within his line of sight, he could only see thick fog, and could only hear his own footsteps and heartbeat.

"The boss wasn't wrong. This place really is more sinister than imagined."

Crack.

The instant Zhuo Jie's words fell, a crisp sound of shattering suddenly rang in his ear.

He looked toward the sound and found that his protective shield had been pierced with a hole by something. Fog was pouring into the shield through the hole.

As he inhaled the Calamity Fog, the surrounding fog began to thin, and he saw black shadows flickering within the fog around him.

With the help of the light, he saw the black shadow in the fog clearly. It was a mecha. From the mecha's paint job, the other party was He Yun's brother.

Zhuo Jie clicked his tongue and muttered to himself:

"I heard that inhaling Calamity Fog materializes the monster you fear most in your heart. The thing I'm most afraid of really is you."

"If it were any other time, maybe I'd give up, but not this time. The boss needs me. I can't die this easily yet, so..."

Zhuo Jie took a deep breath, took the machine gun from his back, aimed at the mecha condensed from the Calamity Fog, and pulled the trigger with a shout.

"There's something I've been holding in my heart for twenty years. Today I have to say it! Leader He Yi, please allow me to date your sister!"

As one of the strongest in the team, after more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, Zhuo Jie successively destroyed four mechas piloted by He Yi, forcibly breaking free from the influence of the Calamity Fog.

He sat on the ground against the wall, panting heavily. "I have to recover quickly. The boss is still waiting for me."

Just then, a voice sounded behind him: "I didn't expect you to be able to break free from the Calamity Fog."

Zhuo Jie turned his head and saw that the one standing in the fog was none other than Mercury, wearing a suit.

"You bastard, not helping the boss and the others, and you have the nerve to stand here making sarcastic remarks."

Mercury shook his head, took out a short staff with two snakes coiled around it, and said regretfully: "Why bother? Wouldn't it be better if you died obediently in the Calamity Fog like the others?"

Zhuo Jie glanced at the hole in his protective shield. Its size and specifications were similar to the spike at the end of Mercury's short staff. Combined with what Mercury had said, even if he were slow-witted, he sensed something was wrong.

He gripped the gatling gun in his hands, its barrel red-hot, and said coldly, "What exactly do you want?"

Mercury waved his short staff and said, "I just want to use your deaths to put some pressure on He Yun, to help her make certain decisions. You know, you lot actually matter quite a bit to her. If all of you die here, it should give her quite a shock."

"You bastard!" Zhuo Jie flew into a rage upon hearing this, raising the gatling gun to fire.

But his prolonged use of it within the Calamity Fog had already overheated the gun's muzzle; forcing it open a path through the Calamity Fog had been his absolute limit. Now, firing it once more by sheer will, the gatling gun finally gave way—the barrel burst apart.

Zhuo Jie tossed down the gatling gun, intending to switch to the large rifle on his leg, but at some point Mercury had already stood upon his shoulder.

With a swing of the serpent staff in Mercury's hand, a ray of light pierced straight through Zhuo Jie's chest.

"Stop struggling uselessly. You and I are simply not beings of the same level."

Zhuo Jie stared at the hole in his chest and said, bewildered, "Why? I always thought we were comrades."

Mercury shook his head. "If you'd obediently gone to your death like the others, in your heart we would have remained comrades. It's just that sometimes, being too strong in combat isn't necessarily a good thing."

"As for why—even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to understand. I can only say that the fate of Underground Shelter No. 88 was decided from the very beginning. Its ultimate destiny was never under your control to begin with, so there's no need for you to trouble yourselves over it."

Zhuo Jie coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Gasping hard, he said, "I have one last thing to say."

Mercury: "Go ahead."

Zhuo Jie: "Fuck your mother!"

Along with the curse, Wu Chang's vision went black, and the vision within the lingering grievance ended here.

The grievance ended, and Zhuo Jie's blood-colored last words appeared before him.

【Help the boss shake off the shadows of the past, don't let the boss blame himself for our deaths, and if you run into Mercury, punch him square in the face for me!】

Damn, at my speed I might not be able to get chapter two out before midnight. Might be half an hour to an hour late—brothers who go to bed early will definitely see it when they wake up tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)