Chapter 123: A Night in the Abyss
Lin Ye was truly feeling uneasy now - this was the first time he'd seen Mia being so solemn.
"What's going to happen?"
Lin Ye asked with equal seriousness.
"I don't know either."
Mia met Lin Ye's gaze, answering with an utterly serious expression.
"......"
Lin Ye turned back to continue eliminating Mutation Creatures - he really shouldn't have asked Mia seriously.
"Someone told me about the Abyss's conditions. The Surface Layer of the Abyss at night is truly dangerous."
Mia hurriedly explained.
"Alright, I'll be careful." Lin Ye shot and exploded a Mutation Creature's head.
As the sky gradually darkened, the Mutation Creatures near the church grew fewer and fewer, until eventually all Mutation Creatures disappeared.
The hunters went out before complete darkness, collecting some spiritual energy materials from the corpses and gathering materials to make several bonfires.
Lin Ye also lit a bonfire, harvesting some choice parts from the corpses, cutting them into small pieces, skewering them on wooden sticks, and placing them around the fire.
Before long, the roasting meat emitted an enticing aroma. Mia stared at the roasted meat with drooling anticipation, conjuring two cups of iced cola.
She had never eaten roasted meat before, so she couldn't conjure it, and for her, the difference between physical objects and mental constructs was quite significant.
After sprinkling simple seasonings taken from his backpack, Lin Ye gave Mia the perfectly cooked, aromatic skewers.
"So delicious! Crispy charred exterior, tender and soft inside, bursting with juices - what meat is this? I need to add this creature to my list of favorite little animals."
"It's thigh meat from some frog-type Mutation Creature. When selecting ingredients, I carefully sensed with mental energy - I immediately thought these frog legs would be perfect for roasting."
Lin Ye said proudly.
His understanding of mutated flesh wasn't something ordinary low-level spiritual energy users could match. Whether in ingredient selection or fire control, he operated at expert level.
"So impressive, master chef."
Just as the two were happily eating skewers and drinking iced cola, a hunter watching out the window suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Hayden? How are you back? Where are the others?"
Hayden was a member of the rescue team.
Lin Ye looked out the window - in the distance, a human figure stood in the darkness.
"I'm certain that's Hayden. I've known him for over twenty years - I can recognize him just from his silhouette!"
Cody said excitedly.
"I'll go check."
Hawk stood up. He didn't believe the thing outside was Hayden, but since it involved the rescue team, he had to go confirm the situation.
"No, I'll go. After all, I spotted him. You stay in the church - they need you here."
Cody stopped Hawk. Anyone could tell this situation was problematic, and he didn't want Hawk to get hurt.
"Be careful. If you encounter trouble, shout immediately. I'll provide support right away."
Hawk focused intently on the distant shadowy figure. He truly didn't have the qualification to take risks - if something happened to him, this team would struggle to survive until morning.
"Hayden? Is that you?"
Cody cautiously approached the shadowy figure bit by bit. But as the distance between him and the shadow gradually shortened, his movements became simple and natural, like taking a leisurely stroll down an ordinary street on a peaceful afternoon.
The shadowy figure remained motionless in place until Cody walked right up to it. After staring at the shadow for a moment, the figure suddenly began walking deeper into the darkness.
Cody followed behind the shadow, disappearing together into the deep darkness.
Hawk wanted to stop them, but he had a strong premonition - if he dared approach, he would disappear too.
"...Wasn't he facing the church? How is he walking so... normally?"
The shadowy figure was clearly facing the church while walking backward into the deepening darkness, yet it appeared no different from walking forward.
"What is that?"
Lin Ye asked Mia. The shadow was too distant for him to sense properly.
"Probably some kind of anomalous phenomenon. Using mental energy to perceive anomalous phenomena carries great risk - even if you sense them, they're hard to understand, and you easily become influenced by the anomaly."
Mia warned Lin Ye. She hadn't expected to encounter such eerie things right at night's beginning.
"How should we handle anomalous phenomena?"
Lin Ye had actually dealt with many anomalous phenomena himself and was somewhat an expert in this area, but he wanted to hear Mia's perspective.
"Each anomalous phenomenon has its unique rules. Rules are power beyond runes - only rules can oppose rules. Otherwise, you can only comply with the rules and survive within them."
Mia was getting a headache. If she'd known this place would be so troublesome, she wouldn't have sought revenge.
"Can't you just talk with it?"
Lin Ye considered the mental hospital as a type of anomalous phenomenon too. Mia wasn't much different from the shadowy figures - they were all of the same kind, so surely they could discuss things.
"I'd like to, but the problem is the other side doesn't want to talk at all."
Six shadowy figures appeared outside the church. They simply stood there, making no movements.
"This... are they all dead?"
"No, these are just illusions created by some monster! Don't be fooled!"
"But they look so real..."
"They must be created by monsters - how could normal people walk backward like that?"
"Cody got controlled the moment he approached."
"What do we do now? Ignore them?"
...
Panic flowed through the crowd. Hawk didn't know what to do either, but he knew they couldn't continue like this.
"Quiet! Those figures are just illusions created by monsters! Probably some monster hiding in the darkness controlled Cody! The fact that they don't dare approach means we're stronger than them! As long as we don't leave the church, they can only stand there watching!"
Hawk clearly understood those figures weren't simple illusions, but he could only say this. If they could just hold out until morning, they could leave the church and establish a base elsewhere.
However, before Hawk finished speaking, those figures began moving toward the church, advancing about a quarter of the distance before stopping again, standing there watching them.
Lin Ye looked at those figures, picked up the Peace rifle, and fired a shot at Cody.
Bang!
Originally, he too had wanted to wait until daylight, but the shadows were approaching too quickly. He definitely didn't want to leave the church to survive in the darkness, so he had to test the shadows' patterns before they entered the church.
He chose Cody because he had just turned into a monster - he should be easier to deal with and more suitable for testing patterns.
The bullet blew off Cody's right arm. Cody turned to face Lin Ye but did nothing.
"What are you doing!"
Cody's friend said angrily.
"He's testing those eerie things. That's not Cody anymore - otherwise he wouldn't be standing there."
Although Hawk thought Heath was problematic, now wasn't the time for internal conflict.
Lin Ye completely ignored them, firing another shot at Cody's left leg.
Bang!
The bullet blew off Cody's left leg, but Cody remained standing there as if completely unaffected.