Chapter 229: Portal
"You probably haven't fought many people, have you? Don't always think about ambushing from behind, especially when I can't see what's behind me."
Lin Ye didn't even turn around, simply killing the Eyeball Monster with a backward elbow strike. Having killed it so many times, he was now completely familiar with its body structure.
"Both sides were clearly affected, so how were you still able to block my attacks?"
The Eyeball Monster asked in confusion.
"Suddenly suggesting a truce was a giveaway, and I've been constantly switching perspectives. When affected, the images from both sides had subtle differences."
Lin Ye kindly explained to the Eyeball Monster.
He conveniently killed the Eyeball Monster once more.
"Impossible! The images I create would never have any discrepancies!"
The Eyeball Monster had absolute confidence in its abilities.
"Indeed, it's not your problem. The issue lies with me. The Mask Consciousness and I are two different individuals. Two completely different individuals viewing two identical images - how could they possibly see them exactly the same?" Lin Ye's attitude grew increasingly amiable because the Giant Eyeballs on the walls were nearly cleared out by him.
"Then even when you're not affected, the two perspectives should still be different!"
The Eyeball Monster spotted the flaw in his logic.
"Difference and difference can still be different. Use your brain, don't make me explain everything to you."
Lin Ye took out a low-tier nutrient solution and drank one bottle. Even though he continuously absorbed spiritual energy from the Eyeball Monster's corpses, his own spiritual energy was almost depleted.
"So that's it! You were constantly switching perspectives earlier to adapt to the differences in normal state! Everything you said before was just to prevent me from using my abilities to affect your state!"
The Eyeball Monster instantly realized the purpose behind Lin Ye's earlier words.
"You're not bad. Among the vast majority of idiots I've encountered, you're relatively intelligent."
Lin Ye said calmly.
The Eyeball Monster realized too late. Lin Ye had already grown accustomed to constantly switching perspectives during battle, and that mental influence no longer affected him.
"What kind of monster are you exactly... Can I surrender? Your spiritual energy is almost exhausted. When those Root Systems get closer, you'll become their absorption target. By then, you might not be able to kill me. If you stop now, I can apologize to you and compensate you with fifty Waste Stones. You can take her and the stones through the portal to leave this place."
The Eyeball Monster said seriously.
"What's wrong with that portal?"
Lin Ye hadn't approached the portal even once since coming down, especially after noticing the Eyeball Monster didn't prevent him from approaching it.
"You're overthinking it. What could possibly be wrong with the portal?"
The Eyeball Monster tried to dodge Lin Ye's attack, but its simple movements were completely predicted by him.
"Then why are you keeping your distance from the portal? You might not be doing it intentionally, but deep down, you don't want to approach that portal."
Lin Ye asserted.
"...I'm not. I actually came out from that portal."
The Eyeball Monster retorted.
"You didn't say that before."
Lin Ye killed the Eyeball Monster again. There were now less than ten Giant Eyeballs left in the Underground Space, and the Root Systems had descended to within five meters above their heads.
"I underestimated you back then."
The Eyeball Monster hadn't been pushed to such extremes in a long time. It continuously used its abilities to create various images to affect Lin Ye, but nothing worked. Its bodies kept decreasing.
5 Giant Eyeballs.
4 Giant Eyeballs.
3 Giant Eyeballs.
2 Giant Eyeballs.
1 Giant Eyeball.
Lin Ye punched straight through the body the Eyeball Monster had just hatched. Due to lack of spiritual energy, he had already stored the Cross Scepter in his loot space.
"How is this possible! Why can't I hatch inside her body?!"
As the last Giant Eyeball shattered, the Eyeball Monster fell out from inside. It had intended to tear open Number 43's body and use the prepared root seeds inside to parasitize Lin Ye, but when it used its ability on Number 43, it discovered there were no hatching eyeballs inside her.
"Of course I dealt with them. Such an obvious trap - you didn't really think I was an idiot, did you?"
Lin Ye wasn't in a hurry to act. The Root Systems still had some distance above them, so he could chat with the Eyeball Monster for a few more moments.
"Impossible! You can't keep up with the eyeballs' speed! The moment you prepare to act, they'll run away and secretly return later! And I could sense they were inside her body!"
The Eyeball Monster looked at Lin Ye in despair. It had deliberately avoided Number 43's direction during each previous hatching to avoid arousing Lin Ye's suspicion, but it never expected Lin Ye had already prepared countermeasures.
"You think I entered that stupid green portal for fun? Wasn't digging for Waste Stones underground enjoyable enough? Of course it was because I needed to resolve the issues inside her body during teleportation. No matter how fast those eyeballs run, they can't escape during spatial movement."
While passing through the portal, Lin Ye had carved synthetic runes inside Number 43's body, fusing the Root Systems, eyeballs, and Number 43 together. Since Number 43 was an ordinary person, Lin Ye's mental energy could forcibly enter her body to perform some precise operations.
This was the most difficult step. Once the eyeballs were controlled, it was just simple Alienation modifications afterward.
Perhaps because Number 43 had been parasitized by eyeballs and Root Systems for too long, her compatibility with these two things was quite good. Combined with Lin Ye's precise techniques, Number 43's condition had now stabilized.
"I don't want to die! I have many more Waste Stones! If you spare me, I can help you collect Waste Stones here! I can give you twenty Waste Stones every month!"
Seeing Lin Ye preparing to act, the Eyeball Monster hurriedly shouted.
It certainly couldn't obtain that many Waste Stones. Even in the Waste Zone, Waste Stones were rare items. It simply didn't want to die, so it inflated its own value.
"Actually, I don't care that much about Waste Stones. Comparatively, I'd prefer to crush your body underfoot. That would make me happier."
Lin Ye drew the Cross Scepter and skillfully stabbed the Eyeball Monster to death just like before, except this time it wouldn't revive again.
After the Eyeball Monster died, the Root Systems above continued descending, now less than one meter from his head.
The white portal changed color as if fading, finally turning into a deep black.
Lin Ye didn't know what method the Eyeball Monster had used, but he felt fortunate that he hadn't approached the portal.
Earlier, the Eyeball Monster might not have been lying - it might have truly originated from this black portal.
But until the very end, it never considered escaping into the portal.
The Root Systems kept descending, but without the Eyeball Monster, Lin Ye sensed his surroundings and quickly found a passage behind one wall that led out of the Underground Space.
Before the Root Systems filled the Underground Space, Lin Ye took Number 43 into the passage and moved away from the underground chamber.
Before leaving, Lin Ye made sure to crush the Eyeball Monster's corpse underfoot with Number 43. He really enjoyed the sensation of eyeballs popping beneath his feet.