Chapter 418: Below the area
Andrew also slowed his pace. Lin Ye absorbed the spiritual energy around him, and intermittent noise echoed in his ears. After returning to the Bottomless Pit, the noise monster seemed to be in a much better mood.
Things occasionally passed by in the darkness. Perhaps sensing they were not easy to mess with, those things did not approach the two.
"You don't seem to have used the Parasitic Card yet. Will you wait for me outside later?"
If there were parasites nearby, Lin Ye could sense their location.
"No, I'm going in too. I brought Parasitic Cards and a parasite. If things inside are really that troublesome, I'll use the Parasitic Card in time."
Andrew didn't want to implant that suspicious parasite, but he would have to enter that area sooner or later. If the anomalous creatures inside were truly that troublesome, he would have no choice but to use the Parasitic Card.
"You could also wait for me outside. However, if you're not there when I come out, I'll head straight back to the Free City."
Lin Ye didn't want to take a liability down with him.
"No, I will complete my task."
Andrew rejected Lin Ye's proposal. "Alright."
Lin Ye continued deeper into the Bottomless Pit. After descending past a depth of fifteen hundred meters, he suddenly sensed a feeling that was all too familiar.
It was a unique atmosphere characteristic of the Abyss.
'Damn, knew this place couldn't be truly peaceful. What the hell happened down there? How has it affected even here?'
Lin Ye unsealed the Abyssal Eye. He saw tumor-like structure networks everywhere around them, like fishing nets. Perhaps because the mutation organ inside his body had integrated with the tumor-like structures, those networks did not touch Lin Ye. Instead, they gathered near Andrew, wrapping around the surface of his body.
"What's wrong?"
Andrew keenly noticed Lin Ye observing him.
"The aura from that lower area is here. You're already surrounded by that aura. If you're not planning to use a Parasitic Card, you'd better leave here quickly."
Andrew's purpose in coming down was to protect Lin Ye. Out of courtesy, Lin Ye still gave him a warning.
"...I'll use it now."
Prompted by Lin Ye, Andrew also sensed the abnormality, but he couldn't perceive those tumor-like structure networks at all, unsure where the problem lay.
After transplanting the parasite using the Parasitic Card, the tumor-like structure networks stopped gathering towards Andrew, seemingly treating him as one of their own.
This struck Lin Ye as a bit strange. Although the Parasitic Card and the parasite were his creations, he hadn't expected the parasite's effect to be this good. Originally, he had planned to make several minor adjustments before putting it into use, and he had even thought out the adjustment plan. Yet, it turned out to be completely unnecessary.
'Hopefully, it's just good luck...'
Lin Ye continued descending. The creatures below fifteen hundred meters were all affected by the tumor-like structure networks and did not attack them. Thus, the two began accelerating and soon descended below two thousand meters.
That fork in the path appeared before Lin Ye once more. This time, Lin Ye entered the branch leading to the Ruins.
The two quickly entered the Ruins. People were already waiting for them inside.
"You're finally here! Do you have a way to get us out of here?"
Martin asked excitedly.
A few days ago, all those surviving Mid-level Spiritual Energy Users had transformed into something else. Although their appearances hadn't changed at all, the things inside them had been replaced.
This terrified the remaining high-level spiritual energy users immensely, so they had all gathered at the entrance, waiting for rescue from the Free City.
"I can transform the tumor-like structures inside your bodies into parasites. After that, you can leave here. However, this isn't free. In the future, you'll have to participate in the Bottomless Pit Cleanup Plan. Those who agree can line up."
Lin Ye took out a flashlight and a contract, handing them to Martin. Raymond had given this to him before coming. Before confirming these people were safe, they had to accept security control.
"Is this the higher-ups' intention?"
Martin took the contract and skimmed through it.
"Of course. Do you think I'd just whip up a contract for no reason?"
Lin Ye didn't need to waste words. These high-level spiritual energy users quickly lined up according to their tier and strength. Right now, they just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Matters for the future could be dealt with later.
These high-level spiritual energy users had accumulated massive amounts of tumor-like structures within their bodies. Even Lin Ye found it difficult to restore them completely to normal. If they had been a few days later, their fate wouldn't have been any different from those Mid-level Spiritual Energy Users.
While Lin Ye was processing these high-level spiritual energy users, some Mid-level Spiritual Energy Users appeared in the nearby abandoned buildings. They watched Lin Ye alter the tumor-like structures from a distance, taking no further action.
"Should we clean them up?"
Andrew felt somewhat uneasy.
"No need. You can think of them as plants by the roadside."
Lin Ye didn't modify those tumor-like structures even a little. Instead, he used the Number One biological sample to assimilate them. This method was very simple and wouldn't consume too much time.
These people were all severe cases. Only this method could handle their condition.
Even using this simplified method, Lin Ye spent three hours processing everyone.
Once the tumor-like structure transformation was complete, they could leave this area.
Before these people left, Lin Ye asked them for clues about going further down, but they didn't provide any valuable information.
"Finally finished processing them all."
Lin Ye used the Abyssal Eye to observe these Ruins. That giant Abyssal creature was still sleeping above the Ruins. Its shadow corresponded to it beneath the ground. Both the sky and the underground were densely covered with enormous tumor masses. Those Mid-level Spiritual Energy Users also had varying numbers of smaller tumor masses growing inside them.
Perhaps because they had tumor-like structures inside them, the giant Abyssal creature was not startled awake by Lin Ye this time.
"What are you doing running to the edge of the area? Are we leaving now?"
Andrew asked, puzzled.
"It's fine. I'm looking for a way to go down."
Lin Ye looked down at the ground beneath. He felt the method to go down might be related to the shadow of the anomalous creature below.
At that moment, a tumor mass in the shadow not far away ruptured, and a malformed spiritual energy creature crawled out from underground.
Lin Ye rushed over immediately, pushed the malformed creature aside, and then jumped into the hole.
The tumor mass hadn't closed yet. Lin Ye stepped on spiritual energy, charging into the interior of the tumor mass, and crawled into the flesh-and-blood pipe beneath it.
"What the hell is this place?"
Andrew followed behind Lin Ye, crawling into the flesh-and-blood pipe, but he clearly hadn't expected there to be something like this underground.
"Probably a passage leading downwards... hopefully that's what it is."
Lin Ye slid downwards along the pipe. The surrounding flesh pushed them forward rapidly.
Before long, they were ejected from the flesh-and-blood pipe and fell into mid-air.
The air was filled with blinding white light. Lin Ye closed his eyes, sensing the surrounding environment. This place was far more expansive than he had imagined.