Chapter 140
Chapter 140: Pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger
Death Wheat Field
Blood moon shining in the sky.
Golden waves of wheat swaying in the night wind.
5 silhouettes materialized out of thin air.
"So this is the Death Wheat Field?"
A muscular Black man surveyed his surroundings, his tone laced with contempt.
His name was Yan Mo—Black Shark Squad's firepower specialist.
Physical Constitution Grade A, Ability Grade A:【Explosive Brand】—capable of leaving a brand on a target.
The next attack would inevitably detonate it, dealing massive area damage.
"Don't get careless."
The squad captain, Rex, spoke up, his voice steady.
A muscular white man, 190 centimeters tall.
Physical Constitution Grade S, Ability Grade S:【Kinetic Absorption】.
Capable of converting received physical attacks into his own strength—the more he was hit, the stronger he became.
"Let's check the intel first."
He pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from his chest pocket.
It was everything the higher-ups had given them about the Wheat Field before departure.
There was only 1 source—the kill record left behind by the man called "No Words Needed."
【The true Boss is not the Scarecrow itself, but the entire Wheat Field.】
【The Scarecrow is suspected of having no vision—it senses prey through sound and wind.】
"The entire Wheat Field..."
Rex narrowed his eyes.
"In other words, this Wheat Field itself is that Scarecrow's true body?"
"So what we're facing is an endless supply of Scarecrows?"
Phantom furrowed her brow.
The sniper. Physical Constitution Grade A, Ability Grade A:【Spatial Leap】.
Capable of leaping attacks to any position within her line of sight.
"In theory, yes."
Rex put the intel away.
"Although No Words Needed burned the entire Wheat Field with flames."
"But I don't actually believe the Scarecrow is the Wheat Field itself."
"A Grade S Boss isn't that monstrous."
"Before we arrived, I assumed the Wheat Field was only about 10 acres."
"Yet now it stretches as far as the eye can see."
"So it definitely has a true body—it must be hiding somewhere."
Yan Mo grinned.
"Then we find it and blow it apart."
"Even if we can't find it, we can still stall for 24 hours."
The Tank remained silent as ever, standing at the edge of the formation, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
The Support, Ling Yu, stepped forward, pressing her palms together.
"Let me try to sense first."
She closed her eyes, her spiritual power spreading outward.
Physical Constitution Grade A, Ability Grade A:【Collective Burden】.
She possessed an extremely high Mana Bar.
And could transfer her teammates' consumption onto herself to bear.
In other words, she was a Mana Support.
A few seconds later.
"Something's coming."
Before her words had faded.
Shh, shh, shh.
From the Wheat Field ahead came a strange rustling sound.
A tall silhouette slowly walked out.
It was a humanoid monster.
2 meters tall, its entire body woven from withered yellow straw, 3 wooden arms hanging at its sides.
Its face bore no features—only 2 black hollow voids.
"It's here!"
All 5 members of Black Shark Squad instantly formed a combat formation, training their weapons on the monster.
However, an unexpected scene unfolded.
The massive Scarecrow launched no attack. Like a malfunctioning puppet, it stood rooted in place.
Its head, overgrown with wild grass, rotated stiffly.
Those 2 hollow eye sockets swept aimlessly over the position where the 5 stood.
Yet it seemed to see nothing at all.
"Blind?"
Yan Mo froze.
He immediately recalled the information in the intel.
The Scarecrow is suspected of having no vision!
"Interesting."
The corners of Rex's tight lips curved ever so slightly. "Test its detection range."
He flicked his foot, kicking up a dirt clod the size of half a fist.
He hurled it toward an open patch of ground 30 meters to the Scarecrow's left!
Pat.
The dirt clod landed, producing a faint sound.
Whoosh!
The Scarecrow's head snapped violently toward the direction of the sound!
All 3 wooden arms swung simultaneously, swiping at the empty space!
The result was, naturally, a handful of air.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Witnessing this, Yan Mo burst into unrestrained, belly-shaking laughter.
"F*ck! This thing really is completely blind!"
Arrogance instantly seized Yan Mo's mind.
He dismissed the flames in his hands and swaggered out of formation.
He strode straight to the Scarecrow's front.
He even brazenly extended his palm and waved it forcefully right before the Scarecrow's face.
No wind, no sound.
The Scarecrow reacted exactly as expected—not at all.
"Hey, ugly! Look over here!"
Yan Mo was jumping and prancing in front of the Scarecrow, mocking it to the fullest extent possible.
And the Scarecrow remained like a telegraph pole, standing in place, staring blankly at empty air.
"This thing is so damn weak! What kind of trash dares call itself Grade S?!"
Yan Mo cursed as he circled to the Scarecrow's back and delivered a kick to the back of its knee!
Crack!
Accompanied by the sound of snapping, the straw-woven right leg broke clean into 2 pieces!
It crashed to the ground.
Prone on the dirt, it clawed at the soil with its 3 wooden arms, trying to stand again.
But with 1 broken leg, it could not maintain its balance no matter what.
It could only writhe on the ground like a laughable maggot.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Yan Mo was laughing so hard tears nearly streamed from his eyes, pointing at the Scarecrow on the ground as he called back to the others.
"Guys, look at this! This is a Grade S Boss?!"
"This is f*cking just a worm rolling around in the mud!"
Phantom's taut nerves finally relaxed. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Looks just like a turtle flipped on its shell."
Ling Yu too covered her mouth with a soft laugh, her earlier fear swept entirely away.
Even the ever-composed Tank quietly lowered his heavy shield.
Rex strode forward and looked down at the Scarecrow still writhing in impotent fury on the ground.
"So that's it. This is the truth of the Death Wheat Field."
Rex murmured to himself.
"A Grade S Boss built from countless mob monsters piled together—how dull."
"No Words Needed was nothing but lucky."
"He just happened to have an ability that spreads damage, so he could take them down easily."
"All that hype—I thought he was something special."
Rex shook his head and extended a single finger.
"If all the Scarecrows were gathered here..."
"1 minute? Too slow."
"If it were me—30 seconds at most!"
The moment Rex finished his boastful declaration.
Sudden change!
The Scarecrow abruptly stopped!
"Hm?"
Rex's sharp senses caught the shift in danger. His brow creased!
The next second!
The Scarecrow snapped upright!
All 3 arms swung simultaneously, lunging straight at Ling Yu, the nearest target!
"F*ck! Watch out!!"
Everything happened too fast—Yan Mo, the closest to it, had no time to react!
At the critical moment, it was the Tank who displayed the caliber of a top-tier defensive specialist!
He threw himself in front of Ling Yu, arms crossed over his chest.
"Absolute Defense!!"
Hmm!
A golden barrier unfurled the instant the scythe came down!
Claaang!!
The scythe slammed viciously onto Absolute Defense, sparks scattering!
The impact force drove the Tank back half a step, his feet carving 2 deep trenches into the earth!
But that golden barrier, like a wall born of a sigh, did not budge a single millimeter!
"Strong attack! But...I can hold it!"
Having absorbed that lethal blow, the Tank did not retreat an inch.
Using the recoil, he drove a kick into the Scarecrow's chest!
Bang!
The Scarecrow flew backward more than 10 meters and crashed into the Wheat Field!
"Yan Mo! Move! Blow it apart!!"
The instant reversal of the situation left Rex red-faced and burning, and he let out a roar!
He understood better than anyone the strength of the Tank's defense!
Even he couldn't casually be driven back with a single hit.
This Scarecrow was no weakling at all!
It had simply dumped every stat point into attack!
"I've been ready this whole time! Blind thing, you're dead!!"
Yan Mo, already raging from his earlier lapse in judgment, slammed both hands together at his chest.
"10-Layer Stacked Blast!!"
Rummmblllle!!
A blinding blaze erupted at the spot where the Scarecrow had fallen!
The terrifying shockwave instantly reduced the Wheat Field within a 50-meter radius to scorched earth!
Within the heat and shock wave, the Scarecrow was reduced to scattered ash!
"Hah...hah...hah..."
Yan Mo dropped to one knee, gasping.
Stacking 10 brands in a single breath had nearly drained his Spiritual Power dry.
But the next moment his strength was restored.
He still managed to flash that cocky grin.
Because Ling Yu was supplying his Mana!
"Cunning piece of trash."
Yan Mo spat on the ground. "Playing dead, biding its time, fishing for an opening!"
Phantom wiped cold sweat from her brow.
"That thing is terrifying..."
"Nearly got fooled by its pathetic acting."
Behind them, Ling Yu was so frightened her face had turned ashen.
She looked gratefully at the giant who had shielded her.
"Thank you, Tank."
"If it weren't for you, I'd already be dead."
The Tank slowly lowered his arms.
"No need. We're comrades who've survived death together."
The 2 exchanged a look and smiled.
However.
Just as that brief moment of warmth had yet to fade.
Whooo~
A cold wind swept across the entire Wheat Field.
Immediately after, the surrounding wheat waves began to sway violently!
"What the hell?!"
Rex tracked the wind's trajectory, eyes fixed on that patch of scorched earth laid bare by Yan Mo's explosion.
And then...
Rex's pupils constricted sharply!
That pile of withered grass that should have been obliterated in the blast...
Was moving.
Countless new withered yellow stalks burst through the scorched earth, rapidly weaving and reassembling!
In the span of a single breath!
The Scarecrow that had just been blown apart—completely intact—
Stood up again!
"Impossible! I blew it to ash!!"
Yan Mo stared in horror, his eyes wide.
But the next second, the gate of despair had only just begun to swing open before them.
With the Scarecrow's resurrection.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh!
In the boundless Wheat Field behind it, one by one they rose—
10...
20...
Identical Scarecrows, perfectly alike!
The difference was, every one of them held a scythe.
And the most horrifying part—those hollow eye sockets that had previously been empty...
Were now all lit with bloodred light!
Not just from the front!
All 4 directions!
Left!
Right!
Behind!
Hundreds of Scarecrows, at some unknown moment, had encircled Black Shark Squad in layer after layer.
"Are...are you kidding..."
"This many?!"
Staring at that dense sea of red lights.
The ever-calm Phantom broke—she stumbled back a step.
Ling Yu was so terrified her whole body went limp.
If the Tank hadn't held her firmly, she would have already collapsed to her knees.
Because death in this Trial was real!
"F*ck this! I refuse to believe it!!"
Yan Mo's eyes went bloodshot, and he actually broke from formation, charging straight at the Scarecrow horde alone!
"I blew you apart once—I can do it a hundred times!!"
"Yan Mo! Get back! Don't act recklessly! Hold the formation!!"
Rex bellowed with all his might.
But it was too late.
Yan Mo ran without looking back.
In his mind:
‘My movement speed is unrivaled within the base!’
‘As long as I make no sound, not a leaf shall touch me!!’
‘What can these Scarecrows do to me?’
Yan Mo slipped between 2 Scarecrows in an instant!
Just as he'd anticipated—the Scarecrows showed no reaction to his approach.
Still staring blankly ahead.
"Die! Explosive Brand!"
Yan Mo pressed toward the chest of the nearest Scarecrow!
But.
The instant Yan Mo's palm was about to touch the Scarecrow.
The Scarecrow that had been facing away from him suddenly wrenched its upper body around a full 180 degrees!
Those bloodlit eyes locked onto Yan Mo!
"Surprise! Gahahahaha!"
The Scarecrow's laugh had transferred to its face.
"Huh?"
He uttered the last syllable of bewilderment he would ever speak in this life.
The next second!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless scythes descended simultaneously from every direction!
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Yan Mo's once-proud movement speed was useless against a surrounding assault.
His chest, thighs, shoulders—even his throat—were simultaneously pierced by more than a dozen scythes!
He was pinned to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
"They...they can see..."
Yan Mo stared with unfocused, dilated eyes.
"They...could see all along..."
"They...never were blind..."
Before his words finished.
More scythes came down without mercy.
In a series of cleaving sounds, Yan Mo's body was minced into a ground of pulped flesh.
"Yan Mo!!!"
Watching her comrade brutally dismembered, Phantom let out a scream!
She pulled the trigger, using Spatial Leap without stopping!
She relayed bullets to the back of the skulls of the several Scarecrows desecrating Yan Mo's remains!
Headshots—all of them!
Rex threw a punch that shattered the Scarecrow attacking his side into a sky full of straw.
"Stay calm!"
"Don't panic!"
Ling Yu's mind churned within the terror, and she recalled the very first Scarecrow from the start.
That crude, pathetic acting...
That patience held until the very last moment of retaliation...
And those hollow eye sockets!
A conjecture that overturned every assumption flashed into Ling Yu's mind!
"I understand! I understand it all!!"
"That Scarecrow earlier with no red light in its eye sockets..."
"It was just a 【Decoy】 used to gather data!"
"It was using its acting to probe our attack methods!"
"Probing our defensive limits!"
"And that so-called Blind designation was nothing but a trap!"
Ling Yu pointed in despair at the surrounding Scarecrows with their glowing red eyes.
"The moment that Decoy made contact with any of us during its counterattack..."
"It could instantly share us with every Scarecrow across the entire Wheat Field!"
"They gained true vision!"
"What surrounds us now are no blind things..."
"It's an army of monsters with vision and shared intelligence!!"
Upon hearing this truth, Phantom felt as if the world had turned to ice around her.
"Are they insane?!"
"What kind of normal Trial Boss opens by playing dumb and sandbagging?!"
"This is beyond absurd!!"
"Captain! We're surrounded! What do we do?!"
The Tank's heavy shield was soaked through with cold sweat.
Rex bit down hard, drawing blood from his lips.
The good news was that their squad had trained together for a long time!
Even in the face of death, their composure held.
But the bad news was that Yan Mo was dead, and their strongest burst damage was gone.
The Tank's Absolute Defense was still cooling down.
Ling Yu was a Support—she could only provide Mana.
Only Phantom's sniper fire could barely hold the line.
"There's no other way!"
Rex drew a deep breath and fully unleashed!
A punch blasted the Scarecrows on his side into a sky full of straw.
"Form a triangular defensive formation! Protect Ling Yu in the center!"
"We—break through the front!!"
"Move!!"
The remaining 3 charged forward in formation, back to back!
The Tank led at the very front, using his body of flesh and blood to endure the scythes!
Phantom perched on the Tank's shoulder, her bullets leaping.
Every shot fired could headshot an approaching Scarecrow!
Ling Yu gritted her teeth hard, supplying Mana to everyone!
But the extreme pressure sent blood streaming uncontrollably from all 7 of her orifices!
And Rex became a tireless killing machine that knew no fatigue!
"Come on! You scraps!"
He smashed a Scarecrow's skull with a single punch.
【Kinetic Absorption】 made him fiercer the more he bled, like a battle-frenzied war god bathed in crimson!
But despair is called despair precisely because—
No matter how hard you fight, it has no bottom.
The Scarecrows were simply too many.
Kill 1, and 10 more clambered over the remains of their fallen to fill the gap.
Kill 10, and 100 more rose from the Wheat Field again!
Endless, unkillable!
The bloody battle to break through lasted a full 8 minutes.
Crack.
Accompanied by the sound of shattering.
The Tank's Absolute Defense finally collapsed under the frenzied hacking of hundreds of scythes.
"Ling Yu..."
The Tank, drenched in blood, turned his head.
He looked at the girl behind him—already teetering on the edge of unconsciousness from a drained Mana Bar.
He wanted to say something.
But before the words left his mouth, 3 scythes had already driven through his back from behind.
They burst out through his chest.
"Big Bro Tank!!"
Ling Yu let out a scream of despair.
But the next instant, stripped of her shield's protection, she was immediately swamped by more than a dozen Scarecrows surging forward.
She didn't even get to scream before she was hacked apart by a flurry of blades.
Click.
Phantom pulled the trigger.
But what the chamber returned was the sound of an empty click.
Her custom-made bullets were gone.
"It's over..."
Phantom sank powerlessly to her knees in the mud.
Staring at the forest of scythes closing in on her step by step, she let out a bitter smile.
"Captain...sorry...I'm going ahead..."
Phantom dropped her sniper rifle, drew the pistol from the holster on her thigh, and pressed the barrel to her own temple.
Bang!
The last bullet didn't leap anywhere. It passed through her own skull.
The night wind howled.
On that scorched earth soaked red with blood, only Rex remained.
He stood drenched in blood at the center of the Wheat Field.
Around him—thousands upon thousands of densely packed Scarecrows.
They encircled Rex completely but had stopped attacking.
They simply, silently, watched him.
As though savoring the final struggle of prey on the brink of death.
"Haha!"
Rex dropped to his knees, 3 scythes still embedded in his body.
He stared at the broken remains of his comrades on the ground and suddenly laughed.
The laugh was profoundly desolate—carrying the despair of someone who had seen through to reality's end.
"So that's it... This is..."
"The true meaning of Death Wheat Field."
Rex lifted his head to look up, the blood moon shining across his face.
This Wheat Field remained quiet.
His mind had begun to blur from blood loss.
But before he sank entirely into darkness, he recalled No Words Needed once more.
Recalled the composed calm of the man in that replay.
While they had committed the cardinal sin.
That sin was carelessness...
"I was wrong..."
Rex let out a murmur only he could hear.
"This is a Grade S Boss..."
"This is the Death Wheat Field..."
"I should never have grown arrogant over a momentary advantage."
"No Words Needed...you are strong—not just in Ability..."
"But in battle sense..."
He murmured.
At that moment, a Scarecrow had already walked to stand before him.
The next instant, countless stalks of straw pierced through his body.
He was hoisted high into the air, eyes wide open, refusing to close even in death.
And the thing that made one's scalp crawl...
He had not bled a single drop.
Because his body was being rapidly filled with countless withered yellow stalks!
Beneath his skin, what should have been blood-carrying veins—
Were now entirely replaced by dried-out straw, and even his eyeballs were gradually being covered by blades of grass!
The other 4—Yan Mo, Phantom, Tank, Ling Yu—were undergoing the same transformation!
The next second.
5 freshly made Scarecrows stood in the Wheat Field, gazing up at the sky.
They opened their mouths and let out a soundless shriek.
Within that shriek was defiance, rage, and despair.
And the most vicious curse they could cast upon this Savage Realm.
The next second.
They turned, set their feet in motion.
And merged into the boundless Wheat Field.
To seek new companions...