I'm Trapped in the Block

"My brethren, our mission is complete. From now on, all the newborn Tree Transformations will be able to go to the Big Tree Cave freely."

"No enemies will stand in their way, and nothing can harm them."

The Chief, as if a great weight had been lifted, was no longer as impassioned as he had been during the rally.

But the Tree Transformations were far from calm, still responding to the Chief’s every word with excited cheers.

They had been suppressed for far too long.

The Qifang Tribe held a grand ceremony. The Block was carried to an altar, where they gathered around to worship it.

The Tree Transformations placed all sorts of ritual offerings around the Block.

They sang praises of the Block’s deeds, chanting about its greatness.

"Praise the Holy Relic!"

「By the time everything was over, it was late at night.」

The Chief once again dismissed the Guards and came to the Block’s side.

Although he had reverted to his deflated-looking self, he seemed incredibly relaxed.

"Holy Relic, you came to save me, didn’t you."

The Chief leaned against the Block’s metal wall again.

"Suddenly, I don’t know what to do next."

"I dedicated myself to saving my brethren from their hellish suffering, but now that I’ve succeeded, I suddenly feel... empty."

Mo Ling was starting to understand.

The Chief had gone to such great lengths to fabricate a faith, all to get the Tree Transformations to help him drive out their natural enemies.

Now that his goal was accomplished, he, the tribal chief, was left on a pedestal with no idea what to do.

’Does the Qifang Tribe even need to exist anymore?’

Mo Ling sighed.

Compared to the other Tree Transformations, the Chief was truly unique.

He was always thinking further ahead.

The Chief leaned against the Block, staring blankly at his tribe in the distance, silent for a long time.

"Thank you." The Chief suddenly stood up, turned his head, and said this to the Block.

"You must have a consciousness of your own, right? I can feel it. The Tree Transformations have the ability to sense the presence of consciousness."

The Chief’s words startled Mo Ling, but he quickly calmed down.

Mo Ling suddenly recalled his first encounter with the Tree Transformations, how they had bypassed Li Luo and greeted the Block first.

’So that’s how it was.’

’I never expected the Tree Transformations to have that kind of ability.’

Mo Ling controlled the Block to float up slightly before settling back on the ground, a silent response to the Chief’s question.

The Chief said with emotion, "It seems you knew everything all along and simply couldn’t be bothered to expose me."

The Chief found a cloth and gently wiped the ash from the Block’s surface.

"I’m sorry. You must have known I was using you, right?"

Mo Ling froze for a moment. He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

’The Chief is just overthinking things.’

After wiping the Block clean, the Chief asked, "Now that all this is done, you’ll be leaving the Qifang Tribe, won’t you?"

’That’s true.’

Mo Ling actually wanted to stay and continue exploring. Now that he could move freely, he was eager to see what this world was really all about.

But he was too hungry.

He hadn’t eaten in two days.

Controlling the Block for so long had made Mo Ling’s vision blur.

To free up space inside the Block for combat, Mo Ling had even thrown out all his stored food, keeping only a few bottles of water.

There was nothing to eat in the Tree Transformation Tribe, and he had to worry if the various fruits were already infected by Theseus Cells. He didn’t dare eat anything.

Mo Ling started to miss the days with Li Luo, when he had his fill of food and drink every day.

At this thought, Mo Ling made the Block vibrate slightly again.

Although the Chief had long guessed the answer, he was still dejected. "I truly wish I could follow you."

The Chief thought for another moment before saying to the Block, "Please leave tomorrow morning. I’ll have my brethren see you off."

Mo Ling wasn’t in a hurry either, so he vibrated the Block in response.

After the Chief left, Mo Ling, mentally and physically exhausted, fell into a deep sleep inside the Block.

He even had a dream.

In the dream, Mo Ling became immense.

He had his block-headed form again, sitting motionless on a giant metal throne, looking down on his surroundings.

Countless Tree Transformations surrounded Mo Ling, endlessly shouting, "Praise the Holy Relic!"

They scrambled over one another to lavish Mo Ling with praise, then dug holes around the throne and jumped in, turning into trees.

The closer a tree’s position was to the throne, the greater the honor it represented.

After the Tree Transformations in front became trees, those from behind surged forward, repeating the actions of their predecessors.

The sound of the Tree Transformations’ praise was incessant.

The cacophony grated on Mo Ling’s nerves.

「When he opened his eyes again, it was morning.」

The Block was already surrounded by Tree Transformations chanting their praises.

For a moment, Mo Ling couldn’t even tell the difference between dream and reality.

The Chief announced something to the Tree Transformations:

"The Holy Relic has completed its mission. The future development of the Tree Transformation people must rely on ourselves. The Holy Relic is now returning to the place from which it came. It will only descend again when our people face another moment of crisis."

Playing his part, Mo Ling controlled the Block to float up and move toward the Big Tree Cave, disappearing into the distance under the reluctant gazes of the Tree Transformations.

A short while later, once Mo Ling saw that no one was following, he slowly flew out from behind a thick tree root.

"Putting on an act is exhausting."

He could finally put the matter of the Tree Transformations aside for now, but before heading back, Mo Ling still wanted to search the area for any trace of Theseus Cells.

The Block flew in the direction leading away from the Big Tree Cave.

Along the way, Mo Ling saw many familiar creatures, but none of these species seemed to be affected by the biological chaos.

He couldn’t even find any Theseus Cells; the plants and animals were all normal.

It was clearly like a carbon copy of the sealed-off area, yet he couldn’t find a single abnormality.

Mo Ling’s heart grew heavy. A terrible suspicion formed in his mind.

The Block picked up speed, weaving nimbly through the forest.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a shadow fell over Mo Ling.

The high wall!

The familiar high wall.

Mo Ling looked past the wall in disbelief. His worst fear had come true.

Beyond the wall was a world made of Theseus Cells!

Mo Ling quickly ran an experiment. The trees and insects outside the high wall all turned into a transparent liquid when stripped down.

This was the telltale sign of having been replaced by Theseus Cells.

If this world has been completely taken over by Theseus Cells, then who built this wall?

The implications were terrifying.

While he was still reeling, a figure approached Mo Ling.

He wore the combat suit of an outpost station and looked perfectly normal.

The man raised a recording device and aimed it at the Block.

"Anti-Cell Blockade Zone, Area 13. Unidentified metal block discovered. Requesting backup. Acknowledge if you copy."

After a few acknowledgments crackled from the walkie-talkie, the man slowly walked up to the Block.

He knocked on the Block and muttered to himself, "What is this thing?"

The newcomer also wore a Hunter’s Badge and looked no different from the soldiers Mo Ling had seen at the outpost station before.

But Mo Ling noticed one small difference.

The man’s arm was injured. A bandage was wrapped around the wound, and a bit of bright red blood was seeping through.

That trace of blood soaked into the bandage, but it slowly lost its color, fading to pink.

Then, the pink became even paler.

In the end, all that remained on the bandage was a faint, transparent stain...

Seeing this, a chill shot straight to Mo Ling’s head.