I'm Trapped in the Block

The Druid’s Spines weren’t just numerous.

They were also incredibly useful, especially on the first level of the Abyss.

The power to transform into and control other creatures remained highly effective even on deeper levels.

Survival, combat, reconnaissance...

The Druid’s Spine could grant just about any ability one could imagine.

Furthermore, the more one used the relic, the more proficient they became with its powers.

The price for the Druid’s Spine was also a one-time payment. Once paid, it could be used forever with no side effects.

It was incredibly friendly to new Hunters who had just arrived on the first level of the Abyss.

It was practically starter gear for exploring the Abyss.

Even now, some lucky Hunters would find a Druid’s Spine right after arriving on the first level.

As a result, the relic was often heaped with glowing praise, and many news reports would hype up its benefits.

Li Luo finished reading the information and casually picked up a spine from the ground.

These Druid’s Spines all looked identical, no different from the skeletal remains of some random creature on the roadside.

"No wonder people get tricked into buying fakes."

Gazing at the dense carpet of spines covering the nest, Mo Ling was also puzzled.

’Are all of these Druid’s Spines?’ he wondered. ’Why are there so many here? How did they even form?’

Mo Ling made a comparison; the spine he had obtained from the Tree Transformation Tribe was indeed the same type as these Druid’s Spines.

An image of the Tree Transformation’s jelly-like body flashed through Mo Ling’s mind.

’Did the Leader of the Tree Transformation want to use this relic before? But how would he pay the price?’

Mo Ling was utterly confused.

What was certain, however, was that the Leader of the Tree Transformation knew the function of the Druid’s Spine and had been eager to try it. But the arrival of the Block had made him abandon the idea.

Now, the spines covering the ground had captured everyone’s attention.

Some soldiers, looking at the field of spines, couldn’t resist starting to pick them up.

Captain Su quickly stopped them.

"When I saw the Prophet’s shapeshifting before, I thought the ability looked familiar. I never expected it was the Druid’s Spine," Captain Su remarked with a sigh.

"The transformation ability?" Li Luo asked.

"Yes, the ability to turn into other creatures. Of course, the Prophet’s use of it was far more terrifying," Captain Su explained. "I’ve seen many users of the Druid’s Spine, and they could only change into simple animals."

As he said this, something occurred to Captain Su. He turned to his deputy and asked, "Who at the monitoring station did we send the information from our outpost to?"

The deputy thought for a moment before replying, "It was sent directly to Station Chief Liang’s office."

"Liang Zhi?"

"Yes."

"Did you try any other channels, sending it to anyone else?" Captain Su pressed.

"No, it was only sent to Station Chief Liang’s office. That’s the rule from the monitoring station."

Captain Su slapped his hand, voicing his suspicion. "If there was nothing wrong with our communications personnel or the lines, could the problem have been on the monitoring station’s end?"

The deputy didn’t dare to speak, and the surrounding soldiers just looked at each other in dismay.

After a moment, the deputy stammered, "Captain, are you suspecting Station Chief Liang?"

Captain Su fell silent for a moment before explaining, "The most famous user of the Druid’s Spine that I know of... is one person."

"The Forest Sage, Liang Zhi!"

The deputy was stunned. "You can’t suspect him just because he uses a Druid’s Spine, can you? It might just be a coincidence."

Facing his deputy’s confusion, Captain Su clapped a hand on his shoulder and said gravely,

"In the Abyss, there are no coincidences."

"Besides him, can you think of anyone else who would conceal the information?"

The deputy was speechless.

Just then, a soldier stepped forward and said calmly, "No need to guess. It was indeed me."

The soldier’s face twisted, and his appearance transformed completely.

It was... Station Chief Liang!

Everyone froze, then quickly surrounded him, watching him warily.

Station Chief Liang remained unhurried. He took out his nameplate and showed it to them to prove his identity.

"No need to be tense." He waved his hand.

"Just a little trick of the Druid’s Spine. Humans are a type of creature, so I can transform into them as well," Station Chief Liang said, pointing to his own back.

However, everyone was now staring at him coldly.

Captain Su demanded, "What are you planning?"

"I want to find it," Station Chief Liang said calmly, pointing to the strange egg on the spines.

"That has nothing to do with you hiding among us," Captain Su said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Station Chief Liang shook his head and explained, "If I had told you explicitly to lead a team in search of something that might not even exist, an action that could very well be a suicide mission, would you have agreed?"

After hearing Station Chief Liang’s explanation, everyone around fell silent.

This was blatant manipulation; no one here was a fool.

"Why did you conceal the information about the riots in the lockdown zone?" Captain Su demanded.

"The riots in the lockdown zone were part of the plan. It was the only way to pinpoint its location," Station Chief Liang explained.

"You caused the riots?" Captain Su asked in disbelief.

"That’s right," Station Chief Liang admitted readily. "The Red Rope Worms, too. It was all to find this thing."

He turned his head, looking up at the strange egg above the nest of spines with a yearning expression.

Hearing his callous words, the soldiers couldn’t hold back. One of them rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar.

"Do you know how many of our people died?" the soldier roared, his voice thick with fury.

"That is the price," Station Chief Liang explained calmly. "There is always a price for exploring the Abyss. You’ve been here long enough; you should know that."

Hearing this, the soldier grew even more enraged. He raised his fist to strike, but ultimately restrained himself.

Now, all the soldiers were glaring at him, their faces filled with rage.

"Let him go for now," Captain Su said coldly. "You’d better have a good explanation, or I won’t let you off the hook."

The soldier roughly shoved Station Chief Liang away.

Station Chief Liang straightened his collar and began to recount what he had been doing all this time.

However, Station Chief Liang’s very first words stunned everyone:

"This story begins when I first came to this world."

...

Station Chief Liang was not from this world.

He was the "Liang Zhi" from another world, from the other side of the Big Tree Cave.

Or, to be more precise, a Theseus Cell Life version of "Liang Zhi."

Back then, he was just a Level 1 Hunter with no relics, having just arrived in the Abyss.

He accepted his first mission from the very top of the mission board—a simple task to collect soil samples.

But by a strange twist of fate, he stumbled into a "lockdown zone" that no one had ever discovered before.

And in the other world, the "lockdown zone" was actually the area where normal cellular life thrived.

As he was digging up deep soil according to the mission requirements, he discovered that the small insects crushed by his shovel in the dirt bled a deep green liquid that didn’t change color for a long time.

Liang Zhi was shocked.

This was a new life form!