Chapter 210: Second Floor
After Shen Yu quickly entered the elevator, he narrowed his eyes at the illuminated floor numbers.
First floor.
Second floor.
Third floor.
Fourth floor.
Fifth floor.
Sixth floor.
All six floors were lit up.
So, in this beast world, the fourth floor could actually be unlocked?
Shen Yu hesitated for only a moment before pressing the button for the second floor.
Ding dong!
Just as the elevator doors were about to close, the black-spined wild boar at the front suddenly charged straight inside.
Yanning’s expression darkened.
The temperature around her instantly dropped.
"Frost!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Outside the elevator, the filthy water beneath the aquatic grass began freezing.
Layer after layer of white frost spread rapidly across the ground.
The black-spined wild boar suddenly stopped in its tracks.
Ice climbed over its hooves, freezing its legs in place and leaving its entire body stiff at the elevator entrance.
At that exact moment—
Ding dong!
The elevator doors closed.
The indicator showed that it was moving downward.
The other black-spined wild boars, which had been charging forward with murderous momentum, suddenly stopped when they realized the elevator was descending.
One after another, they crouched at the elevator entrance and stared at the closed doors.
"Ha?"
"They actually went down?"
"Why?"
"Logically speaking, Captain, they met us this morning. They should have guessed that we were hiding on the sixth floor last night, right?"
"But knowing that, why are they still going downstairs?"
In the distance, hidden among the tall grass, Liang Lingxue watched the Jochi team with hesitation.
To be honest, their team had just demonstrated strength that was even more organized and powerful than the Feiha team.
Yet such a team wasn’t taking the safer route.
Instead, they were taking the risk of heading toward the lower floors.
"Damn it!"
"This guy must have some special items."
"Fine. You want to go down?"
"You think nothing will happen below?"
"Even if you manage to come back from downstairs, those black-spined wild boars at the elevator entrance will simply press the elevator button."
"You won’t even make it past the third floor."
"And even if you get past the third floor, there’s still the fourth floor."
"Shen Yu, you’re dead for sure."
"You’re definitely dead."
Mo Xian couldn’t understand why Shen Yu was going downstairs.
But remembering what had happened to him the previous night, he couldn’t help grinning.
The black-spined wild boars weren’t stupid.
They could press the elevator button.
Whenever Shen Yu tried to return upstairs, he would have to pass through their floor again.
That meant they could simply wait at the elevator doors and attack him.
Shen Yu might have items that could help him avoid the first attack.
But could he avoid the second?
The third?
How many times could he survive?
"Perfect."
"Tonight, this guy is drawing all the fire for us."
Mo Xian happily sat down among the aquatic plants, scratching at his loose trouser leg.
Then he suddenly noticed something strange.
The skin beneath his pants had become much slimmer.
Two slender cow-like legs had appeared beneath his body, supporting his weight.
"Damn!"
"How the hell am I supposed to avoid beastification?"
Mo Xian cursed under his breath.
Nearby, Lin Wan rubbed her belly, which was covered in brown fur, and silently stared at the descending elevator.
The barrage immediately erupted.
"Wild Boar George: Damn!"
"Shen Yu really didn’t need to anger those wild boars, right?"
"If he hadn’t provoked them, the two teams could have dealt with the enemies together."
"Wild Boar Peppa: You idiot!"
"Shen Yu isn’t some ungrateful person, right?"
"He’s a beast, right?"
"How could anyone who knows someone died for their sake calmly eat their meat?"
"Isn’t that completely inhuman?"
"Legendary Pilot: I get it."
"But after escaping, shouldn’t Shen Yu have simply hidden on the sixth floor?"
"Didn’t he see what happened to the Feiha team last night?"
"Maybe Shen Yu has a different strategy."
"Strategy, my ass!"
"He’s running downstairs!"
"If the lower floors aren’t safe, he’ll eventually have to come back up."
"And when he does, he’ll still have to pass through the third and fourth floors."
"How is he supposed to survive attacks from both floors?"
"Stop shouting."
"Shen Yu values his life."
"He must have a plan."
"Maybe Lin Wan is waiting for Shen Yu on the second floor."
The Feiha team could only stare in confusion as the barrage continued exploding with comments.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At the very center of the twelve-nosed ball, what appeared to be a giant horse’s nose expanded endlessly.
The enormous nostrils squeezed the strange strands beneath them into twisted, distorted shapes.
Each nostril was as large as a bowling ball.
They sucked violently, tearing at the surrounding hair and flesh.
"Damn!"
"Lin Wan said this thing could help get rid of the smell."
"Could this really be the method?"
"If it keeps sucking like this, it’ll suck our brains dry!"
Shen Yu held his head with both hands and stared at the grotesque mass of flesh completely blocking the elevator entrance.
His expression darkened.
"Hey."
"Can we talk?"
"Talk?"
The twelve-nosed ball squirmed.
Its voice carried the same contemptuous tone Zhu Weiman had used the previous night.
"Lowly bottom-dwelling creatures."
"You dare speak to me?"
Shen Yu frowned.
"Bottom-dwelling creatures?"
"For creatures like you, what exactly counts as being higher in the hierarchy?"
"Becoming an animal?"
"Heh heh heh."
The twelve-nosed ball sneered.
"Bottom-dwelling creature."
"You talk too much."
"Who?"
One enormous nostril suddenly moved close to Shen Yu.
Crack...
The skin on his scalp made a frightening sound, as though his entire head were about to be torn off.
Shen Yu’s expression remained calm.
His attention shifted to the Memory Alteration skill icon.
Since this thing refused to talk nicely—
Then he’d simply make it cooperate.
"Memory Alteration."
Buzz!
The moment the skill activated, a powerful ringing sensation seemed to vibrate throughout the twelve-nosed ball.
The creature, which had been violently flaring its nostrils, suddenly shook.
Then—
It froze at the elevator entrance.
"Who?"
"Who?"
"What is this?"
The twelve-nosed ball seemed to fall into a strange state of confusion.
It stared quietly at Shen Yu.
Its mouth moved as though it were chanting some ancient curse.
"You don’t remember me?"
"I am the ruler here."
"You..."
"You haven’t been gone for a long time, have you?"
The twelve-nosed ball’s attitude instantly became respectful.
Its enormous body slowly sank into the black pool beside the elevator.
Only one giant nostril remained above the surface.
It stared at Shen Yu reverently.
"Oh?"
"Tell me."
"What position do I hold in your eyes?"
Shen Yu looked above the twelve-nosed ball.
A countdown was flashing there.
180 seconds.
His Memory Alteration could only temporarily alter the creature’s memories for 180 seconds.
And judging from its strength, Shen Yu knew he had very little time.
He had to ask his questions quickly.
"You are..."
"You are the perfect existence."
"All species should look up to you."
"They should serve you."
"Whom?"
"What exactly am I?"
"The chairman of this company?"
"Yes."
"Am I human?"
"No."
"How could a lowly human compare with you?"
"How do you see me?"
"I..."
"I cannot see you."
"I am not worthy."
Shen Yu frowned.
He asked several questions in succession, but he still couldn’t obtain any truly useful information.
He glanced at the countdown.
Only a limited amount of time remained.
He immediately asked his next question.
"What is the purpose of your existence?"
"To help Advancers understand the extent of their mutations."
"Advancers?"
"What are Advancers?"
"Ah..."
The twelve-nosed ball began struggling.
Its enormous body expanded and contracted as it trembled beneath the water.
Seeing this, Shen Yu immediately stopped asking further questions.
Instead, he issued a direct command.
"Help us clear the aura."
"Do you understand?"
"Yes."
The moment the answer came—
All twelve nostrils twitched simultaneously.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
A massive amount of black water was sucked from the pool.
Then—
Poof!
Black mist erupted from the twelve-nosed ball.
It completely enveloped the people inside the elevator.
Drip... drip... drip...
Black droplets immediately began falling inside the elevator.
They drenched Shen Yu and the others.
Soon, their bodies were covered in a strange, sour-smelling substance.
"Do you have any other orders?"
The twelve-nosed ball was trembling more and more violently.
Shen Yu glanced at the 15 above its head.
Then he shook his head.
"No."
He pressed the button for the sixth floor.
"It’s none of your business now."
"Go back."
"Yes."
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The surface of the black pool rippled.
The enormous mass of flesh slowly sank back toward the center of the pool.
Ding dong!
The elevator doors closed.
The elevator began moving upward.
Inside, the four people looked at one another.
All of them released a long breath.
"Shen Yu..."
"Is this the ability you obtained from the Memory Train?"
"This is simply a bug."
"It lets you skip so many steps and directly obtain information."
Yanning looked at Shen Yu with undisguised envy.
But Shen Yu only shook his head.
"No."
"The information is still too limited."
"We haven’t discovered any of the three tasks in this instance."
"Maybe we’ve missed something."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the elevator continued upward, they talked quietly.
Then—
The button for the third floor suddenly lit up.
Everyone’s expressions tightened.
"They’re coming."
"Those beasts..."
"They really pressed the elevator button."
The barrage immediately exploded.
"Butterfly Stroke Champion: Damn!"
"Shen Yu’s skill is insane!"
"Oh my God!"
"Isn’t this basically one of those essential cheat codes?"
"Brainwashing skill!"
"Forbidden love! Incredible!"
"This is supposed to be a horror instance!"
"Why did he get all these weird but overpowered skills?"
"Sexy Male Model in Black Stockings: Don’t even mention it."
"Shen Yu’s entire skill set would make him thrive in another country!"
"Damn!"
"Upstairs, you completely derailed the topic."
"I feel like Memory Alteration still needs more development."
"Can’t he just brainwash the dungeon boss from the beginning?"
"No."
"Why are you all focusing on that?"
"We’re almost back on the third floor."
"What about those wild pigs?"
As the barrage continued pouring across the screen—
Ding dong!
The elevator finally arrived at the third floor.
The doors slowly opened.
Dozens of tall, humanoid figures stood directly outside.
Their bodies were covered in black spikes.
Their fangs curled outward.
Their blood-red eyes were fixed on the people inside the elevator.
"Ha..."
"Ha..."
"Ha..."
Rough breathing echoed through the corridor.
At the same time, the black spikes covering their bodies continued expanding.
Just one glance was enough for Shen Yu to understand.
These creatures could launch those spikes at any moment.
If they attacked, everyone inside the elevator would be riddled with them.
Poof!
"Shen Yu must be dead this time, right?"
"Isn’t he already dead?"
In the distance, hidden among the grass, Mo Xian finally saw the scene he’d been waiting for.
He stared intensely at the elevator doors.
Liang Lingxue had initially been smiling.
But the moment her gaze returned to Shen Yu and the others, her eyelids suddenly twitched.
"Wait a minute."
"G... G... G... G..."
"Why?"
"Why have all four members of the Jochi team’s heads changed to G?"
"No way!"
"Weren’t they all marked with Great Evil just now?"
"Why did it change?"
"Hehehe..."
At that moment, Yanning looked tense.
She quietly moved closer to Shen Yu.
"Shen Yu."
"I can activate my passive ability and forcibly stop time for a few seconds."
"During those few seconds, maybe we can..."
She was clearly preparing to take a desperate gamble.
Chu Chang’an and Ning Su also tensed.
They looked ready to charge out of the elevator.
But Shen Yu simply shook his head.
He calmly met the gazes of the pigmen standing outside, their bodies covered in black spikes.
"Haven’t you noticed yet?"
"Ha?"
"Notice what?"
"These guys..."
"They haven’t attacked us."
Everyone froze.
"Huh?"
"It seems that’s true."
"Why?"
Ning Su still hadn’t reacted.
But Chu Chang’an suddenly wiped his nose and sniffed the sour-smelling black liquid covering their bodies.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"Could it be the black liquid?"
"It covered our scent."
"These pigs don’t attack based on sight."
"They attack based on scent."
"That’s my guess."
Shen Yu nodded.
"Lin Wan didn’t want me to die."
"So she gave me a hint."
"As for using the twelve-nosed ball to remove our scent, she didn’t tell me the method."
"But the method itself was correct."
"It was simply a matter of how we executed it."
Shen Yu walked toward the elevator doors.
He reached out and pushed against one of the pigmen standing there.
Its blood-red eyes narrowed.
Its body radiated murderous intent.
Yet at the same time, confusion filled its expression.
It couldn’t see them.
It was relying entirely on scent to identify its prey.
"Move."
With a kick, Shen Yu shoved the pigman aside.
Then he pressed the elevator button.
Ding dong!
The elevator doors slowly closed.
Outside, the pigmen remained standing there in confusion.
They didn’t move.
They simply stared blankly at the elevator.
"Damn!"
"Damn it!"
"Why?"
"Why aren’t they attacking Shen Yu?"
"Why?"
Far away in the grass, Mo Xian’s expression changed from excitement to fury.
He shot to his feet and cursed.
"Captain!"
"Their Great Evil changed into G!"
"Why?"
Liang Lingxue was equally confused.
Mo Xian glared at her.
"Damn it!"
"If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?"
"Is there some explanation on the lower floors?"
"Did they somehow get clues from eating soft food?"