Chapter 46

Chapter 46

1

The underwater scene at this moment was profoundly unsettling.

An enormous, transparent water snake coiled its way up from Wang Qiu's thigh, tightly embracing his lean, toned physique.

Yet Wang Qiu, entangled as he was, offered no resistance or struggle.

A closer look would reveal a spellbound gaze in his eyes, one too intense to meet directly.

Now, Wang Qiu relaxed his brow, his features softening, feeling as if long-suppressed desires had finally found an outlet, and the hollow, decaying void within him had been filled.

He allowed himself to drift at the center of the murky, cold lake, letting out a rapturous sigh as the serpent tightened its coiling embrace.

He was no longer the stern and aloof Wang Qiu, not the awe-inspiring figure in others' eyes, nor the Wang Qiu entrusted with heavy responsibilities and "meticulously cultivated" by the Intelligence Bureau.

He was himself, yet not himself.

Submerged in the lake, his body felt detached from the outside world’s noise. The isolated silence gave his burdened heart a moment to breathe.

Though Wang Qiu could neither see nor hear, for the first time, he became aware of his own heartbeat.

He had never felt so unburdened, and even his body, hollowed out by emptiness under pressure, found a deep, primal satisfaction in the serpent’s embrace.

The fierce beast with crimson eyes slowly retreated into the darkness, vanishing without a sound.

Wang Qiu surrendered to this euphoric disorientation, his usually cold face now wearing a dazed expression.

The enormous water snake seemed to have captured a powerful and beautiful prey, tightly constricting the body.

Its translucent head rose past his solid chest, hovering directly before Wang Qiu’s face, staring intently.

Its slender tail coiled around Wang Qiu’s thighs, teasingly caressing his inner legs.

Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would have been struck speechless with terror.

The massive water snake entwined around Wang Qiu’s body like a mating embrace, leaving no space uncovered.

And on Wang Qiu’s face was an expression of enthrallment, as though he were savoring every moment.

This eerily enchanting scene, submerged in the moonlit lake, was indescribably haunting.

As the serpent coiled tighter, Wang Qiu’s body was gradually enveloped, until his dazed face disappeared within the constricting snake, as if devoured like prey.

—

Another unexplained bout of unconsciousness had created a tense, oppressive mood.

Second Captain’s expression was grim, and seeing the poorly concealed panic on others’ faces only fueled his frustration and anger.

He prided himself on being an experienced "veteran"; even if he wasn’t as capable as Wang Qiu, he shouldn’t have been so unprepared.

Thinking of Wang Qiu, he glanced in his direction and noticed Wang Qiu sitting alone under a tree, lost in thought, his expression distant.

Frowning slightly, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about Wang Qiu’s state.

"Captain Wang," he couldn’t help but call out.

Meanwhile, Wang Qiu, seated beneath the tree, was distractedly recalling the events of the previous night.

It felt like a dream.

But he had endured countless oppressive, suffocating dreams—never one so unburdened, leaving him now somewhat addicted.

His mind was sluggish, unable to recall the details clearly, yet the lingering sense of satisfaction remained in his heart, making him unconsciously dwell on it.

Hearing Second Captain’s voice, he snapped back to reality, forcibly suppressing those feelings as he stood up, unaware that the grass beneath him was soaked through and the tree trunk behind him was darkened with dampness.

The morning humidity was heavy; everyone’s clothes were damp with mist, and the rising temperature brought an unbearable mugginess, making their sticky shirts cling uncomfortably.

After confirming there were no invasive mutated microorganisms, everyone had shed their jackets and even unbuttoned their shirts.

Wang Qiu remained as impeccably dressed as ever, not a single hint of disarray even under these conditions.

He always seemed this way.

Like an unsheathed blade—always sharp, always precise.

Before long, the reconnaissance team brought worse news.

"We can’t find the way out."

It wasn’t that the path had vanished, but that they could no longer locate it.

This meant Deepwater Gorge had shifted without their knowledge.

Perhaps it moved while they were unconscious.

Deepwater Gorge was alive.

Everyone paled; nothing could be more terrifying than this.

They were like captured prey entering the jaws of an abyss, unsure when they would be swallowed whole.

All eyes turned to Wang Qiu, hoping for a definitive answer or some glimmer of hope from him.

The slightly eased tension from yesterday tightened again like a noose around Wang Qiu’s neck under their gazes.

His face showed no emotion, and the lively depth in his eyes from the day before had frozen over once more into an icy abyss.

"Continue testing for pollution sources. Explore freely within a five-kilometer radius centered on the Green Lake."

After speaking, Wang Qiu turned and walked away.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but the fresh, natural air of the dense forest was nowhere near as freeing as yesterday’s dream at the lake bottom.

It took a long moment before the others began to move.

Right—their mission was to find Item T39. This was T39’s territory; once they found it, they could leave.

The group quickly dispersed, but Second Captain glanced at Wang Qiu, frowning almost imperceptibly.

"Host, good morning."

7008 puffed out its chest and greeted him with full energy.

After blacking out all night, it was finally back online.

Suddenly hearing such a voice, Wang Qiu looked up with a cold glare and asked sharply, "What thing are you?"

7008 snapped its fingers, and a black suit instantly appeared on it, its hair slicked-back and standing on end.

It held a cigarette between its fingers and spoke in a deep, gravelly voice, "Hello, host. Male Mother System 7008 is at your service. The Male Mother System is dedicated to—"

Wang Qiu loosened his overly tight collar and asked coldly, "Where did you come from? What are you? What’s your connection to T39?"

The killing intent honed through countless battles radiated sharply from Wang Qiu, as if the slightest sign of ill intent from 7008 would obliterate it completely.

This world was different from the previous two—here, real, bloody slaughter and combat existed.

7008’s demeanor instantly deflated. Its suit vanished, the cigarette was stubbed out, and its perked-up hair drooped limply.

"Just... just an ordinary system. No connection to T39."

The only relation, if any, was that its host should have been T39, but due to a positioning error, it ended up with Wang Qiu.

Still, 7008 had come to terms with it.

Whoever the host was didn’t matter—it couldn’t do much anyway. It would just quietly serve as a background character; the mission would complete itself eventually.

Now, 7008’s only concern was how to make a grand entrance in every mission and a profound exit at the end.

After all, it was the system with the highest potential to lead the system brigade.

Even if it was just lying around, it would lie differently from the others!

Wang Qiu scrutinized 7008 with a sharp gaze and asked coldly, "What’s your connection to Chaoyang Laboratory?"

"None."

None at all, absolutely none.

Wang Qiu said emotionlessly, "A parasite?"

What!

How dare he! It was a noble system!

But under Wang Qiu’s icy stare, it immediately straightened up, stood at attention, and saluted seriously.

"Reporting, host! 7008 is just an ordinary, noble, and aloof system. It has no connection to the mutants in this world. Once the mission is completed, 7008 will automatically leave the host."

"How long?"

Wang Qiu’s gaze was colder than ice, with a hint of deeply concealed disgust and rejection in his eyes.

"Un—"

It wanted to say it didn’t know, but the next second, it stood upright again.

"Three months."

It lied.

Who knew when the mission would be completed?

Perhaps the timing was just off—it had no idea what T39’s current wishes were.

And as the second host, Wang Qiu’s precarious mental state was a tangled mess, his aura chaotic.

This made it worry whether it could even last three months.

If Wang Qiu’s willpower was strong enough to destroy himself just to eliminate it, that would pose a real danger.

It could sense that Wang Qiu’s mental energy had been drained to a terrible extent, and his mental state was suppressed to an extremely dangerous level.

Perhaps Wang Qiu himself didn’t realize how precarious his condition was. Years of combat and the pressure from the Intelligence Bureau had suppressed his human nature to the extreme.

He hadn’t lost his capacity for emotions like joy or anger—it was just that all feelings, desires, and emotions were suppressed to the point where even he couldn’t see them.

But unseen didn’t mean nonexistent.

As long as he was human, he couldn’t be without emotional needs—he must have an outlet.

Wang Qiu just didn’t know it himself.

Right now, he was like a balloon constantly inflating, ready to burst at any moment.

Wang Qiu deeply disliked this feeling of being "monitored."

7008’s presence was like the final straw on his already strained mental state, fueling such intense hostility that he’d rather destroy himself than let it remain.

The aura emanating from Wang Qiu was chaotic, oppressive, and mixed with mad killing intent.

7008 held its breath, doing its best to minimize its presence.

After a long moment, Wang Qiu closed his eyes, suppressing the intense emotions that had stirred his nerves, and returned to a state of calm.

But 7008 felt that Wang Qiu had become even more dangerous.

——

The entire Deep Pool Valley was as silent and lifeless as death.

The eerie atmosphere felt suffocating, and an unrelenting tension and anxiety weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts.

Even so, no one dared approach the green lake.

That lake was too bizarre.

Under the sunlight, it resembled a massive green mirror, utterly still without a single ripple, reflecting the sun at its center.

Beautiful as it was, it evoked an indescribable sense of horror.

The overly calm surface made it seem as though the lake was alive, waiting for someone to approach before devouring its prey.

While others found the lake terrifying and spine-chilling, it stirred an inexplicable restlessness in Wang Qiu.

It was as if his body remembered the sensation of being entangled by water snakes.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, his gaze briefly distant, and he unconsciously took a step forward.

"Captain Wang, should we go closer?" Detective Captain swallowed hard. The mental pollution from the lake was terrifying—staring at it too long evoked a hair-raising fear.

Wang Qiu’s eyes flickered. He snapped back to reality and pulled his foot back.

His Adam’s apple moved up and down as he gazed at the lake, his voice hoarse as he said, "Don’t act rashly for now."

Second Captain turned to look at Wang Qiu.