Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Captain Jiang, is something amiss?"

Geng Yang pulled out his detector and switched it on. The display showed a green, safe zone extending thirty miles, beyond which the color deepened as it approached the barrier.

The Bai Gu Town base boasted the highest-precision, thirteen-level protective walls in all of China, specifically designed to repel creatures infected by the abyss. No such entity had ever breached its defenses.

Jiang Linchuan stared intently into the distance. Though he saw nothing, he felt an unsettling sensation, as if he were being brazenly scrutinized.

That gaze held a blend of amusement, admiration, and the predatory hunger of one eyeing a delectable meal.

In over a decade of military service, no aberrant creature had ever evoked such a feeling in him.

Nor, for that matter, had any ever managed to remain so utterly undetectable in his presence.

Chen Lanzhi turned to him. "Captain?"

Jiang Linchuan remained motionless, his deep, sharp eyes fixed on that precise spot.

Moments later, the oppressive weight of the night finally dissipated.

Jiang Linchuan frowned, touching the wound on his shoulder. Ever since being infected by the squid’s ink, he’d felt a persistent mental fog.

If an aberrant creature could breach the Bai Gu Town base’s defenses and conceal itself so perfectly in his presence, it would send shockwaves through the entire military command.

"It's nothing. Come inside." Jiang Linchuan cast one last glance at the spot before turning and entering the building.

Chen Lanzhi’s gaze swept across the vast, dark expanse. After a moment of hesitation, she holstered her pistol.

The captain was always exceptionally sensitive when facing aberrant creatures—perhaps it was the potent squid toxin at play.

That mutated squid was a Class-A infected monster with an enormous ink sac. Had its venom been released, the entire sea area would have been contaminated, requiring decades to cleanse. At the critical juncture, Captain Jiang had single-handedly charged in to block the squid’s venomous spray, but he had been drenched in the toxic ink himself.

Were it not for Captain Jiang’s S-level resistance, he would have become food for the aberrations by now.

"The Puddle escaped," Geng Yang said, following Jiang Linchuan inside. "It crossed into the boundary point."

"Captain, we can’t just let it get away like that," Wu Yao, now lively again after the eerie sensation passed, began to prance. "This is too humiliating. A mere low-level Puddle—if word gets back to the team, we’ll be laughed to death."

The other three turned to Wu Yao in unison. Wu Yao paused, then quietly retreated to Chen Lanzhi’s side, falling silent.

"Wu Yao."

"Sir!" Wu Yao immediately snapped to attention, heels together, facing Jiang Linchuan.

Jiang Linchuan’s sharp gaze swept over his face. "The Special Operations Brigade is a frontline unit. Any mistake you make could endanger your teammates. If you cannot follow orders implicitly and obey absolutely, then submit your resignation now."

"Yes, Captain!" Wu Yao pressed his fingers firmly along his trouser seams, back straight, his expression resolute. "I may be a chatterbox, but my actions speak louder than words. Please rest assured, Captain."

Jiang Linchuan gave him a cold glance before turning away. "You three return to the city. Assist the municipal team in flushing all the sewer lines to ensure no remnants are left behind."

"Yes, sir!" The three team members snapped to attention and saluted Jiang Linchuan in unison. Wu Yao, seeing them, quickly followed suit, raising his hand in a salute.

The Special Operations Brigade had been established only a few years prior. It wasn't part of the military’s official structure, but most of its members were elites handpicked from the armed forces. As for Wu Yao… he was an exception, having pulled some strings to get in.

Wu Yao opened his mouth, wanting to ask if someone should stay behind to care for the injured captain.

Before he could speak, Geng Yang clapped a hand over his mouth from behind and forcibly led him away.

Indeed, he was quite the chatterbox.

Bai Gu Town was a gray zone between humans and aberrant creatures. A military regiment was stationed outside the town, overseeing it. For aberrant creatures to leave, they had to breach the military’s defenses, and humans were not permitted to enter or exit freely without cause.

The Bai Gu Town base was only a few dozen miles from the boundary point. It housed monitoring towers capable of detecting high-level aberrant creatures, and Special Operations personnel entering Bai Gu Town to apprehend rogue entities could use this location for temporary rest and recuperation.

Humans required instruments to detect aberrant creatures, but for the creatures, sensing human presence was effortless.

To prevent agitating the aberrant population, the Bai Gu Town base generally did not permit humans to stay for extended periods.

But… Captain Jiang was an extraordinary individual, unlike ordinary humans.

…

After the Special Operations Team departed, Jiang Linchuan closed the door, retrieved a syringe from the medical kit in the refrigerator, and injected himself in the shoulder.

The medication rapidly diffused through his body, battling the toxins in his bloodstream.

Jiang Linchuan leaned against the wall, eyes closed, enduring the physical pain.

His face was sharply chiseled, with a cold, stern cast, a high-bridged nose, and deep-set eyes. When he reprimanded others with a frigid expression, he exuded a unique, commanding presence.

His iron-gray combat uniform and black combat boots perfectly accentuated his lean, powerful physique.

He was an exceptionally handsome human, radiating an alluring aura.

A slender finger lifted the bandage covering his wound, and a tongue gently licked the spot.

Jiang Linchuan tensed, his hand darting like lightning to grasp at his shoulder as his eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze locking onto the empty air before him.

A large palm brushed past his ear—this human’s reflexes were remarkably keen.

Good.

He liked that.

In the year China was founded, he had encountered another strong human. Unfortunately, that human was short and ugly, not worth a second glance.

"Who are you?"

"You guess." A teasing voice flowed like a babbling stream beside his ear, clear and melodious.

Jiang Linchuan’s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t been mistaken—something had entered the base.

His hand moved to draw the gun at his waist, but a tentacle wrapped around his wrist, pinning both hands high against the wall.

A powerful, terrifying psychic force, no longer concealed, crashed down like a tidal wave, enveloping Jiang Linchuan and the seemingly ordinary but highly fortified bungalow. It spread across the entire base for hundreds of miles, dark mist shrouding the night sky. Bai Gu Town fell into an eerie silence, even the rustling of leaves ceasing.

It was as if no living creature remained in the world.

Pinned against the wall, unable to move under the overwhelming psychic pressure, Jiang Linchuan maintained a cold exterior while his mind reeled. He had encountered a powerful aberrant creature.

One far more terrifying and formidable than an S-class monster.

Jiang Linchuan forced himself to stay calm, channeling all his psychic energy into his right hand. With a sudden twist of his wrist, he grabbed the thing restraining him. A sinister blue tentacle slowly materialized in his grasp.

"Wow." A light laugh sounded in his ear. "You’re the first human to break free from my restraint. Truly impressive." As he spoke, another tentacle, sharp and deadly, pierced Jiang Linchuan’s left shoulder wound.

Blood sprayed out. Jiang Linchuan’s hand jerked open, his face paling as he arched his back, trembling uncontrollably from the pain.

An icy tentacle patted his cheek, a cultured voice laced with menace: "Be good. Don’t anger me, and I won’t take your life."

Jiang Linchuan took a deep breath, and after recovering slightly, he slowly lifted his sweat-drenched face, his pale lips parting: "What exactly are you..." he spat.

Jiang Linchuan froze.

His blood did not fall to the ground but met a barrier instead. It flowed slowly over the pale, almost translucent face, and a pink tongue darted out to catch the blood: "Pity it’s tainted by the squid monster. Otherwise, it would have been even more delicious."

The figure closed the distance, a tentacle covering Jiang Linchuan’s eyes, while cool lips covered his. The heavy, distinct fishy stench of the squid monster spread through his mouth, making Jiang Linchuan feel so dizzy from the odor that he tried to push the unbidden invading tongue out.

"I told you to behave. Why won’t you listen?"

Like hell I will.

Jiang Linchuan clenched his fingers tightly, nails digging into his palms, forcing himself to find some clarity amidst the dizziness. Concentrating all his strength into his teeth, he bit down hard.

The scent of flowers, fruits, damp earth after rain, the freshness of budding leaves, and dozens of other unidentifiable scents instantly overwhelmed the foul stench. Enveloped by this exquisite fragrance he had never experienced before, Jiang Linchuan’s knees, which had been stubbornly supporting him, weakened. His combat boots stumbled forward, and he dropped to one knee on the ground.

"You really are disobedient," a cold finger traced his chin, carrying an irresistible mental force, "but I like it."

Kneeling there, Jiang Linchuan suddenly remembered his first day in the military. His superior, a general who had survived humanity’s greatest disaster, told him: "Linchuan, you are strong. If you can fully harness your abilities, you'd rival an S-class monster."

"What about him?"

"Who?"

"The Lord of the Abyss."

"Unknown. No one has truly witnessed his power. All we know is that all abysses kneel before him."

Before the claws could reach him, the transparent figure suddenly materialized. A naked body, stained with his blood, collapsed against him.

Blood mingled, a strange perfume permeated the air, rapidly spreading for miles.

The silent Bai Gu Town suddenly came back to life.

Leaves began to rustle, two snakes coiled together, two dogs panted and barked, two fish chased each other...

Even puddles leaped toward one another.

Author's Note: