Chapter 36: Finally Meeting You
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Version 1.44, Building 92.
Basement level one.
In the dark environment, Zhou Baiyu could barely make out the scenery here, relying on the attendant's powerful initial vision.
This place was simply like the inside of a human body.
Countless flesh covered the entire basement level, as if walking through intestines.
The moment he stepped onto basement level one, Zhou Baiyu had been infected by the sauce-red flesh.
The strange thread-like flesh pierced through his ankles.
The word "attribute" flashed through Zhou Baiyu's mind as he called up the panel.
[Identity: Attendant.]
[Profession: Mutator.]
[Status: Corruption value at 14, and rising at a rate of 2 points per minute.]
[Evaluation: Although reaching a corruption value of one hundred can unlock an unknown trait, it is a form of sacrifice in disguise. Unless you acquire an item in the future that allows you to coexist with the corruption, never let your corruption value reach one hundred. The romance in a man's bones is becoming Ultraman or piloting a Gundam, not turning into a monster~
Clearly, you have found a way to leave this place, please do so before you turn into a monster.]
[Personal Exclusive Traits: "Sixth Sense Player" "Orator" "Unstable Growth" "Unknown Trait" (The Unknown Trait will unlock when corruption value reaches 100.)]
The corrupt sauce-red flesh began to crawl up Zhou Baiyu's calves bit by bit.
It was like flesh tumors growing on a person's leg, spreading continuously. Just after walking a few steps, Zhou Baiyu's calves were covered with them.
Bang!
Bang!
The familiar impact sound came again, directing Zhou Baiyu.
The vast basement level one was originally an underground water storage chamber. But there was actually a basement level two.
Only there is no staircase, the entrance to basement level two is very small, it is a partition board.
Just like the manhole cover leading to the sewer.
Following the intermittent impact sounds, Zhou Baiyu quickly found the location of the partition board.
The partition board was indeed different from a manhole cover, or to be exact, it was much heavier than a manhole cover.
The board was extremely thick, but it had been dented by some powerful force.
Luckily, the attendant's physical fitness was almost at max initial stamina. Moving something weighing hundreds of pounds wasn't too much of a problem.
But the problem was... it was locked.
And there was no key.
Although the attendant's body could withstand the torment of a succubus leader, to say that he could break chains and split tens of pounds of huge locks with sheer muscle power...
That was obviously impossible. As for forcing entry into basement level two by using the force of gravity, that was even more unlikely.
Because the floor had been wrapped in the eerie flesh, which was not only hard, but also had tenacity.
Mountain Breaker had that kind of strength, but Zhou Baiyu was not Mountain Breaker.
"It seems that the monster... is locked down there. But how can I unlock it?"
Zhou Baiyu felt...
The monster below was probably of the "curse series."
This monster was powerful and could change time, space, dimension, weather within a certain range.
But the monster's weakness was also obvious... it feared close combat. Its power was very weak, and although the thumping sounds proved that even in close combat, he was no match for it.
However, the fact that it was locked in basement level two at least showed that it did indeed have a shortcoming in power.
Of course, this conjecture did not solve the problem at hand.
Zhou Baiyu suddenly had a brainwave, wait, am I not a Mutator?
"As a profession that could potentially enhance items negatively, isn't enhancing a lock the same as a locksmith?"
He suddenly saw hope and immediately grasped the huge iron lock with both hands.
Three.
Two.
One.
After counting to three silently, with no fancy special effects, but a wave of fatigue, Zhou Baiyu was clear that the mutation was complete.
[Item name: Ten Thousand Whys.]
[Talent: Curious Learner.]
[Introduction: Pfft, great Mutator, you've succeeded in making this lock no longer require a key. Congratulations, let's get started with unlocking it. How? Look at the item name, the lock will ask you ten thousand questions, get all of them right and you might unlock it! I believe in you!]
[Status: Mutable, deviation rate 98%. Would you like to mutate?]
"..."
The sauce-red flesh seemed to sense the overwhelming negative emotions in Zhou Baiyu's heart, as both the corruption value and the rate of flesh spread suddenly accelerated.
Zhou Baiyu forced himself to breathe and adjust his emotions, but couldn't help cursing—Fuck!
If he had to answer ten thousand questions, he feared it would be version 3.0 by then.
Without a word, he endured the mental fatigue and mutated again.
If possible, Zhou Baiyu hoped he would never be angered by this dodgy profession again.
[Item name: Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-nine Whys.]
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"..."
Introductions, special abilities, there was no need to look; Zhou Baiyu feared that if he looked any longer, he would lose his composure and be consumed by the corrupt flesh.
He decisively began his third mutation.
[Item Name: The Vampiric Lock.]
[Special Ability: The more it's used, the newer it gets.]
[Introduction: Let's not waste time, my old pal. Give it a sip of blood; if it's AB-type, even better. Of course, if it's not, it's also fine, just give a little more. This lock is like a vampire; the more blood it sucks, the newer it gets. After each bloodsucking, it will unlock. But next time, it will need even more.
Well… good luck.]
[Status: Mutation possible, deviation rate 95%. Mutate?]
This time, Zhou Baiyu finally solved the problem.
However, he soon discovered… the lock was sucking way too much blood, probably too much to the point that—
[The Teasing of the God of Death and Reincarnation, progression 9/16. Please die seven more times in different ways before completing the task.]
The good news was—bleeding a little would unlock it.
The bad news was—he was sucked dry into a husk.
These were Zhou Baiyu's thoughts before death.
Fortunately, thirty seconds later, he was resurrected.
"The corruption disappeared too."
Upon checking his status, Zhou Baiyu found that although he was again corrupted by the strange flesh, the corruption value had reduced to its initial value.
Moreover, his body was as good as new, and the flesh that had been corrupting him had to start from scratch.
He didn't care about being corrupted by the flesh; now, only the last few steps remained to clear the stage.
Zhou Baiyu exerted force with both hands, lifting the massive partition.
Bang!
The moment he lifted the partition and freed himself from the shackles, a sinister object began to strike!
In the darkness, Zhou Baiyu couldn't see clearly; it looked like a snake!
But as the thing got closer, Zhou Baiyu saw it clearly…
It wasn't a snake, but a neck—a neck as long as a snake's!
Even longer than a snake, it was several meters!
The corrupted sauce-red flesh covered the neck that was as long as a python! Above the neck was a face blurry with blood and flesh.
The disheveled long hair faintly allowed him to discern… it was a woman's face!
"Don't… harm my… child!"
Zhou Baiyu's abdomen was pierced through.
Death progress 10/16.
In the moment before death… intense resentment began to invade Zhou Baiyu's brain.
As the monster with the blurry face and outrageously long neck bit through his organs...
The strange parasitic flesh… instantly filled Zhou Baiyu's maimed body.
In the moment of death's arrival, Zhou Baiyu saw the indifferent face of a little girl.
Thirty seconds later.
Zhou Baiyu was resurrected, but before he could speak, the terrifying face of the woman monster… attacked once again!
This time, he was strangled to death. Dissected, strangled, impaled…
Zhou Baiyu silently counted his deaths, coming back to life over and over again.
It even made the monster a bit puzzled.
Unlike the curse-infused homework papers from before, this monster was clearly a human who had turned after reaching a corruption value of 100.
Though its wit was clouded and its consciousness was in chaos, it still retained a sliver of intelligence.
It didn't understand why it couldn't kill this frail human.
But it didn't care much; if it couldn't kill, then it would just keep killing!
Before her corruption value entered one hundred, and she became a monster… her last thought was—
"I must break down the partition…"
"Everyone in this building deserves to die! They caused the downfall of my entire family! Everyone here, anyone who gets close to my child, must be killed!"
This was her final obsession, and so to protect her child, she would continue to strike down Zhou Baiyu!
[The Teasing of the God of Death and Reincarnation, progression 15/16. Please die one more time in a different way before completing the task.]
Zhou Baiyu, who had resigned to being killed, no longer played dead when only one last death was needed…
In that moment, he turned on the watch's illumination light!
When the light shines from the wristwatch, when the blurry face of the woman saw that familiar watch, as well as Zhou Baiyu's clothes…
The familiarity from memory… oddly brought the monster to a sudden halt.
It was as if the beam of light had a petrifying effect.
At the same time, from under the partition, a small girl's voice came:
"Daddy… have you come back?"