Mutated Tao

After a short rest, Li Huowang lifted his helmet and resumed walking. Whether it was real or not, they were already halfway there, and he had to continue forward.

As the sun rose, the temperature in the desert increased, making it even more unbearable than at night.

Everyone’s faces showed signs of exhaustion, exacerbated by the fatigue of not sleeping or eating all night.

Li Huowang pressed forward in this tired state. By this point, the sun was high up in the sky.

Upon noticing something up ahead, Li Huowang and the others stopped. “Is that… Chen Hongyu?”

Li Huowang froze, looking at the familiar figure ahead. A flicker of joy crossed his face. “Could it be true? Does she possess supernatural abilities? Is she really alive?”

Li Huowang quickly rushed over, slowing down as he got closer.

It was indeed Chen Hongyu, but she hadn’t come back to life. Her body had begun to decay under the intense heat, with large flies crawling in and out of her facial orifices while devouring her corpse.

After a day and night of decomposition, Chen Hongyu’s corpse gave off an overwhelming stench. Although Li Huowang had killed many people, he had never imagined that a corpse could have such a disgusting smell.

The smell was so overwhelming that it was almost like an invisible wall, stopping Li Huowang from getting closer. It infiltrated his nostrils, causing his stomach to churn. It threatened to make him vomit everything inside.

Even with his helmet on, Li Huowang’s eyes stung, and tears flowed uncontrollably. He tried to get closer, but he could not do it.

“Hey, madman! What’s going on? Why did you bring us back here?” Ba Nanxu raised her pistol and shot Li Huowang in the back of the head.

Li Huowang stumbled forward a few steps and then turned around furiously. “Shoot me again if you dare!”

Ba Nanxu shot him again. “I’m asking you a question. Can you do this or not?”

“You’re asking for it!” Li Huowang charged at Ba Nanxu while the others quickly grabbed him and pulled him back.

Smack! A loud slap echoed as Zhao Shuangdian hit Ba Nanxu across the face. “Don’t cause trouble.”

Ba Nanxu paused briefly, then tilted her head and chuckled. She stuck out her forked tongue and licked the air in the direction of Zhao Shuangdian before taking a step back.

Zhao Shuangdian ignored her and walked to Li Huowang. “Ignore her. I believe in you. You are the most special one. Keep searching.”

Li Huowang paused for a brief moment, silently paying his respects to the lifeless body of Chen Hongyu. Then, he walked around her, determined to leave some marks behind to prevent himself from going in circles again.

After a few steps, he stopped abruptly. If the Siming of Decay had died, why hadn’t decay disappeared?

Li Huowang suddenly turned back, rushing toward Chen Hongyu while enduring the overwhelming stench. As he drew near, a cloud of flies rose from her body.

He looked up at the swarm of flies in the air and laughed. “I knew it! I knew it!”

“Li Huowang! What are you doing? Come back!”

“Get away from there! Breathing in too much of that stench can cause a lung infection!”

He ignored their shouts and focused entirely on the movement of the flies. While most of the flies returned to Chen Hongyu’s body, a few veered towards the east.

“I found it! Let’s go! Decay hasn’t disappeared yet!”

With Li Huowang in pursuit, the flies flew even faster.

Everyone ran behind Li Huowang for a long time, almost exhausting their stamina before he finally stopped.

He stood at the edge of a shallow depression, watching two flies disappear into a hole in the ground.

The opening was just big enough for someone to crouch and crawl inside.

“We’ve found the way into the elephant.”

Once everyone had caught their breath, they prepared their weapons and entered.

The desert heat was intense, but it felt cool and refreshing inside the cave. In fact, some shade-loving plants and mushrooms were even growing in the corners.

The cave showed signs of human construction. It resembled a tunnel, though narrower than typical ones.

After quickly inspecting the structure, Qing Wanglai said, “This is probably part of an ancient Karez water system. It collapsed over time, which exposed the opening.”

“What’s your point?”

“Nothing, just explaining the technical information about the projection in this environment. While Karez tunnels are generally not wide, they can extend over very long distances. A single tunnel can even be comparable in size to multiple football fields. We should be prepared for enemies.”

Li Huowang did not pay any attention to their conversation. He spotted a gray rat crawl along the wall and couldn’t help but smile. His earlier negative emotions faded away.

Suddenly, a squeaking sound echoed through the tunnel from the direction where the rat had disappeared. Li Huowang’s heart sank, and he charged into the darkness. “Light a flare!”

A red flare illuminated the dark tunnel. Li Huowang was already in motion, lunging toward a shadowy figure with his military knife.

A black umbrella came from the shadows and blocked his knife, sending sparks flying.

Li Huowang was about to counterattack when gunfire erupted and forced him back.

He looked at the figures emerging from the darkness and shouted back, “What are you waiting for? Help me!”

“Help with what?” Qing Wanglai asked, puzzled.

“What do you mean? Can’t you see them? There are so many of them! Are you all blind?”

“No, we can’t see anything.”

Li Huowang turned around in shock and noticed the bewilderment on their faces. “You guys can’t see them? You really can’t see them? Could it be…”

As the realization dawned on him, the shadowy figures disappeared into the darkness.

Li Huowang paced back and forth while he panted heavily. He occasionally slammed his fist against his helmeted head.

The image of the swarm of flies and the gray rat flashed repeatedly in his mind. He felt a wave of suppressed anger and sorrow growing inside him.

Finally, Li Huowang stopped in his tracks. He raised his head and smashed it against the wall. “I knew it! I told you I wasn’t okay, but you insisted I was! I’m insane! How could I lead anyone anywhere?!”

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