manynovel Chapter 219: Isolating the Curse, A Bountiful Harvest of Traits!
Chapter 219: Isolating the Curse, A Bountiful Harvest of Traits!
Boom!The water's surface abruptly exploded!
The twenty-two tentacles Garcia had previously counted were merely the tip of the iceberg for the Demon Eye Sponge.
At this moment, the tentacles churning underwater numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even more!
Like a suddenly exploding coral reef or an instantly expanding sea urchin, they densely protruded from beneath the surface, extending and contracting madly toward the two people in midair.
The eyes at the tips of every tentacle were wide open, casting hundreds of murky gazes that firmly locked onto them, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.
Luo Kuke was completely terrified. His body trembled uncontrollably, and even his fingers were too stiff to move.
But in this lightning-fast moment, before his body plummeted back into the water, he suddenly noticed a crucial detail. The direction these eyes were staring was not at him and Cheng Ye at all, but rather at the fragment of sponge tightly gripped in Cheng Ye's hand!
Shielded by the Obsidian Battle Armor, not a single trace of their human aura leaked out.
The reason the Demon Eye Sponge was enraged was not because it had discovered intruders, but because its own body had been injured and a part of it had been stolen.
"Quick, throw it away!" Luo Kuke could not help but shout.
"Do not move!"
Cheng Ye's voice remained calm. At the same time, a scorching, fiery aura abruptly erupted from his body.
Thump!
An invisible wave flashed past. Even though there was nothing but empty air beneath his feet, it felt as if he had stepped on solid ground, and his downward momentum abruptly halted.
Following that, Cheng Ye took a fierce stride forward with his left foot and stomped down heavily again. Another invisible fiery footprint flashed across the air and vanished, leaving behind scorch marks like scattered sparks.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Under the intense scrutiny of hundreds of eyes, Cheng Ye took five consecutive steps. Every step left a clear fiery footprint in the air. The moment the sparks exploded, it was as if he had constructed a temporary aerial walkway over the water!
It was not until the eighth step that the fiery aura within his body finally ran out of steam, and the power supporting his body abruptly dissipated.
However, they were now less than two meters away from the pier. Cheng Ye pushed off fiercely with his right leg, carrying Luo Kuke as they dove straight toward the shore like leaping fish. They landed heavily on the concrete ground, rolling a few times before completely shedding the impact of their fall.
Unable to spare a moment to analyze what had just happened, Luo Kuke immediately scrambled up, drew the short blade from his waist, held it tightly, and stared intently at the water's surface.
Those densely packed tentacles were still churning underwater, but they seemed to be bound by something. Even the longest one only dared to drift beneath the surface; not a single one dared to burst out of the water and pounce onto the pier to attack the two men.
"What is going on? Why did you suddenly attack just now?" Luo Kuke whipped his head around, his tone laced with lingering fear and a hint of interrogation.
If Cheng Ye had not rashly slashed the sponge, he would not have alarmed this massive entity.
But right after he finished speaking, he suddenly froze as he looked down. The surface of his battle armor had somehow been covered with a layer of pale yellow microorganisms. They looked like tiny spots of mold, or perhaps miniature tentacles, wriggling slightly as they tried to drill into the gaps of his armor, clearly attempting to parasitize him.
In contrast, Cheng Ye's battle armor was completely clean, without a single trace of them.
"Do not exhale underwater."
Cheng Ye also got to his feet. He first bent down to confirm that the severed sponge fragment was still in his hand before drawing his Red Blade. "The underwater area has likely completely turned into its domain. The breath you exhale will immediately attract these microorganisms to initiate Parasitism, just like a magnet. Even I almost failed to react in time."
"I cannot exhale?"
Luo Kuke's heart sank. When he saw the entrance to the Rongdong cave system earlier, he had indeed failed to hold back from leaking a sliver of breath when he complained.
But just this tiny sliver of breath was enough for the Demon Eye Sponge to catch and initiate Parasitism?
"It probably cannot detect our auras. We can just wear our breathing apparatus directly during the next exploration."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly. Upon realizing that they had to surface immediately, he had simply taken the opportunity to slash at the sponge, intending both to test the massive creature's reaction and to use the chance to collect a sample.
He just had not expected the slumbering Demon Eye Sponge to react so violently, completely awakening in a mere two or three seconds and extending hundreds of tentacles.
Fortunately, the speed of his rising energy was faster than the extension and contraction speed of the tentacles. He could be a bit bolder next time.
"That power just now..." Luo Kuke paused right as the words reached his lips.
Smart people obviously should not ask such questions; every Inspector had their own life-saving abilities.
But truth be told, that upward rushing force underwater, as well as the ability to Hover in the air, had completely exceeded his imagination.
An overt superhuman ability?
"Just a minor trick. I have made a fool of myself before Inspector Luo."
Cheng Ye chuckled. Flipping his Red Blade over, he carefully used the back of the knife to scrape the microorganisms off Luo Kuke's back, turning them into a thin layer of yellowish-brown powder.
As soon as the attached little creatures left the battle armor and landed on the ground, they lost their vitality and quickly became shriveled.
Luo Kuke stared at the microbial remains on the ground, opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
It was not until this moment that he vaguely understood why Cheng Ye could remain unaffected by the Immortal Object Contamination, and even dared to return after leaving Dabo Town.
This level of raw power truly could not be summarized by the title of "Trainee Inspector."
After the microorganisms on the surface of the battle armor were cleaned off, Cheng Ye took out a portable blowtorch and scorched the hard-to-clean areas, such as the gaps in the armor and the corners of the joints, to ensure nothing was missed.
Only then did Luo Kuke completely recover his wits. His tone grew solemn. "Inspector Cheng, I did not expect you to possess such strength. That will save us a lot of trouble in the upcoming exploration. However, we need to establish a plan first to avoid throwing off our rhythm later."
"Go ahead," Cheng Ye replied while retrieving his portable Containment Box and carefully placing the sponge fragment inside.
The interface had already prompted him that the Trait extraction was complete, but this fragment still held research value. He could later take it to the testing bench in the truck for deconstruction and analysis. Perhaps he could uncover more information about the Demon Eye Sponge.
Luo Kuke organized his thoughts and slowly spoke, "The abilities of Infection Sources are often bizarre and unpredictable. Clashing head-on requires extreme strength, but our core mission as Inspectors is 'containment,' not 'eradication.' Therefore, there is no need to actively provoke it. The key to containment lies in observation and judgment—analyzing its activity patterns and finding its weaknesses. This aspect has little to do with raw strength."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Many of the fourth-stage and fifth-stage Inspectors in the station who have contained Ruin-level Infection Sources possess raw strength comparable to mine. Even when Station Master Ding contained the Extinction-level Infection Source 'Lion Dragon' back in the day, he never launched a direct attack like you did. The entire process involved probing from outside the boundaries of the Infection Source's abilities, slowly figuring out its patterns before successfully containing it."
"But the weak have their methods, and the strong have their advantages."
Luo Kuke's tone shifted to one of candor. "Obtaining physical materials from the Infection Source directly, like you just did, is indeed the most efficient approach. However, my strength is average, and I cannot keep up with your 'life-and-death' style of testing. Following you will only waste time and perhaps even hold you back. Conversely, with my slow-paced exploration, you would very likely feel impatient and consider it unnecessary. So..."
"We split up?" Cheng Ye smoothly picked up the thread.
None of those who managed to become Inspectors were rigid or pedantic; even Garcia had his own means of survival.
His "reckless" actions appeared to Luo Kuke as a life-and-death test.
It was just that, holding multiple trump cards, Cheng Ye himself felt no psychological burden whatsoever. He even wanted to clash with the sponge tentacles a few more times to fully grasp the Infection Source's attack patterns, preparing himself further for entering the water tonight.
If they continued to dive together, Luo Kuke truly would not be of any use; rather, his presence would only be a hindrance.
"Correct. We will take turns going into the water."
Luo Kuke immediately nodded. "Since your strength is high, you will be in charge of testing the Demon Eye Sponge's attack methods and trigger conditions, while simultaneously observing the underwater environment to see if there are any other paths leading into the Rongdong. Given my weaker strength, I will focus on testing its means of pollution, locating the core of the Infection Source, researching why it can suppress other Infection Sources, and identifying any potential weaknesses. All of these are crucial for subsequent containment."
He said all this in one breath, showing no embarrassment whatsoever at admitting his inferior strength. Instead, he promised with a firm tone, "Trust me, splitting up like this will definitely be more efficient. Utilizing our respective specialties is much better than being tied together."
"Alright, no problem!" Cheng Ye immediately nodded in agreement.
It just so happened that Underwater Breathing also had a cooldown period. Thirty-five minutes of exploration would require an hour of cooldown.
Furthermore, his acceleration energy also needed time to recover.
Having just used it fiercely, it had currently dropped to 64%.
Although it was continuously recovering, he could clearly sense that the returning energy did not appear out of thin air. Rather, the totem on his chest was extracting life energy—which meant physical stamina.
Fortunately, physical stamina was easier to replenish than Vigor; drinking a few more pouches of nutrient paste would restore it, so there was no need to worry too much.
"Very well. I didn't exert myself just now, so I will go first to conduct the initial probing."
Luo Kuke did not dawdle. He turned around, retrieved an underwater breathing apparatus from the equipment box, sat by the water's edge to rest with his eyes closed for five minutes, and then stretched his wrists and ankles. Afterward, with a crisp "Splash," he plunged into the water. His movements were swift and decisive, as if he had been completely unaffected by the recent life-and-death crisis.
This unwavering decisiveness and courage in the face of danger actually gave Cheng Ye a deeper understanding of the position of Inspector.
Power and responsibility.
Power corresponded to the generous treatment within Happiness City, while responsibility meant facing life and death head-on in the Wilderness and shouldering the risks.
Since one had not refused the power, one should fully bear the responsibility.
He retracted his gaze, turned around, walked back to the equipment box, and pressed his hand against its surface.
The Obsidian Battle Armor on his body immediately began to vibrate rapidly. The black substance flowed like a tide along his fingertips back into the box, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Refreshing!"
Without the black film covering his facial features, the outside light, sounds, and even the temperature of the air became perfectly clear.
Cheng Ye took a deep breath, feeling deeply comfortable all over.
He changed into the heavy protective armor he had taken off earlier, picked up the Containment Box holding the sponge fragment, and strode toward the truck.
After getting into the vehicle, Cheng Ye first securely closed the door, placed the sponge fragment into the onboard automated analyzer, and set up the analysis Program. Then, he pulled over a supply crate from the corner, took out several yellow-packaged pouches of nutrient paste, tore open the nozzles, and squeezed them into his mouth.
He drank ten pouches in a row until his stomach conveyed a distinct sensation of fullness. Only then did he stop, plop down onto an alloy stool, and open the Collector interface.
The truck's external discharge power was not particularly high, only 60kw. However, four hours had passed since the truck drove into Dabo Town, and the Recharge Value on the interface had recovered to 67%.
Looking at this number, Cheng Ye felt much more at ease. Having Recharge Value meant he still had trump cards available for critical moments.
With a shift in his thoughts, the interface immediately switched to his personal status page.
He first swapped out Surfing Through Waves for Snake Force, which was only a hair away from being mastered. Then, Cheng Ye's gaze fell upon the various data entries, carefully organizing the changes:
[Collector: Cheng Ye]
[Current Rank: Lv.2 Novice (67.9/100)]
[Life Level: 1]
[Skills: Heart-Protecting Fire, Zeye Physique, Fish-Mimicking State, Snake Force]
[Ability]: Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State (Shaping)
[Not Yet Unlocked...]
[Evaluation: Life Level is a double-edged sword. It will bring you stronger foundational stats and grant incredible bonuses to the various skills you master. However, at the same time, it will also attract the attention of special native creatures, inciting them to attack you. Try unequipping a Transcendent Ability. A steadfast Collector never fears loss. In order to explore more places and reap greater harvests, some sacrifices are worthwhile!]
The increase in Information Degree brought by the Immortal Object this time was the highest ever.
A full 18.2 in Information Degree directly pushed his Rank progress past the 50% threshold, reaching 67.9%.
However, the change in the evaluation at the bottom of the interface made Cheng Ye vaguely understand that the reason he triggered the influence of the Immortal Object this time was likely inseparable from the elevation of his Life Level.
But since he was currently already within the area of effect of the Immortal Object, even if he unequipped his Transcendent Ability, it would be to no avail. He could only temporarily suppress this matter in his heart.
Reeling in his thoughts, Cheng Ye shifted his gaze to "Heart-Protecting Fire." After collecting two new abilities from Liu Kun, this talent had finally undergone a noticeable change:
[Heart-Protecting Fire (Lv1; Transcendent Talent)]
[Description]: Rumored to take root and grow in magma...
[Growth Value]: Lv1 (15.27%)
[Growth Method]:
[Current Efficacy]:
[Note]: The Growth Value is currently influencing changes in the Blazing Eagle. This process will take some time to complete.
The Growth Value, which had previously been in the single digits, had leaped straight up by 15.27%. Although the core description on the interface remained locked, a crucial note had been added below.
Evidently, the growth of the Heart-Protecting Fire was feeding back into the Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State.
Moving past the Heart-Protecting Fire, Cheng Ye looked at the ability with the most significant changes—the "Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State":
[Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State (Shaping)]
[Description]: After activating the ability...
[Current State]: Shaping
[Currently Sharable Skills]:
Blazing Eagle Devours Fire (Lv1, Perfect, can consume a small amount of fire to heal the injuries of itself or its host)
Hover (Lv1, Perfect, grants a brief hovering ability when falling from a high altitude, reducing fall damage)
Blazing Eagle's Heart Fire (Lv1, Rare, when the host's mental energy is excessively consumed, the Blazing Eagle can consume flames to replenish a minuscule amount of their mental energy)
Blazing Eagle's Killing Fire (Lv1, Rare, the host's contact attacks carry a minuscule amount of Fire Damage, capable of inflicting dual damage on both the Physical Body and the Spirit Body Level)
[Currently Sharable Attributes]:
Health +10.45% (Based on the host's current state)
Strength +25.57% (Based...)
Speed +15.19% (Based...)
Defense +45.24% (Based...)
[Currently Sharable Abilities]:
Charcoal Fire Power (Lv1, Rare, slightly increases resistance to low temperatures)
Earth Fire Power (Lv0, Perfect, the host's contact attacks carry a minuscule amount of Earth Fire damage)
Firewood Power (Lv1, Rare, slightly increases resistance to high temperatures)
After fusing with Liu Kun's abilities, the first to undergo a drastic change were the sharable attributes.
The previous single-digit bonuses had leaped to double digits. The defense bonus, in particular, was nearly reaching 50%.
The skill column had also gained two Perfect-grade and two Rare-grade skills. Taking eight consecutive steps in midair and traversing a distance of nearly thirty meters earlier was all thanks to the enhancement of the Perfect-grade Hover.
'This feeling...'
Cheng Ye could not help but recall the sensation of activating the symbiotic state earlier. His body had felt as if it were overflowing with a surging power, swelling with an unprecedented level of strength.
Even if he were to return to the water right now, he had the courage to clash head-on with the Demon Eye Sponge's tentacles.
Summoning Little Flame from the Spirit Body Space, the little creature, which had already been somewhat drowsy due to its recent rapid growth, was now completely fast asleep after absorbing a massive amount of energy. Its size had not changed much, but its feathers had grown denser, and the golden glow atop its head, representing its heart fire, had become even more brilliant.
As for the upgraded Fire Brazier, considering that the Blazing Eagle did not need to replenish energy in the short term, Cheng Ye did not waste Recharge Value to summon it just to check its effects.
Having finished reviewing all the changes on his personal page, Cheng Ye returned to the main interface. With a light tap of his fingertip, he pulled up the playback of the notifications he had not examined closely earlier.
Lines of text flashed by.
[The Collector has detected dissipating biological information. Beginning automatic absorption...]
[Absorption complete. Added new entry to Biological Compendium: Demon Eye Sponge.]
[Absorption complete. The Traits of the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch have increased.]
'As expected, the fragments of the Immortal Object are either inside this sponge's body or down in the Rongdong cave it's blocking.'
Receiving this concrete information, Cheng Ye immediately tapped open the Biological Compendium.
At the very bottom of the compendium, the entry for the "Demon Eye Sponge" was prominently displayed, highlighted entirely in red.
This signified that it had inherently been a Transcendent Creature during the S3 era. Now, after being infected by the S4 Virus, it had transformed into a powerful Ruin-level Infection Source.
[Demon Eye Sponge]
[Description]: Formed from a "Special Transcendent Sponge Creature" infected with a mutated virus. It boasts a massive size and numerous tentacles, possessing extreme aggressiveness.
[Current Parasitism Probability]:
Direct Contact (Pollution Probability: 100%)
Mental Pollution (Life Level Reduction; Heart-Protecting Fire Resistance Reduction; No Risk)
[Currently Recorded Traits]:
Mian Chamber (4.59%)
Assimilation Mian Pattern (5.57%)
Access Mian Pattern (10.17%)
Command Mian Pattern (0.19%)
Nature Mian Pattern (0.02%)
Earth Mian Pattern (0.007%)
Water Mian Pattern (0.0001%)
Rule Eye (2.75%)
Constraint Eye (1.33%)
"Holy shit, this Demon Eye Sponge actually has this many... Traits?"
Cheng Ye scanned the list of Traits and was instantly stunned.
Ever since he unlocked the Compendium function, even the golden legendary-grade creatures he encountered before only had five Traits. Yet, the Demon Eye Sponge in front of him had nine Traits already recorded, and among them, those bearing the name "Mian Pattern" accounted for six!
'Mian Pattern...'
He suddenly came to a realization. 'Could the patterns on those two corpses earlier have been these Mian Patterns?'
Although the current Trait collection progress was insufficient for in-depth analysis or for extracting skills and items, simply looking at the text provided by the interface allowed him to deduce quite a few conclusions.
The word "Chamber" in "Mian Chamber" was pivotal. It highly likely referred to the enormous pustule at the center of the Demon Eye Sponge, implying that the interior of the pustule might form an independent space of its own.
And the various "Mian Patterns" listed below should be the core abilities of the Demon Eye Sponge, triggering their effects through these very patterns.
As for the "Rule Eye" and "Constraint Eye," they undoubtedly corresponded to the eyes at the tips of the tentacles.
'Rules and constraints...'
Cheng Ye grew thoughtful. Combining this with the naming convention of the "Mian Patterns," a bold conjecture surfaced in his mind:
Could these Rule and Constraint Eyes act as guards, responsible for screening whether organisms are qualified to enter the Mian Chamber below?
And the Access Mian Pattern is the key, or rather, an ID card. Would an organism holding it not be attacked by the Demon Eye Sponge?
Thinking further down the line, the "Assimilation Mian Pattern" was very likely the rallying ability unique to powerful Infection Sources—the prerequisite for forming an Infection Tide, capable of gathering surrounding Infected Bodies.
Then the Command Mian Pattern might be the ability to control these gathered Infected Bodies?
As for the Nature, Earth, and Water Mian Patterns further below... it was temporarily impossible to judge their specific effects from their names, but they were likely abilities the Demon Eye Sponge used to alter its internal or external environment.
'If I can get my hands on this Access Mian Pattern and manifest it as a skill... no, this is a special skill. If I were to manifest it as an item and wear it, wouldn't I be able to pass the screening of the Rule and Constraint Eyes, qualify to enter the Mian Chamber, and subsequently reach the Rongdong cave deeper below?'
Cheng Ye considered his analytical skills to be quite strong, and his ability to draw connections even stronger.
However, when this audacious series of speculations pieced itself together in his mind, he was still startled.
Setting aside whether others could derive the function of the Mian Patterns from their Trait names and subsequently obtain the corresponding items like he could, even if one genuinely entered the Mian Chamber, there would be nowhere to run if an accident occurred.
Unless one had the power to detonate the Demon Eye Sponge from the inside, they would simply be trapped in there waiting to die!
Just as he was pondering, the onboard analysis bench suddenly let out a soft chime, and the screen began to display the data analyzed from the sponge fragment.
Previously, Shi Xu had only taught him how to initiate the analysis and how to import the data into the database to verify conclusions without explaining the underlying principles in detail. Cheng Ye did not delve into it either, directly importing the analyzed data into the database and launching the matching Program.
Lines of complex raw data flooded into the database. Following a rapid analysis and cross-referencing process, they were swiftly translated into easily understandable conclusions displayed on the screen.
[Source Match: Completely unknown Infection Source (Refers to a species that has never appeared in the Wilderness, no related data available)]
[Ability Match: Detected massive residual rule-type abilities, detected residual pollution-type abilities]
[Rule-type Ability Match Verification:
1. The interior of this organism automatically rejects any special rules. An attempt to verify this using the "Petrification Curse" failed to breach the organism's Rule Restrictions.
2. Attempted to stimulate its abilities. The organism's abilities exhibited two primary traits:
Fixed: The feedback from each stimulation remains stable without any specific variations.
Absorption: After every stimulation, a certain amount of data source is lost, potentially being absorbed and assimilated for its own use.]
[Pollution-type Ability Match Verification:
1. Attempted data simulation analysis. Humans coming into contact with this organism will be subjected to direct Parasitism.
2. Attempted mental simulation analysis. Humans coming into contact with this organism exhibit no obvious Mental Pollution.]
Compared to the specific Traits provided by his interface, the results from the analysis bench leaned more toward academic research. The data was rigorous but lacked somewhat in intuitive, practical application.
Frowning, Cheng Ye quickly scanned through it, his gaze ultimately settling on the first point of the "Rule-type Ability Match Verification."
The "Petrification Curse" mentioned here was exactly the Supernatural Curse circulating underground in Shi Province. Its Trait was to automatically siphon the essence of all plant life, then randomly transfer those absorbed properties into hard materials.
What was certain was that the Inner City definitely possessed materials capable of isolating this curse, which was why there were fresh fruits being brought out of it.
Yet, such a troublesome curse was actually unable to penetrate the Demon Eye Sponge's body?
Did that mean the interior of its "Mian Chamber" would also not be affected by the Petrification Curse?
Cheng Ye's heart gave a sudden leap. If the Demon Eye Sponge truly possessed this kind of rule-rejecting ability, then as long as he collected enough Mian Chamber Traits and exchanged intel for the corresponding Source Rail Technology, he might be able to analyze the underlying principles and eventually manufacture materials with identical characteristics.
At that point, using such materials to build greenhouses immune to the Supernatural Curse would make mass-planting crops no longer just a pipe dream.
He could even affix the material to protective armor. Relying on its rule-rejecting abilities, he might be able to block the corrosion of some Infection Sources, perhaps even having a chance to fend off the elusive Mental Pollution.
'This...'
Cheng Ye felt a bit dumbfounded; the more he thought about it, the more mind-boggling it became.
However, what dumbfounded him was not the Demon Eye Sponge's miraculous Traits, but rather the fact that compared to other Infection Sources, collecting Traits from this colossal Demon Eye Sponge seemed exceptionally simple?
He had only delivered a single slash earlier, yet he had gained roughly 4% progress. If he were faster and slashed it three or five times in one go, wouldn't he be able to rapidly max out the Traits?
Swish.
He abruptly stood up from the alloy stool. No longer bothering to study the literal meanings on the screen, he threw open the truck's cargo door and strode swiftly toward the riverbank.
Right now, he urgently needed to verify his hypothesis. Forget the rest for now; his first priority was to max out the Mian Chamber and Access Mian Pattern Traits, extract them as intel, and analyze them.
Hurrying to the riverbank, he waited as he changed into his Obsidian Battle Armor.
In merely five minutes, Luo Kuke surfaced from underwater. His face carried obvious excitement, making it look as though he had reaped quite a harvest.
"I observed some anomalies underwater. I found that there's something hiding inside its pustule..." Luo Kuke eagerly shared his findings while wiping the water from his face.
"Is it the corpses Garcia mentioned, along with some Infection Sources?" Cheng Ye smoothly interjected while stretching his body.
"How did you know?" Luo Kuke was taken aback, but then shook his head and added, "I didn't see any corpses, but I saw a Soul-Reaping Catfish swimming around inside its pustule. Its size is at least five times larger than a normal Soul-Reaping Catfish!"
Luo Kuke's words seemed to further prove that his hypothesis was flawless.
The interior of the Demon Eye Sponge's 'Mian Chamber' really was an independent space that could even house other organisms.
Cheng Ye took a deep breath and leaped into the water with a forceful dive. His body was already several meters deep before his voice trailed behind, "You rest first! I will be right back!"
"Holy shit, this young man!"
Luo Kuke hadn't even finished speaking before he was struck dumb. For a moment, he did not know whether to sigh in admiration at Cheng Ye's swift and decisive actions or to be astonished by his acute perception, having directly guessed the underwater situation from just a few words of dialogue.
However, just as he recovered his senses and took off his battle armor, before he even had time to catch his breath...
He heard an urgent gurgling sound coming from beneath the water. In the next second, Cheng Ye, who had only just dived in, unexpectedly soared right out of the water and into the air!
This time, he had deliberately adjusted his exit angle. After flying more than three meters high into the air, he planted a foot onto the brick wall of the pier. Then, executing a motion akin to a parkour 'wall run', he kicked off the surface several times in succession and landed squarely on the pier, his movements smooth and incredibly stylish.
In his hand, he was clutching two sponge fragments, each twice the size of the one from before.
One was a pale yellow tubular piece, and the other was a mucus-coated pinkish chunk—evidently sliced right off the central pustule.
"Huh?"
Luo Kuke was utterly dumbfounded. Subconsciously turning his head toward the water, his legs gave way, nearly causing him to plop onto the ground.
Just like last time, densely packed sponge tentacles burst forth from beneath the water. But this time, their numbers were far greater, as if the Demon Eye Sponge had been thoroughly infuriated. The fury within the eyes at the tips of the tentacles practically overflowed as they glared murderously at Cheng Ye on the shore.
"You..." Luo Kuke pointed at the sponge fragments in Cheng Ye's hand, then pointed at the tentacles in the water, stammering so much he couldn't form a sentence.
"Don't worry, this is just the beginning." Cheng Ye opened the Containment Box and familiarly shoved the sponges inside.
He then cast a glance at the Access Mian Pattern, which had already reached 40%. The massive smile on his face squeezed his expression so hard that it even wrinkled the battle armor.
"Don't panic, let me slash it another ten times first. These two pieces from just now aren't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!"
"What?!"
Luo Kuke suspected he had misheard. Just as he wanted to ask for clarification, he saw that Cheng Ye had already turned around again, plunging into the water with a forceful dive, leaving only a rippling circle on the surface.
Barely three minutes later, the familiar scene played out once more.
Cheng Ye launched into the air from the water like an arrow released from a bow, landing steadily on the pier. Behind him, hundreds of sponge tentacles followed closely in pursuit, almost bursting through the surface.
This time, the Demon Eye Sponge was clearly no longer just angry, but thoroughly enraged. Three pillar-thick tentacles actually breached the water's surface, hurtling toward the pier with whistling winds, seemingly intent on dragging Cheng Ye back underwater.
Luo Kuke instinctively reached for the gun at his waist, preparing to counterattack. However, before he could raise his hand, he saw the blazing midday sun shining directly onto the tentacles.
The wide-open eyes at the tips of the tentacles instantly reacted like wax roasted over a raging fire. With a series of gurgles, they rolled out a string of murky blisters, and their surfaces even broke out in subtle scorch marks.
In just an instant, those three tentacles acted as if they had been severely burned, retracting underwater like mad. They brought all the other extending tentacles back into retreat with them, leaving only the continuously churning ripples on the water's surface.
Looking deeper into the water, the faint purple glow that had previously only flickered at a depth of thirty meters had now breached the dark boundary of twenty-five meters. The entire water surface was dyed with a faint purple hue, and even the flowing waves shimmered with a demonic luster.
A full thousand tentacles danced wildly within the purple mist. The thick ones coiled like giant pythons, their thrashing violently churning the currents; the thin ones darted like venomous snakes, carving trails of afterimages through the water. Every tentacle tip possessed eyes of varying sizes, a sight truly enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
What was even more horrifying was that the eyes atop each tentacle were completely wide open, their murky pupils dead-locked onto the water's surface. The densely packed gazes pierced upward like needles, seeming to penetrate the very air to land on Cheng Ye.
Even though he wasn't the target of these eyes, Luo Kuke felt that if the Demon Eye Sponge weren't restricted from leaving the water, it would definitely charge ashore and slaughter everyone in Dabo Town ten times over to appease its monstrous wrath.
"Heh, quite the temper!"
Cheng Ye tilted his head, sweeping a glance over the chaotic, demon-like frenzy beneath the water. Not only was he entirely lacking in nervousness, but he even let out a mischievous chuckle.
This time, his harvest was even greater than before. Just the sponge fragments alone numbered four pieces. Even more outrageously, he was also carrying an intact, arm-thick tentacle.
The eye at the tip was still coated in some mucus. Scorched by the midday sun, it made a sizzling sound and quickly turned charred black.
Yet, this charred eye caused the progress of the 'Rule Eye' Trait on his interface to aggressively surge by 40%, accumulating at a shocking speed!
'I feel like farming Traits from this thing is even easier than the black-and-white striped fish. God is truly helping me!'
Cheng Ye was overjoyed.
After this round of harvesting, the progress for the Mian Chamber and Access Mian Pattern on his interface had completely maxed out. The progress for the other Traits had also significantly increased, with only the Earth Mian Pattern and Water Mian Pattern continuing to grow sluggishly.
'Could it be that these two Mian Patterns were formed under the influence of the Immortal Object's fragments?'
Cheng Ye secretly guessed in his heart, though his movements didn't stop.
Having Traits at a mere 100% wasn't enough. This Demon Eye Sponge was practically a loot piñata, just short of shouting for him to come and slash it for free drops.
Seeing the underwater tentacles just retract, he didn't wait for Luo Kuke to react before leaping into the water once again.
Once again, it took less than three minutes.
The water surface abruptly exploded. Cheng Ye flew out of the water once more, landing steadily on the pier. His movements were even more practiced and effortlessly stylish, truly matching the descriptions of martial arts grandmasters Luo Kuke had read about in Old Era magazines.
Walking through a field of ten thousand flowers, without a single petal touching his body!
However.
'Is there a single Inspector in our Happiness City Inspection Station who deals with Infection Sources like this?!'
Luo Kuke completely lost his capacity to think. He sat blankly by the edge of the pier, his eyes filled with absolute bewilderment.
This time, Cheng Ye was actually holding four sponge tentacles in his hands. Just imagining the scene of him severing these tentacles underwater and then charging out of the encirclement of thousands of tentacles was enough to make his heart tremble with fear.
He turned his head to look into the water again. Through the entirely purple water surface, he could clearly see that within the murky pupils of the Demon Eye Sponge, there had unexpectedly appeared a new human emotion entirely distinct from fury.
It was called helplessness!