Chapter Twenty-Two: The Plot in the Shadows

Lin Lei pressed forward through the darkness, only to suddenly halt. Not far ahead in the pitch-black cave, the third-tier monstrous creature was approaching head-on, each of its four arms clutching a blood-soaked, mangled demon ghost, its entire body exuding a suffocating stench of blood.

The reek of blood and rot assaulted Lin Lei’s nostrils. His lips twitched, and his heart began to pound frantically. Yet, with the Nightwalker ability, not a sound nor scent from him would escape.

The monster took no notice of Lin Lei at all; it didn’t even spare him a glance as it brushed past, heading deeper into the cave.

Only after the creature passed did Lin Lei exhale in relief, then dash out of the cave at full speed.

He hadn’t gone far when a hideous, gut-wrenching roar echoed behind him. Lin Lei didn’t run far, choosing instead to stay and observe for a while. He saw the monster soon burst out of the cave, letting out another earth-shaking howl as it dove into the adjacent darkness.

A flash of calculation crossed Lin Lei’s eyes as he quietly followed.

He kept to the monster’s trail, sprinting for about ten minutes before angry snarls and the clamor of combat reached his ears from ahead.

Lin Lei sped forward, only to find the giant beast had arrived before a stone cavern, locked in a frenzied battle with a horde of demon ghosts.

His eyes brightened.

“This thing thinks the demon ghosts killed those two young giant ghosts!”

This place was likely a demon ghost lair—their numbers were overwhelming, and more kept surging from the depths of the cavern.

Yet, even faced with such a multitude, the third-tier giant showed not the slightest hint of fear.

It stomped, tore, and slashed with abandon—its movements were wild and forceful, dispatching demon ghosts with ease.

Individually, the demon ghosts weren’t terrifying, but in such numbers, they became formidable. With their incredible leaping prowess, they sprang onto the giant’s body, claws and fangs tearing incessantly.

Even with all its strength and resilience, the giant couldn’t shake all of them off at once. Sweeping with four claws at a time, it could only dispatch so many with each strike.

Soon, its flesh was ripped and bloodied…

But the more grievous its wounds, the fiercer it became. Eventually, it ignored the demon ghosts clinging to its body, treating them instead as a kind of “shield.” It rampaged through the horde, slaughtering the ones it could reach while the rest simply hung onto its bulk.

From afar, Lin Lei could see demon ghosts flung in all directions like petals in a storm.

He swallowed hard, but crept closer still, activating the formless maw of “Gluttony” to devour demon ghosts one by one—though only as ordinary “meals”…

The battle between the demon ghosts and the giant lasted about half an hour, ending with the ghosts fleeing in chaos and the giant left with its flesh peeled back and raw.

By now, the ground was littered with the corpses of over three hundred demon ghosts.

Though victorious, the giant’s condition was abysmal. In the latter half of the battle, its speed and strength had both waned noticeably. As the demon ghosts scattered, the beast threw back its head with a roar, then simply sat down, its massive chest heaving, serpent-like tongue lolling out—clearly exhausted.

At this, Lin Lei’s eyes shone with resolve. He quietly downed a vial of Enhancement Elixir.

This wasn’t something he bought with his own investigation points—it was provided specifically by the Bureau for this mission. In addition to the elixir, the Bureau had also supplied several healing potions.

After drinking the elixir, he drew his alloy longsword and crept forward.

Boiling Blood—activate!

While the giant, believing the threat gone, had let down its guard, Lin Lei gripped his sword with both hands and leapt high.

With a sharp hiss, he brought the blade down in a cleaving arc toward the monster.

Even sitting, the giant’s head was two or three meters off the ground, but after several rounds of leap-evolution, such a height was nothing to Lin Lei.

As he sprang out, his stealth was inevitably broken.

The giant’s pink eyes contracted abruptly as it swung a massive arm forward.

With a metallic screech, Lin Lei’s savage cut sliced off one of its forelimbs, though the momentum halted there.

A surge of alarm flooded Lin Lei.

The giant’s grotesque, petal-like maw snapped forward, rows of sharp fangs interlocking as it bit toward Lin Lei.

With a bone-crunching snap, the blue, ghostly shield enveloping Lin Lei shattered completely under the bite.

The monster’s remaining three hands were already raised high.

With an explosive crash, Lin Lei’s body was hurled sideways by the monstrous force, slamming heavily into the ground.

His alloy longsword clattered from his grasp.

A dull thud sounded in his chest; he tasted blood in his throat and heard the distinct crackle of breaking bones—his spine and ribs had snapped under the immense impact.

Though his own power and defenses were formidable, his ribs had nonetheless been fractured in a single blow, a testament to the giant’s terrifying strength.

He gasped for breath, his helmet’s visor webbed with cracks, fresh blood spattered across it. The helmet itself was warped, pressing so tightly he struggled to breathe.

Before he could rise, the monstrous creature thundered toward him, pouncing with deadly force.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Lin Lei rolled aside, then twisted his body, his legs coiling as he sprang toward the spot where his sword had fallen, desperate to retrieve it.

But before he could reach it, the giant spun and lunged, one massive claw intercepting him from midair.

“It knows I’m after the sword!” Lin Lei’s face paled.

The beast’s explosive power was immense, and its speed was swift, but its size made it clumsy. Lin Lei had dodged its attacks several times before, even while carrying Wen Xiang, which had made him underestimate the creature.

But its cunning surpassed his expectations. Its agility might be lacking, but its intelligence allowed it to anticipate Lin Lei’s attempt to retrieve the weapon and intercept him accordingly.

He twisted midair, desperately trying to evade, but the claw still grazed him.

Even that glancing blow destroyed his protective suit entirely, slicing open his abdomen and sending his body flying backward under the terrible impact.

As he sailed through the air, his viscera and intestines spilled messily to the ground, blood spraying in a crimson arc.

His body traced a parabola through the darkness before crashing heavily to earth.

With a heavy thud, everything went black.