Chapter 482 - 479: The Humans Who Shouldn’t Have Appeared

Chapter 482: Chapter 479: The Humans Who Shouldn’t Have Appeared

The humans there no longer dared to fight the frenzied creatures head-on. They could only cluster together, constantly repositioning themselves.

Most of the weapons they carried were already corroded and damaged, their surfaces covered in thick patches of rust. During their battle with the strange creatures, these rusted weapons were essentially useless, only serving to slightly fend off the creatures’ claw strikes.

The creatures weren’t wary of the humans’ weapons. They were simply tightening their encirclement, wearing down their prey’s stamina.

The humans realized this as well. They wanted to find a weak point and break through, but their weapons were far too feeble, making it impossible to fight back effectively.

Mo Ling watched this strange scene, feeling puzzled.

’Why are these humans using rusted melee weapons?’

Rusted combat knives, daggers, short clubs... someone was even wielding a long tent pole.

’What about their guns?’

Mo Ling knew that because of supply issues in the abyss, many Hunters would limit their use of firearms. But this was a life-or-death struggle. The fact that this squad still wasn’t using guns, continuing to rely on these rusted melee weapons, was baffling.

’Wait.’

As if he’d realized something, Mo Ling shifted his gaze to what was behind them.

’Just as I thought... their guns are completely rusted too. No wonder.’

It wasn’t that they didn’t have guns; it was that their guns had been rendered completely useless.

Soon, the group’s conversation confirmed Mo Ling’s suspicions.

"Does anyone have a weapon that isn’t rusted?! If this keeps up, we’re all going to die! We have to break through!"

"There aren’t any! Just use whatever you have! Now’s not the time to be picky!"

The group of humans had resorted to using all kinds of tools to fend off the attacks. They were even pulling out maintenance tools like hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers.

Yet, the moment they were exposed to the air, these metal objects began to corrode rapidly. It only took a moment for them to become covered in rust spots, forcing the humans to pull yet other items from their packs to block the attacks.

"This can’t go on! These Antlered Apes are smart; they’re trying to exhaust our stamina and supplies!"

"Let’s use a relic. Pick one with a relatively low cost. We need to deal with this immediate crisis first..."

They quickly came to a decision. A few people in the center of the formation squatted down and began rummaging through their packs, searching for a relic suitable for the situation.

’So that creature is called an Antlered Ape? The name doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with corrosion.’

Mo Ling watched from a distance, careful not to make any rash moves.

This group of humans had appeared inexplicably, and everything about them felt strange. If they posed no threat, Mo Ling planned to avoid contact to prevent any unforeseen complications.

Soon, the people in the center of the group found a suitable relic.

It was a glass orb that resembled an eye. The center of the orb was dotted with specks of starlight, making it look as though countless stars were nestled inside. It was exceptionally beautiful, captivating the soul and making it impossible to look away.

"The Eye of the Stars? Are you sure you want to use that?" one of the others asked, their face etched with worry as they looked at the relic.

"Do you see the situation we’re in? We have to use something that can solve this problem for good. The Eye of the Stars is a perfect fit!"

"Alright... just be careful when you use it..."

The situation was critical. One of them immediately scooped up the glass orb, hastily picked a suitable spot, rubbed the orb three times, and then forcefully threw it into the air.

"Heads down!" he shouted, lowering his own head as he tossed the orb.

In that instant, everyone present lowered their heads, stopped all movement, and shut their eyes.

The glass orb flew into mid-air and froze. Then, the stars within it erupted, scattering across the brown sky like a shower of countless glittering diamonds.

Beneath the twinkling stars, the brown air lost all its color. The entire landscape was bathed in a vast, multicolored starlight, as if the deep night sky itself had descended upon them.

The moment he heard the shout "Heads down!", Mo Ling froze.

His perspective had no head to lower. He could only watch as the stars exploded and light flooded his vision.

He saw the glass orb blink once, and then he was plummeting into an endless, starry cosmos.

Swirling nebulae tore at Mo Ling. He felt as if he had been drifting with the stars through the galaxy for ages. The stars wove themselves into threads, and he leaped between these beautiful stellar strands, flying farther and farther away.

However, he hadn’t been lost in the trance for long before a sharp pain shattered his reverie.

"OW, OW, OW!"

Mo Ling quickly looked down. He had kicked his bed. The sharp pain shooting through his toe yanked him back to reality.

There was no flowing river of stars, no endless cosmos—only the empty metal walls.

’What just happened to me?’ Mo Ling suddenly realized what had occurred. After seeing the starlight inside the glass orb, it was as if his very soul had been sucked in, stripping him of all thought and leaving him to wander through a glittering galaxy.

If he hadn’t kicked the bed, he might never have woken up.

Mo Ling looked around. A moment ago, he had been standing in the center of the Block, but now he was at its edge.

’Is that the power of the Eye of the Stars? To make anyone who sees it lose the ability to think and become lost in an endless cosmos?’

Mo Ling had a good idea of what the relic did.

It was indeed the right relic for the job. The Antlered Apes weren’t very intelligent, so they would likely be caught completely off guard.

’Don’t look... don’t look...’ Mo Ling repeated to himself as he carefully extended his gaze outside.

The starlight continued to illuminate the land. Everyone on the scene kept their heads down, eyes squeezed tightly shut. They obviously understood the power of the Eye of the Stars.

The Antlered Apes, however, were completely entranced by the starlight. Their three eyes stared blankly at the Eye of the Stars in the sky as they dazedly began walking toward the spot directly beneath it.

They were oblivious to the humans in their path, shuffling toward the space below the Eye of the Stars like zombies.

When their sturdy bodies bumped into a human, they would just blankly push their way through. The humans, in turn, carefully dodged out of the way, clearing a path for the Antlered Apes.

Just like that, all the Antlered Apes slowly made their way to the center, pressing tightly against one another like commuters packing into a subway car.

They continued to gaze, mesmerized, at the Eye of the Stars in the sky. Their feet kept moving, even when they could no longer advance.

Before long, the Antlered Apes on the outer edge of the horde began to climb. They clambered onto the shoulders of their brethren, stepping on other Apes’ heads to get closer to the center.

The Antlered Apes in the back kept climbing upward, trampling their kin beneath them, piling higher and higher.

But their gazes never left the Eye of the Stars above, the insane obsession in their eyes growing ever more apparent.

At first, they were just pushing and shoving. But soon their movements grew more violent, and they began trampling one another. The Antlered Apes at the bottom were crushed, unable to move.

They climbed, they fell, over and over again. The injuries covering their bodies grew increasingly severe.