Chapter 553 - 550: The Thing on the Summit

Chapter 553: Chapter 550: The Thing on the Summit

Although Xi didn’t understand the meaning of Mo Ling’s words, he could sense the nostalgia within them.

The reassuring drone of his voice gradually calmed Xi’s thoughts.

The currents and tremors on the mountaintop continued, yet Mo Ling moved as if on a leisurely stroll. He hopped and skipped across the mountain of bones and severed limbs, occasionally even floating up to cross a Great Rift between the bones.

Watching Mo Ling alternate between floating and landing, Xi couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

This wasn’t the first time this "Senior" had shattered his understanding of the world.

Xi rested quietly on Mo Ling’s back, watching the summit draw nearer... and just like that, they reached the highest point of the Corpse Mountain.

"We’re here." Mo Ling gently set Xi down, but kept a firm grip on his wrist.

Looking up, they could see the shimmering surface of the lake. Ahead was a murky expanse of silt, but Mo Ling could vaguely discern something glittering within it, right in the center of the summit.

"There seems to be something over there." Xi had also noticed the anomaly in the silt, and the two of them started walking toward it in unison.

Once they passed through the turbulent currents, they got a clear look. The object surrounded by silt, in the very center of the Corpse Mountain’s peak, was a floating orb of light.

Mo Ling and Xi recognized it at once. It was a healer’s orb of light—an orb without a body.

Messy piles of bones encircled the orb. The severed limbs, not yet decayed, were no longer active. They lay still upon the white bones, as if in a deep slumber.

They had been drawn by the orb, yet upon reaching it, they had fallen silent. The sight was bizarre, and both Mo Ling and Xi immediately became wary.

"Is that the Administrator’s orb?" Mo Ling asked curiously.

"I’m not sure. I need to get closer to sense it."

The two cautiously approached the orb. However, despite their extreme care, they still drew the attention of the severed limbs.

They began to entwine: arms grabbing thighs, thighs clamping torsos, torsos locking with arms... They tangled together, converging into a giant, serpentine mass that rushed toward Mo Ling and Xi.

’They’re protecting the orb!’ Mo Ling realized at once. He took aim at the colossal serpent of limbs, intending to teleport, but Xi was a step ahead.

Xi moved past Mo Ling, raised a hand, and aimed it directly at the menacing serpent of limbs.

"Heal!"

As Xi spoke, all the limbs making up the serpent began to rapidly restore themselves. The severed parts grew back into whole bodies, causing the serpent’s structure to instantly collapse. Before it had even crossed half the distance, it disintegrated into a heap of countless bodies that tumbled to the ground.

The fragile bodies pressed against one another, piled together and unable to move.

"Senior, let’s go around them!" Xi urged.

While the bodies were immobilized, Mo Ling grabbed Xi, bypassed the squirming pile, and leaped over the rampart of bones to arrive before the orb of light.

Standing before the orb, the light that formed Xi’s head suddenly began to flicker as well. The two orbs of light pulsed like perfectly synchronized flames, dimming and brightening as if in conversation.

Then, as if he had sensed something, Xi reached out and slowly placed his hand on the orb.

"It’s the Administrator, all right..." Xi said, stunned. "But it’s incomplete. All power, no consciousness."

"What do you mean?" Mo Ling asked, not understanding.

"The consciousness is somewhere else. This place... it isn’t real," Xi said, his voice trembling as he touched the orb.

Mo Ling had no idea what Xi was talking about. He was about to ask another question, but before he could speak, the world around them suddenly changed.

The vortex stopped. The surging undercurrents froze in an instant.

The tremors vanished. The headless bodies abruptly stopped moving, frozen in place like statues.

Countless particles of silt hung suspended in the murky water; Mo Ling could even see them individually.

But then, one by one, the particles began to vanish, dissolving into dust.

Gaps began to appear in the lake water itself, as if chunks of it were being devoured by some unseen creature.

Everything around them was becoming "blurry." It reminded Mo Ling of the "environmental textures" he had seen inside Xi’s Healing Space.

"What’s happening?" Mo Ling asked carefully, not daring to move a muscle.

"This is the Administrator’s Healing Space. We’ve been tricked. When did we enter it? Was it when we first came to Senluo Island? Or... was it when I was captured inside the Matrix Tree?"

Hearing Xi’s words, Mo Ling understood. This was a Healing Space, and moreover, it was the Administrator’s.

’No wonder this feels so familiar... It’s just like when I entered Xi’s space. Everything is becoming blurry and fragmented.’

’But why is this Healing Space so realistic?’

’And what does the Administrator plan to do here?’

While Mo Ling was still pondering these questions, Xi suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

"Senior! I’ve found the Administrator’s consciousness!"

The moment he finished speaking, the blurry environment began to shift again. It gradually sharpened, and the colors started to change...

The deep lake transformed into warm sunlight, the piles of bone became a verdant, grassy field, and a shimmering orb of light appeared above the head of each frozen body.

Mo Ling jumped in shock. "So many healers?"

"They’re fake. They’re all phantoms generated by the Administrator’s Healing Space," Xi quickly explained.

"Why is it so realistic?" Mo Ling pressed.

"I don’t know." Xi was just as baffled. The scenery inside the Administrator’s Healing Space seemed far more realistic than any other healer’s.

When the transformation was complete, the two found themselves standing on a grassy field. Many healers were gathered there, apparently in the middle of a discussion.

"Senior, look over there!" Xi said suddenly, pointing at one of the healers in the crowd.

Mo Ling quickly looked over and saw that the healer was wearing a special wristband. That healer was the Administrator himself!

The pair’s sudden appearance and shocked expressions caught the Administrator’s attention. He turned and walked toward them.

Both of them tensed up as the Administrator approached.

But to their surprise, when the Administrator reached them, he didn’t question them at all. Instead, he asked gently, "Are you two new here? Come on, join us. We’re in a bit of a bind..."

As he spoke, the Administrator led them into the group of healers.

"Two new companions have arrived," the Administrator announced simply.

"Perfect timing. We’re discussing how to proceed with the development of Senluo Island. You should join us for the vote," another healer said, greeting them amicably.

"First is the Administrator’s proposal. He wants to establish a disease repository on Senluo Island to preserve rare illnesses."

"However, the Elder Council recommends against it. The Elders say we don’t yet have the ability to control the spread of disease and have voiced their opposition... Still, the Elders have left the final decision to us."

"Given the current disagreement, we need to choose one path forward, so we’re holding a vote to decide."

"Do our two new companions have any questions?"

"..."