Chapter 670: Passing the Buck

Every eye in the scene was wide with shock and disbelief.

No one had expected what they were witnessing.

Even Chen Ye stood completely frozen.

Last time they had pushed open the door to Room 23, all they had seen were endless hanging corpses, without a single living person in sight.

They hadn't even detected the presence of any living being in the hanging corpse forest behind that door.

But now...

The door to Room 23 on the first floor hadn't been flung open like the one on the seventh floor; only a crack had appeared.

If it were merely a crack, no one would have been this stunned.

But what everyone saw...

Was a head poking out from that crack... the head of a human child.

The child's head looked to be only five or six years old.

Its bald scalp was completely devoid of hair, and its skin had a grayish tint.

Only its eyes were unnaturally large, at least twice the size of a normal human child's eyes.

The area around its eyes was completely black.

Moreover, that "child" was alive...

It just lay there by the crack in the door, tilting its head, staring at Chen Ye and the others with curious eyes.

It didn't flee at Chen Ye's presence, simply continuing to study the group.

As if this "child" had never seen a human being before in its life.

As superhumans, no one thought that "child" was actually human.

The creeping dread rising in their hearts told everyone that this "child" was extremely dangerous, possibly the most dangerous anomaly they had encountered on the outskirts of Xi City so far.

Chen Ye mentally compared it to the Multi-Headed Anomaly he had faced before.

His instincts told him this thing was far, far more terrifying than the Multi-Headed Anomaly.

It was like...

That pressure felt the same as when he had encountered the Great Serpent of Mist River, or the Resentment Dragon.

No, this "child" was definitely not as powerful as the Great Serpent or the Resentment Dragon.

But it was definitely one of the most powerful anomalies Chen Ye had ever encountered.

Even so, this thing could easily slaughter everyone present.

This was the instinctive perception of superhumans.

The more powerful the creature, the stronger that instinctive warning became.

For instance, when facing the Great Serpent of Mist River or the Resentment Dragon.

Chen Ye had felt back then that he was in no way a match for such beings.

And right now, Chen Ye felt exactly that way.

He was no match for this "child."

Not even with everyone else backing him up!

Cold sweat beaded on Chen Ye's forehead as he slowly edged backward, his movements deliberately measured, clearly afraid of provoking the thing before him.

If anything went wrong, he would bolt the instant it happened.

All he needed was to be faster than the others.

At that moment, Chen Ye deeply regretted his curiosity. He had only planned to take a quick look and then run.

But now...

Right now, Chen Ye wished he could slap the version of himself from one minute ago across the face twice!

"Ah-ya-ya..."

The "child" suddenly opened its mouth and made sounds.

As it did, everyone noticed that its mouth was lined with perfectly aligned human teeth.

Then a chubby little hand waved toward Chen Ye's group.

That plump little hand was also covered in gray skin, looking cold and utterly devoid of any human warmth.

It seemed to be beckoning Chen Ye and the others over.

Everyone's bodies stiffened.

Song Wei beside him swallowed hard and whispered, "Who's going?"

No one answered.

Song Wei stiffly turned his head toward Chen Ye and said, "Deputy Captain Chen, Sunset Avenue is your territory. You should go..."

Chen Ye's face tightened. Me? You must be out of your damn mind!

This thing obviously wasn't normal. Going over there would be suicide!

Chen Ye shook his head slightly. "I'm not going. You were sent here by the Silent Council to help us. This is exactly the kind of moment you should step up for!"

Song Wei's face twitched slightly as he cursed inwardly: This one-eyed bastard really isn't easy to fool. But there's no way I'm going either. That thing is clearly wrong somehow. Going there would be suicide, wouldn't it?

This square-faced man with thick eyebrows and big eyes was clearly not as upright as he appeared. He had his own scheming thoughts too.

Song Wei pressed on. "Deputy Captain Chen, we're here to help you. This place is ultimately your territory. You go!"

Chen Ye continued shaking his head. "If you want to go, then go. I'm not going!"

"Xi City is what the Silent Council wants to take. If you don't deal with this now and the city ends up unconquerable, what will your Silent Council do about it?"

"Worst case, we just go back to our nomadic life. It's no different from how things were before!"

"But your Silent Council..."

Chen Ye was fully checked out. Worst case, he'd just go back to wandering the wastes.

If this problem wasn't dealt with, they could kiss Xi City goodbye. With a thing like this here, wanting to secure the city was practically a pipe dream!

Song Wei's face darkened as he silently cursed Chen Ye's ancestors back eight generations.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The "thing" by the door crack was clearly getting impatient. It patted the door again, as if urging them to hurry.

Chen Ye was ready to flee at any second.

Sun Xixi, Xu Lina, Dantai Bie, and the other Fair Convoy members all looked toward Chen Ye.

Chen Ye shot them a look.

They all understood.

Everyone knew exactly what Chen Ye was planning.

At a single command, they would all scatter and run, leaving the Silent Council people to take the fall.

Having spent so long with the Fair Convoy, they all knew this "Deputy Captain's" modus operandi very well.

Only Iron Lion stood there stupidly on guard, both of his heads fully awake, staring fixedly at the door crack.

"Xiong Baochun, you go!"

Song Wei gritted his teeth. Chen Ye and his people could leave, but the Silent Council couldn't.

Chen Ye was right about that.

Xiong Baochun's body jolted. As simple-minded as this big fellow was, possibly not much sharper than Iron Lion, he still understood how dangerous this task was.

Wait, what? You two are passing the buck back and forth, and somehow I'm the one who gets hurt?

Is this fair?

"Xiong Baochun, haven't you always wanted to become a full member? Complete this mission, and I'll guarantee you a spot as an observer for the Silent Council!"

"I..."

Xiong Baochun gritted his teeth, a trace of determination appearing on the face of this man who seemed to grow sideways rather than up.

In the end, he forced his stiff legs to move, step by step forward.

Chen Ye watched this absurdly burly man and wondered to himself. Becoming a full member is worth taking such a huge risk?

Is this guy brain-damaged or something?

Chen Ye silently mocked him, but he did admire this "fool" named Xiong Baochun.

Xiong Baochun walked step by step toward the slightly open door of Room 23.

The closer he got to the door, the closer he got to that gray-skinned, bald-headed "child."

Xiong Baochun could even feel the chilling cold radiating from the "child."

It felt like that cold could seep straight into his bones.

Just from getting near, frost was already forming on Xiong Baochun's eyebrows.

A black liquid began flowing from his chest, forming a half-helmet over his head.

Step by step...

The distance between them slowly closed under everyone's watchful gaze.

The gray-skinned "child" with not a single hair on its head was clearly delighted.

Like a human toddler waiting for a friend to come play with toys.

Or maybe like a toddler waiting for its "toys" to arrive.

Within its large eyes, the pitch-black pupils expanded even wider.

Clearly, this "child" was very excited!