Chapter 402: Thank You for Your Blessing

Lurking in the sergeant major’s shadow, Duan Fei watched the entire process unfold. He was now certain that Major Triss was a complete madman.

From the conversation between Triss and the lieutenant colonel, Duan Fei confirmed that the man was a fanatic, hell-bent on being devoured by the so-called Angel. He was even envious of the lieutenant colonel who had been eaten.

It was also a fact that Superpower Users existed in the outside world. However, Triss clearly no longer cared about external affairs. His only desire was to provide more food for “Lord Angel” so it could have its fill.

Triss stared up at the ceiling, waiting quietly.

He stood motionless, his gaze fixed obsessively on the Angel in the air, his eyes filled with nothing but its image.

As dawn approached, several cocoons wrapped in thick shells were lowered down. The soldiers waiting on standby immediately stepped forward, pried open the shells, and revealed the humans inside.

Their pupils contracted violently from the light. A few soldiers skillfully shot them in the head. The bullets burst into blossoms of blood, but the wounds healed completely within minutes.

Confirming that the Heart-devouring Worm infestation was complete, Triss nodded in satisfaction. These people were then changed into various different clothes and led to an elevator, ready to undergo further testing and training.

Stepping out from the sergeant major’s shadow, Duan Fei slowly floated into the shadow of one of the newly revived humans, attaching himself there.

This human was brought inside the elevator, which then descended to a deeper subterranean level—an even larger training ground.

The entire training ground already held over a thousand people.

And they were all hosts, infested.

Compared to the upper levels, the hosts here were much quieter.

They never spoke. A single glance was enough to transmit vast amounts of information via telepathy, allowing their companions to instantly understand their thoughts.

Furthermore, they didn’t need to study. The knowledge of every person who joined was uploaded to the “Angel,” which everyone could then download at will.

Mostly, they were here to learn how to use their bodies, hone their skills, and choose their Profession based on the specialty of the Heart-devouring Worm infesting their brains, subsequently evolving in different directions.

Their next form was aberration.

Those adept with their minds would evolve multiple heads; those skilled in labor would evolve multiple arms.

To ensure maximum utilization of the body, they would discard unnecessary limbs, keeping only the essential ones.

The Heart-devouring Worms in their minds could control their bodies, perfectly altering their physical forms. Each cluster of Heart-devouring Worms was a miniature bio-factory, remodeling the organism from within via DNA and RNA into whatever was needed.

Creatures with only hands were a common sight, as were aberrations with several heads sprouting from their bodies that required constant care.

There were also hosts who retained their human form, but these were destined to be soldiers or upper-level managers and thus had to remain humanoid.

Watching this, Duan Fei felt a chill run down his spine, his hair standing on end.

‘This damn game just gets more and more twisted!’

‘This is basically psychological torture!’

Duan Fei didn’t know how long Triss had possessed the so-called Angel, nor what his next plan was.

He only knew that he had to gather more information, find the facility’s weaknesses, and better prepare for his own plans.

Next, Duan Fei detached from the host’s shadow and slipped into a ventilation duct. He began mapping out the area, preparing to escape.

In addition, he needed to perform Reconnaissance on the location of the monitoring room, the soldiers’ patrol routes, and the base’s layout.

Although the Shadow People Little Demons helped him dart around unnoticed, Duan Fei still found that leaving this place would not be easy.

Host soldiers guarded every key passage. Some mutated aberrations could even contort their bodies to blend into their surroundings, making them impossible to spot.

Some aberrations had also evolved special abilities. Duan Fei even saw several of them intersecting, their combined telepathic powers causing the very space around them to warp, making their presence all the more bizarre.

After finally making his way to the surface through the ventilation system, Duan Fei discovered the geographical environment was utterly hopeless.

Scorching yellow sand stretched in all directions. The surface temperature had to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit; anyone who walked out would quickly die of dehydration.

Besides the vent opening behind him, there were no other buildings in sight.

“I can’t take it! The light is too strong here!” the Shadow People Little Demons wailed. “Let’s go back, boss! I’m about to kick the bucket!”

Realizing the Shadow People were not just trying to slack off, Duan Fei had no choice but to release the Possession, instantly returning to his own cell.

A moment later, the summoning time for the Shadow People Little Demons ran out.

After being worked hard all night, the Shadow People angrily flipped him the bird before eagerly dissipating into the air, leaving Duan Fei alone.

On his bed, he stared silently at the ceiling. ‘What should I do next?’

‘If only I could contact Jinghong,’ he thought. ‘The chances of two people escaping would be much higher.’

This instance was a long one, lasting a total of eight days, and today was already the fourth.

If he didn’t make more progress soon, he would have to consider taking Triss out directly and just leaving.

As for what happened after that, he could only leave it to fate.

When it was time to wake up, Duan Fei was about to eat when two guards stopped him.

They grabbed Duan Fei and, ignoring the stares of the onlookers, forcibly dragged him to the major’s office.

Although only a day had passed, the major’s wounds had already healed, and he looked a bit more vigorous.

Looking at the man before him, Major Triss asked, “Mr. Duan, do you know why I’ve summoned you here?”

“I don’t.”

“I like your attitude when you lie. So calm, neither servile nor overbearing, with eyes as clear as an innocent young boy’s. You’re a very good liar.”

“What are you talking about, old man? I don’t get it.”

Sighing, Major Triss said, “Two members have had… issues… after coming into contact with you. That’s no coincidence. Where do you think the problem lies?”

“The fact that you became the manager here?”

Major Triss looked at Duan Fei helplessly. “As the manager of this base, I can eliminate you on the slightest suspicion. And in my mind, you are a highly suspicious individual. I don’t know how you got in here, but…”

“Does this mean the file you showed me on myself was fake?” Duan Fei asked. “Why don’t you come clean? Everyone’s files here are fake. We’re all just poor souls you’ve tricked into coming here to be your test subjects.”

“You’re very smart, but it’s useless. What good does knowing all this do? You still can’t leave this place.”

“Not necessarily.”

Triss chuckled softly, clasping his hands together as he watched Duan Fei calmly. “I don’t know how much you know, but the reason you’re still alive is because a certain big shot has taken a liking to you. The last time he saw you, he immediately showed great interest. You’re alive today because the great one above wants to savor you.”

Triss said the word “savor” with a certain ambiguity, making it sound like *that* kind of devouring, when in fact, it was *this* kind of devouring.

Duan Fei shrugged nonchalantly. “Then I’m truly honored. Unlike some people, who don’t even get the chance to be eaten.”

The smile on Triss’s face slowly vanished, and the air around him turned colder, more venomous.

Staring at Duan Fei like a viper, he said slowly, “Duan Someone, I sincerely hope you can remain this calm and not be disturbed by external factors.”

Every word from Triss was filled with hatred. The intense emotion greatly amplified the effect of the Talent, causing Duan Fei to feel a Mysterious Power that calmed his heart.

“I hope you can discover the final truth and remain as composed as you are now.”

The gears of truth began to turn. Duan Fei realized he was only a step away from it.

“I hope even more that you find a way out, so you can leave here safely.”

“Alright, that’s enough. You can stop talking,” Duan Fei said, holding up a hand.

“Scared?” Triss asked, satisfied.

“No, it’s just that you’re giving me too many blessings. I can’t handle it. For the sake of the instance’s difficulty, you should really stop.”

Triss stared at Duan Fei in confusion, tilting his head and letting out a bewildered sound. “Huh?”