Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 75: Monster

Zhu Sheng’s request was outrageous, and it would take some time for the team to gather and prepare. Zhu Sheng stood at the bottom exit, leaning on crutches, closing his eyes to rest.

“What’s going on?” someone murmured in the corner of the room.

“I don’t know,” another responded in a low voice. “It’s been a long time since Zhu Sheng left Y City, so his visit this time is already strange.”

“Hmm, did something happen in Y City?”

“Even if something happens in the city, it’s still safer than here. I heard that Zhu Sheng came to investigate the incident involving Marshal Zhu. The marshal was attacked by a mutant beast here, and that matter seems to be unresolved—information about the escaped mutant beast has been tampered with, and they couldn’t find any clues. People say that even the witnesses’ memories have faded; they only remember that the mutant beast had a humanoid form.”

“Didn’t Marshal Zhu return? If there’s something fishy, why not ask him?”

“Maybe they found new leads.”

“At a time like this, everyone is worried about the synthetic humans. Why would they suddenly start investigating a case…”

“Who knows what those higher-ups are thinking—shh, be quiet.”

The team that Zhu Sheng brought had finished gathering. They wore bulky anti-erosion suits, with oxygen-supplying packs on their backs, and carried assault-style purifiers that resembled heavy machine guns in their hands.

“Reporting sir, the observation deck on the 6th floor has been cleared.”

“Understood.” Zhu Sheng glanced at the two gossiping people in the corner, then, without hesitation, he stepped out of the door.

The entire building was under strict lockdown, with reinforced windows tightly shut. Thick metal panels had been dropped on the inner side, completely isolating the erosion outside. Without windows, the originally bright corridor turned into a steel tunnel, adding a touch of gloom.

The indoor purifiers hummed as the air was filled with the smell of chemical agents.

The 6th floor observation deck was relatively special. It wasn’t sealed with metal panels but separated by thick, clear special glass. This kind of special glass was quite expensive and rarely seen in ordinary strongholds.

Zhu Sheng stepped onto the observation deck.

The observation deck was a semicircular structure protruding from the ordinary corridor, tightly sealed with thick glass. On the outside of the glass, there was a half-circular combat platform, and on both sides, there were straight drop shafts leading to the first floor. The entire building was tightly sealed, and this was the only window at the moment.

Standing at this height, the outside scene was fully visible.

The black mist had thinned considerably, allowing people to see the blurry shadows of buildings across the way. But in the face of what was right in front of them, no one had the mindset to look at anything else—

The observation deck was spacious, and the two teams that Zhu Sheng brought, totaling 200 people, had already taken their positions in the wide corridor and the grand observation deck. This team was considered the elite of Y City and was well-trained. However, when they could see what was outside clearly, their breathing momentarily became erratic for a few seconds.

The location of the special stronghold was relatively safe that the personnel rarely even saw Corpse Parasite. Suddenly seeing what was right in front of them, several staff members who followed behind almost passed out.

What was outside was not a synthetic human at all, and it was obviously not a mutant beast.

It was entirely pitch-black, with viscous erosion surging on its surface. Rather than surging, this thing seemed to be composed of the erosion substance itself. At first glance, it looked like a distorted skeleton, with an elongated snout on its skull, resembling more of a beast like a wolf than a human. However, the outline below the head leaned towards a human form, with vine-like tendrils coiling around the “bones”, making it particularly horrifying.

Behind its deformed body hung two strange and grotesque wings. Black bone joints were exposed, and thin black limbs intertwined around them, resembling blood vessels. The wings had no feathers, and countless soft limbs trailed from the ends of the bone joints. They moved on their own without any wind, appearing as if they were peeled nerves.

Similar vine-like tendrils also coiled around its emaciated arms, ending in a structure resembling a human hand. The monster’s two claws landed on the building, and its bizarre skull headed straight for the observation deck. Many limbs dangled on the glass, and the strange hands left twisted fingerprints on the glass as they swayed.

This thing combined twisted beauty with even more intense grotesqueness and horror. It shouldn’t be a living creature; it would be more suitable as an idol to be worshiped by cultists.

As it spotted Zhu Sheng standing in front of it, it opened its mouth and emitted a sharp and chilling screech. Immediately, its double claws pounded down, causing the sturdy observation deck to shake violently. Zhu Sheng stared intently at the monster, which was within arm’s reach, without taking a step back.

When did it arrive? How did it move such a massive body and avoid surveillance? He couldn’t understand. But he could sense the hatred and madness emanating from the other side of the glass.

What on earth was this thing?

Even if an ordinary creature were infected, it wouldn’t have such a form and size. Yet it unquestionably existed outside the window, like a living nightmare.

The double claws on the other side pounded down once again, and the grating sound of scratching echoed as several glaring scratches appeared on the glass. Seeing that the glass didn’t shatter, that thing screeched sharply again, and the strange handprints previously imprinted on the glass sizzled. The special glass was rapidly eroding.

“Attack! Assault team, move to the combat platform and focus on attacking that thing’s wrists. Activate the floor defense shield and keep it at a distance.”

Zhu Sheng gave the order calmly.

His team didn’t hesitate. The two groups quickly entered the drop tunnels and reached the combat platform through mechanisms. They raised their weaponized purifiers and began to concentrate their fire on the monster’s two claws. At the same time, the shield-like defense barrier, with the sixth floor as its center, gradually expanded and enclosed the attacking assault team.

The monster’s claws, pressed against the building, were pushed away, causing its entire body to retreat several meters. Its claws were riddled with holes, emitting a discordant wail.

Then, countless vines appeared out of thin air, wriggling on its wounds. The two giant claws slowly regrew, looking identical to the previous ones. The surrounding black mist thinned again, ominously undulating.

“The body is composed of erosion substance.” Watching the monster’s disintegrating claws, deep wrinkles formed between Zhu Sheng’s brows. “Is that… an Erosion Swamp?”

Mutant beasts were only affected and mutated by erosion substance, but they were still fundamentally animals with their own flesh and blood. This situation wouldn’t occur.

Zhu Sheng’s heart sank.

If it were just a mutant beast, no matter how strange they became, they could be killed or controlled. But when facing a large-scale Erosion Swamp, they could only drive them away with purifiers. Those Erosion Swamps instinctively sought advantages and avoided harm; they would leave when they felt uncomfortable, allowing humans to survive.

However, what was in front of them didn’t look like it acted “solely on instinct”.

It hated them, and that hatred felt particularly genuine, unable to be faked.

[Father, the player system has hidden dangers.]

[Father, I looked up related information today. Forcibly increasing the resonance between synthetic humans and erosion substance may provide inappropriate information to the Erosion Swamp.]”

[Father, I believe the player system will cause a mutation in the Erosion Swamp.]

His son had mentioned similar things several times when he was in his teens. Unfortunately, Zhu Sheng wasn’t the first to hear such arguments. His good friend, Tang Heyu, had also been obsessed with this, but even as intelligent as Tang Heyu was, he ultimately couldn’t find any evidence.

If Tang Heyu had given up that deadly topic and continued his path as a politician, he would undoubtedly have achieved even greater success. However, Tang Heyu seemed to be enthralled by that issue, persistently seeking evidence.

Considering his wealth, life, and the pressure from the Tang family, Tang Heyu never personally came into contact with erosion substance. He could only engage in theoretical research and relied on existing information for deductions, which didn’t lead him very far.

Tang Heyu was the most talented person Zhu Sheng had ever met, and he fought to the end but couldn’t find any substantial evidence. He invested too much attention into synthetic humans and was ultimately crushed by his own sentimentality and pride, becoming a crazy alcoholic.

Zhu Yanchen was still young, probably concerned about his synthetic human friend, which was why he showed interest in these things.

[Similar theories have been proposed before, and there are also people who have ruined their lives researching this issue.] He replied to his son. [Our technology is limited by the times, and it’s not the time to consider these questions yet.]

Zhu Yanchen didn’t respond.

[Less than a thousand years ago, for the sake of development, humans also did things that were ‘bound to have disastrous consequences’. Realistically speaking, when it comes to emergencies, future generations will handle them.]

[But if something really happens, the ‘future generations’ may not have time to react. Father, this will undoubtedly be a research project that spans several generations…]

[That’s not something you should worry about.] Zhu Sheng interrupted his son. [I’ve said it before, it’s not the time to consider these questions yet. Regardless of where you heard those theories, stop your research.]

The player system had only been operational for two hundred years, and no flaws had appeared. If the system were shut down out of fear of “potential” destruction, it would only subject humanity to unnecessary hardships. It would be better to take the opportunity to develop further. When conditions improved and technology advanced, people wouldn’t need to risk their lives researching erosion; there would naturally be countermeasures.

Zhu Yanchen was too fixated and too naive. When he grew older, he would no longer be entangled with the so-called “treatment of synthetic humans”.

Later on, Xia Yufeng secretly reported to him, and Zhu Sheng destroyed Zhu Yanchen’s secret research materials. Since then, Zhu Yanchen seemed to have calmed down and, aside from firmly opposing the advancement of the player system, didn’t engage in any extreme actions.

In the end, his son died early.

Zhu Sheng looked at the roaring monster in front of him and suddenly felt a strange sensation—if Tang Heyu and Zhu Yanchen could see it with their own eyes, they might feel quite relieved. This was the “evidence” they had been pursuing for many years, and it appeared right in front of humanity like this.

The monster didn’t display too many strange abilities. So far, its attacks leaned more towards impact and accelerated erosion. His elite team was holding it back, and if they were prepared, they might be able to handle it.

His friend went insane, and his son died because of this. He had ultimately made a mistake and became the “future generation” facing the storm.

Outside the glass, below the monster.

Chai Xuyang found it hard to describe his current state of mind. He was probably scared, but as he got scared, it didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Moreover, from his perspective, this thing seemed somewhat inexplicably ridiculous.

Just a short while ago, he saw Shu Jun floating up. Countless erosion substance extended from the black mist, entwining his body and shaping it into a terrifying creature never seen before. The oppression from that thing was astonishing; he almost couldn’t stand.

Unfortunately, what followed was a bit of a mood-killer.

In the human field of view, the upper half of the monster was quite detailed and horrifying. But the lower half, shrouded in the black mist, was poorly made—vaguely resembling something in the mist, but he was close enough to see those sculptural-like structures clearly.

In Chai Xuyang’s view, it looked more like a larger-sized live mud sculpture in the midst of passionate carving—vivid and lifelike on top, but the lower half hadn’t been properly formed yet. The erosion substance supporting the upper body of the monster trembled and shook. If it weren’t for the fear of the Erosion Swamp, Chai Xuyang would almost feel sorry for them.

He found himself in such a strange state of emotions—scared to the point of wanting to cry, yet angry to the point of wanting to laugh.

…Although the urge to cry might be the main focus.

Shu Jun was in the center of this monster, completely impervious to any harm from the human guards. The way it screamed in pain indicated that it was holding back. Just considering that if Shu Jun were to utilize his wind-based abilities along with the attacks from this “Erosion Swamp sculpture”, destroying an entire building would be a piece of cake.

When did this person acquire such terrifying combat power?

Moreover, despite the comical appearance, the madness and hatred in Shu Jun’s actions weren’t fake; they were even more intense than Chai Xuyang’s own. In that case, why would someone like him try to prevent them from seeking indiscriminate revenge?

Chai Xuyang watched that thing madly smashing the window, taking in a sharp breath. His head was almost about to explode with question marks.

The human guards’ offensive became more intense causing the monster to spread its grotesque wings, preparing to attack the guards on the combat platform… But it deliberately slowed down its movements to give them a chance to evade.

What on earth was going on?

“What’s happening?” Suddenly, a voice cut through the mist, filled with astonishment. “That… What is that thing?!”

The players who were originally supposed to wait outside all gathered around, seemingly protected by invisible bubbles, and the black mist also avoided them.

“It’s hard to explain. In any case, that’s Shu Jun’s new ability.” Chai Xuyang’s voice was dry.

“Although we can guess it was you two who caused this, what the fuck is the difference between this and an Erosion Swamp…”

The players stared blankly at the intense battle unfolding above.

Taking advantage of their distraction from the joke-like lower half of the creature, Chai Xuyang quickly changed the topic. “Let’s not talk about that. Why did you suddenly come here?”

The player in the lead quickly regained his composure, his expression turning serious.

“Zhu Yanchen has arrived, and we need to inform you. We also wanted to lay low for a bit.” He gritted his teeth. “That guy even brought a lot of heavy-duty purifiers and set up a formation outside. Who knows where he got the information so quickly. I’m sure that Smoke leaked the news.”

“In any case, inform Shu Jun quickly. Once Zhu Yanchen’s purifier formation is fully set up, we might not be able to escape.”

“But… how do we notify him? If we shout out loud, the humans will know who he is.”

The players gathered together and began discussing in a flurry of voices. In less than half a minute, they all fell silent—

A strand of erosion substance crawled up beneath them, trembling as it twisted its body into several large characters.

[I saw.]

“…He says he saw it,” Chai Xuyang dryly explained.

The erosion substance stayed in that position for a while, then twisted and reshaped itself—

[Don’t worry, you can escape.]

The author has something to say:

Shu Jun: My boyfriend is here, so we can definitely escape.

But meeting the parents like this, the elders probably won’t approve of this relationship. (×