Chapter Fifty-Two: First Encounter with the Fallen

Having found his own way of fighting, Fang Tang was in high spirits. Humming a cheerful tune, he began to scour the battlefield for spoils. From the two flower sprites, he obtained two black-violet pearls. In a corner, he discovered a silver treasure chest. After gathering all the materials in the area, Fang Tang set his sights on the ten trees nearby.

He wondered if the Decomposition Hammer would work on them. He gave a couple of knocks. The trees stood firm, unmoved. Fang Tang paused, then used his mechanical claw to uproot a tree before striking it again with the hammer.

You have gained: Wood ×15.

Oh? It really works! Delighted, Fang Tang uprooted the remaining nine trees, gaining another 135 pieces of wood.

"A bountiful harvest!"

Fang Tang was thoroughly satisfied with this unique environment in the cavern. He turned to the remaining caves.

[On the left: Three phantom sand lizards and a silver treasure chest.]

Without hesitation, Fang Tang headed straight for Cavern 99. As soon as he entered, he caught a glimpse of three yellow lizards vanishing out of the corner of his eye.

Amused, Fang Tang said, "Quite the quick reflexes."

The invisibility of the phantom sand lizards far surpassed that of the night owls. While the night owls used optical camouflage, the lizards' invisibility was true; there was no obvious distortion of light. He could only rely on his eyes.

"Eyes, you're part of me too—work with my fighting style."

[...Even free laborers aren't worked this hard.]

"Even the village donkey gets more rest than you. Get to work!"

[Five meters ahead on the left, ten meters to the right, in the rear corner.]

With the guidance, Fang Tang used his mechanical claws to support his body, then fired one claw out in a sudden thrust.

Five meters ahead, a spray of blood erupted.

The slain phantom sand lizard gradually reappeared as its invisibility faded.

First blood taken.

Fang Tang raised his mechanical claw, aiming at the lizard ten meters away. A pillar of lightning converged and shot from the engine at the claw's center, piercing the other sand lizard in a flash.

Double kill!

Fang Tang turned to look toward the corner.

[No longer in the corner, now three meters ahead. Beware the tongue.]

Fang Tang landed abruptly. The Grand Dragon Sparrow sword rang out with a clear clang, a flash of cold light streaking through the cave. A semi-transparent lizard's head soared into the air.

Total annihilation!

"Tsk, crushing weaklings isn't as satisfying as I'd thought. I’m starting to look forward to meeting a Faller."

[The shift in twisted rules doesn’t happen all at once. Like a bone-deep infection, it slowly eats away at the cave's order. You assume Fallers won't appear until seven days from now, but does that mean there definitely aren't any here yet?]

"What do you mean?" Fang Tang paused, then realized. "You mean that there are already Fallers here?"

The eye gave no reply, but Fang Tang was excited. Encountering a Faller meant he would soon become an Evolver himself.

Wonderful!

He obtained three pink pearls and took away the silver chest.

[Up ahead: an elemental stone.]

He entered Cavern 98.

A fiery red stone floated quietly in the air; there were no other creatures present. Stowing away the Fire Spirit Stone, Fang Tang examined the surrounding walls.

"This is the fifth time. If Sequence 666—sixth time’s the charm—really works, the next cave will have something good."

[Never doubt the power of a sequence. Even Sequence 999 can produce unexpected results. There are no useless sequences in this world, only useless wielders (hint, hint). The sixth time really does work. This time, it's not a precious resource, but something you've longed for... a Faller! Want to hear its story? I just happen to know it.]

"Already? So soon?" Fang Tang was secretly delighted. "I don’t want to hear a story. Your storytelling is terrible. I just want to check its abilities directly."

[Hey! Fang Tang, you’re too much! I, the Eye, have my pride, you know? If you keep this up, I’ll lose my temper!]

Fang Tang replied, "Losing your temper means flooding the screen with whining, right? I've seen it—it's a bit distracting, honestly."

[Hmph! I’ll tell the story whether you want it or not. What can you do about it? So there! ...At age five, he was kidnapped by traffickers, but because of his appearance, no one wanted to buy him. The traffickers deemed him worthless, broke his legs, and forced him to beg, confiscating everything he earned. Years passed. One day, he encountered his birth parents on the street. Overjoyed, he rushed to them, but they recoiled at the sight of him and abandoned him on the spot. That day, his parents fled. Crippled, he could only watch as they vanished into the crowd. Bewildered, furious, and hopeless, in the twisted rules of the cave, he became a Faller and took his revenge. Mutation Level: Second-tier Faller. Abilities: Phantom, Quick Slash, and the rare ability Furious Vengeance.]

"Eye, if you can't tell a story well, please don't try. This was supposed to be a tragic tale, but you failed to evoke any empathy."

Fang Tang muttered, then turned his attention to the Faller’s abilities, focusing on "Phantom." It sounded like either great speed or the power to create illusions. Either way, it promised to be troublesome.

After pondering for a moment, Fang Tang headed to Cavern 99. Though it was his first time facing a Faller, he knew he couldn’t back down now. To retreat would be to carry that fear for life.

Fully armed, Fang Tang pressed through the black mist.

He immediately spotted the beggar lying in the distance.

What a face it was—features twisted and ugly, like a child’s crude drawing. The body was contorted, crawling on all fours, with long, razor-sharp fingernails.

Fang Tang muttered, "Tsk, what an eyesore!"

The Faller seemed to hear him. Its eyes instantly reddened, and with a roar, it vanished.

"So fast!"

Fang Tang quickly took to the air. He had thought the Faller would be helpless against him in the sky, but the creature leaped high, trailing afterimages as it lunged toward him, claws outstretched.

Reacting swiftly, Fang Tang drew his Grand Dragon Sparrow with a clang and slashed at the Faller. Claws met blade in a shower of sparks, and the Faller dropped to the ground.

Circles of afterimages rippled across the floor. Yueyue, perched on Fang Tang’s shoulder, spun its eyes rapidly, letting out a low growl.

"Yueyue, can you keep up with it?"

Fang Tang glanced at Yueyue in surprise, but the little creature only tilted its head, looking at him in confusion. Realizing the hatchling was still growing and couldn't be relied on, Fang Tang abandoned the thought.

Suddenly, the afterimages on the ground accelerated. The Faller leaped high again, this time attacking from behind instead of head-on.

The hairs on Fang Tang’s back stood up. Sensing danger, he quickly flew out of reach.

The Faller missed again, landing heavily, its blood-red eyes fixed hatefully on Fang Tang.

"Well, it sure holds a grudge."

Fang Tang grinned, but suddenly had a bad feeling. He watched as the Faller’s head split open, three tentacles sprouting and writhing from within.

Fang Tang was stunned.

"Resident Evil?"