Chapter 71: Not Normal??

The pickaxe had entered its cooldown period and wouldn’t be usable for another twelve hours. Fang Tang decided to settle down in Cave 120 for now, taking the opportunity to observe the Fallen One. As a mutant whose abilities were all defensive, the Fallen One made a rather favorable impression on Fang Tang. Perhaps it was out of sympathy? In any case, Fang Tang had no intention of harming him.

The green jelly lay quietly on the ground, unmoving. Fang Tang sat at the entrance of his dwelling, silently watching the Fallen One. He also had the distinct feeling that he himself was being observed. Evidently, this slime still possessed clear consciousness.

Setting down Yueyue, whom he had been holding, Fang Tang walked over to the slime, took out a piece of meat, and placed it on the ground. “Now that you’ve become a Fallen One, can you still eat?” The slime didn’t respond verbally, but sensing Fang Tang’s goodwill, it wriggled forward and enveloped the meat. The jelly quivered as the piece of meat was gradually dissolved.

So it really can eat? Fang Tang found this rather amusing. Only after the meat had completely vanished did he speak: “Since I’ve treated you to a meal, that means we’re friends now, right?”

After eating, the slime fell still, indistinguishable from any ordinary mass of jelly. Fang Tang sighed inwardly and returned to his seat at the doorway. This time, he didn’t continue to watch the slime. Instead, he closed his eyes, composed and unhurried, focusing on the sensations within his body.

After becoming an Evolver, his five attributes had increased noticeably—especially upon reaching the second tier, where the boost was even more pronounced. He had also acquired a faint, almost mystical sense of internal awareness—though weak, it was akin to the “inner vision” often described in fantasy novels.

Fang Tang had already spent two hours in this rule-distorted cave. Through inner vision, he discerned no signs of his evolution level advancing. This left him a little disappointed. The distortion of rules within the cave was still too mild, after all—suppressed by the overarching rules of the cavern, its effects had been weakened.

Yet while his evolution level did not progress, the debuffs were as persistent as ever. Two hours later, the first negative status appeared: Muteness.

Fang Tang found himself unable to speak. Not that it mattered; he was never one for talking his way through fights—he relied on action. So this debuff was essentially harmless.

After Yueyue had tired herself out, she lay quietly at his feet, ears twitching occasionally, her manner lazy and content. Carrying the little wolf into his quarters, the two ate a simple meal, and Fang Tang settled down to rest. The previous night’s exertions had left his back aching, and he wasn’t particularly energetic. He decided to recuperate properly before venturing again into the Cradle World.

Ten hours slipped by in a single sleep.

Upon waking, Fang Tang was seized by a sharp stomachache and a debilitating weakness in his limbs. Debuffs: Woman’s Pain, Weakness. Yet these two negative states were hardly more than mild annoyances—practically negligible.

He washed up quickly. Rolling up his sleeves, he glanced at the green countdown timer: 00:00:00:06. Six seconds left—timing it just right. When the countdown hit zero, he tapped it lightly. The familiar radiance pierced the ceiling, enveloping him.

When the light faded, Fang Tang found himself once again on the familiar high platform. The ground beneath him read: Zone K16991. The timer on his arm now displayed two hours.

“So, it’s tied to my evolution level. Does that mean at Tier Twelve, I could stay for twelve hours?” he muttered, descending from the platform.

Showing his identification badge to the guard, Fang Tang entered the Cradle World under the watchful, somewhat puzzled gaze of the sentry. This sector was much the same as the previous ones he’d visited—spacious, crowded, even the shops and inns lining the walls were identical.

This time, Fang Tang didn’t linger, but headed directly toward the Gate of Evolution. Now at Second Tier, Stage Four, he was eligible to enter.

Diagonal from the spring, another high platform stood, but unlike the spring’s, this one bore a crystal orb, shimmering with a soft white glow.

“Name and sequence level,” the attendant asked, not bothering to look up.

“Fang Tang, Second Tier, Stage Four.”

“Entering alone, or with a team?”

“Alone.”

Having gathered the basic information, the attendant let him through. Ascending the platform, Fang Tang placed his hand on the crystal orb.

A gentle hum; the orb quivered. A white portal materialized on the platform.

This was the Gate of Evolution.

Fang Tang gave it only a cursory glance before stepping through.

...

A sturdy iron gate, towering walls. The only building was overgrown with moss and vines. Beside the entrance, a wooden sign stood, the remnants of several words still legible through the rot:

Abnormal?? Under Research?

Fang Tang examined his surroundings carefully. Checking his equipment, he noticed that, for the first time, the green timer on his arm was counting upward rather than down. As for his gear, as his eyes had warned him, the power of his mechanical claw arm was reduced by nearly seventy percent, and the Explosive Bow was entirely inoperative. Only the Frost Gun retained half its potency—now roughly equivalent to third-grade tech.

Fortunately, Fang Tang was prepared for this. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow and Yueyue would be of great assistance here.

Once he was confident his combat strength was intact, Fang Tang felt reassured and set his gaze on the distant, abandoned building. It was five stories high, exuding a gloomy, unsettling aura.

[Heh heh heh... This place is interesting. It used to be a psychiatric hospital. After the distortion of rules, everything inside changed beyond recognition.]

Fang Tang raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He vaulted the high wall and entered the open space before the building.

The yard was barren, the soil trampled rock hard. Sensing no danger here, Fang Tang walked straight into the building.

He pushed open the glass door. Its hinges, long neglected, screeched sharply, the sound echoing eerily through the empty lobby. Directly across from the entrance, a staircase rose. To either side, two corridors stretched away. The ceiling’s fluorescent lights cast a dim, sickly glow.

The corridor walls were blackened by fire, covered in handprints and scratch marks. Here and there, human shapes were faintly visible, their outlines blending into the charred plaster—difficult to distinguish unless one looked closely.

Fang Tang stood in the center, surveying the silent hallways. This place would make the perfect set for a horror film—add some appropriately chilling music, and you’d have a classic on your hands.

Sadly, no such luxuries were available.

Thud, thud, thud!

A knocking sound echoed down the left corridor.

Fang Tang turned. The hallway was empty, yet footprints suddenly appeared in the dust—hurried, as if fleeing, they emerged from the corridor’s end and stopped before a door.

Thud, thud, thud!

No answer from within; the prints moved on.

Thud, thud, thud!

The prints paused before each door in turn, knocking in vain. When every door in the left corridor had been tried, the footprints finally emerged into the lobby—passing Fang Tang in a panic, then darting toward the right corridor.

After only a few steps, they abruptly turned back, stopping right in front of Fang Tang, the toes pointed toward him.

Thud, thud, thud!