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At the sound of the screeching and the slight tremor that followed as it collided with the building, Zhang Ge had already ventured a considerable distance inside.
Though it seemed unlikely, judging from the scattered desks, chairs, and damaged teaching tools, this place turned out to be a school.
Despite having been abandoned for quite some time, with syringes, bullet casings, and dried bloodstains scattered everywhere, the overall furnishings were not completely destroyed. It must have been occupied by some faction as a base after being abandoned, or else scavengers would have stripped it clean.
Soon, several more explosions echoed from behind, not far away. Zhang Ge knew it was most likely Amilia creating a diversion to disengage from combat. This meant that thing... although it was unlikely to enter entirely, at least its extensions had already approached this place.
Judging from its creations, its extensions most likely lack vision as well, so Zhang Ge chose not to hide in a narrow space but instead selected a classroom to maneuver.
Of course, this was a gamble, and an extremely risky one at that.
But the cabinets aren't invincible zones like in games. As long as it's not foolish, it obviously wouldn't overlook such places. If it lacks vision, hiding in a small space would only restrict oneself without any additional benefit. It would be difficult to resist inside, and one would be more easily touched by its extensions.
If it had vision, even without considering whether it would search each spot, why wouldn't it develop a thermal-sensing organ for such a pitch-dark, heat-source-deficient area?
After weighing the options, even though both are dangerous, it's better to choose the one with relatively lower risk.
On the other hand, isn't this situation where both options are highly risky exactly what Zhang Ge desires?
In this environment that resembles a horror movie, Zhang Ge felt no tension. To avoid making any noise, he took off his carapace armor and boots and threw them out the window. After tightening his cuffs and pant legs, he casually walked over to a desk with two newspapers on it and began reading line by line.
The dates are all from over a hundred years ago... The quality of the Imperial parchment is this good?
The content on the front page of the first one is about this school.
Over a hundred years ago, a local hive sociologist believed that the darkness and chaos of the underhive were not caused by the underhivers themselves, but by the inaction of the nobility. He funded the construction of this tuition-free elementary school, and as a result, various underhive gangs supported it, creating a harmonious atmosphere and so on.
The second one is also a front page, with the two being separated by several months. This time, the content is about a massacre that occurred during the school's inauguration ceremony. Attendees, including the sociologist, numbered in the dozens of deaths, with a large number of underhive children also injured or killed.
What is this? Some kind of reverse exploitation?
"Save... save... me..."
Suddenly, a child's voice echoed from outside, and combined with what Zhang Ge was seeing in front of him, he almost thought he was hallucinating. However, the voice soon came again, this time closer.
The sound of chairs and tables being overturned, cabinet doors being flung open, and subtle friction noises gradually approached as the three words continued to reverberate.
Its intelligence level had reached the point where it could mimic the language of its prey to lure them in.
Lifting its head extremely slowly, its gaze fixed on the doorway.
When the sound reached the doorway, Zhang Ge saw the source of the voice.
A small girl's head with hollow facial features slowly tilted and peeked in.
Oddly, the position from which the head emerged was almost at the top of the door frame, a height that was extremely inconsistent with its childlike appearance.
Facing the inside of the door, it once again emitted that mimicry:
"Help... help... me..."
Seeing no response, the head's subsequent part also ventured into the classroom.
Behind this head hung a massive worm-like body, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that this "head"-like organ was an imitation organ of the worm? The other end of it was connected to dozens of intertwined, pale, thin tendrils, which were the parts supporting its movement.
Is this its extension? It indeed seems to lack vision.
As this bizarre object, resembling an extremely long spinal column of a person, extended into the classroom, the slender, crimson filaments protruding from the main body of its pale tendrils also moved in together.
Those delicate filaments, drifting in the air like crimson threads, appeared soft and powerless. Yet, the moment that entity deemed something suspicious, they instantly tightened and lashed out from all directions. Anything in their path, whether it was tables, chairs, or anything else, was effortlessly snapped or cleanly sliced apart like foam paper.
As it slowly passed over Zhang Ge's head, it had already launched several attacks, yet none had come close to his position. Seemingly losing interest, it began to accelerate towards the back door.
Just as Zhang Ge remained motionless, inwardly grumbling about why this thing didn't try its luck a bit more, a sharp, needle-like sense of danger pierced through from behind.
Just like when he first crossed over, as if sharp objects were thrusting towards his eyes, his eyelids instinctively closed, and his body reacted to this sense of crisis before his mind could even process it.
The power sword in his left hand swung back in a fan-like arc as his arm pulled with full force. Although he had never practiced any swordsmanship, the blade still managed to cut through the air at the optimal angle in this emergency.
The sword wind swept up, slicing through more than a dozen silent threads that had been quietly approaching from behind Zhang Ge, stopping them mere millimeters away from his back.
It was only then that he realized he had made a mistake as well.
The alien was not a mindless monster, nor a lunatic that would attack humans with reckless abandon.
It had disguised itself with clumsy vocalizations and purposeless attacks, pretending to be nothing more than a brute lacking intelligence. Realizing that Zhang Ge, due to habitual thinking, believed it had no vision, it exploited this complacency and arrogance. Only when it had patiently moved to the most vulnerable position of its prey did it suddenly tear off its disguise.
The alien was an intelligent lifeform far more cunning, unscrupulous, and savage than humans.
The alien could not be trusted.
This statement did not merely mean that their friendliness could not be believed. Their stupidity, weakness, and vulnerability—
None of it could be trusted. They had to be regarded as a gun barrel pressed against one's forehead, ready to fire at any moment.
Looking at the head hanging in mid-air before him, its features still hollow but seemingly carrying a hint of mockery, Zhang Ge realized this.
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