"Chip! Collect data and establish a field experiment database!"
As he released the termite, Leilin pressed one hand against his temple, and a bright blue light shot from his eyes directly into the pit.
In Leilin's scan, the termite, once freed, immediately latched onto a tree root.
Compared to the enormous Mist Tree Root, the termite was like a speck of dust, drawing no attention whatsoever from the entity.
"Subject One's vitality experiencing dramatic increase — beginning reproductive parasitism!"
However, in the Chip's scan imagery, the red dot representing the termite lingered on the yellowish-brown root for only a moment before its vitality surged dramatically, glowing an eye-catching crimson, and it began distributing tiny particles throughout the interior of the root.
Like a domino effect, the red dots multiplied at the speed of light, spreading in an instant from a single root to cover the entire wall, and still advancing toward the main body of the Mist Tree Root.
"What is this… AAAH…"
The Mist Tree Root's screams echoed throughout the entire garden.
At the entrance of the pit, Leilin could still hear the dense, hair-raising sound of ravenous gnawing.
By now, the white flying termites had crawled over every inch of the Mist Tree Root.
Hundreds of millions of termites opened their massive mandibles and tore viciously into the root. In just a few minutes, they had riddled the entire Mist Tree Root with holes.
And the Mist Tree Root's roars grew weaker and weaker, until they fell into absolute silence.
Buzzing…
The sound of vibrating wings filled the air as a massive, dense cloud of white flying termites poured out of the pit. Like a swarm of locusts descending, they devoured every remaining plant in the garden.
After devouring every last plant, all the flying termites erupted into frenzied howling.
"Warning! Warning! Dramatic fluctuations detected in the entity's Spiritual Power — previous mental implant has failed. Entity entering frenzied foraging state!"
At the Chip's announcement, all the flying termites abruptly froze in eerie unison, their eyes tinged with a faint blood-red glow, and turned toward Leilin.
"As expected — experiments without proper preparation are always full of surprises! But what a pity — time's up!" A broad smile spread across Leilin's face.
As the Chip's display hit the five-minute countdown and hit zero, the termites that had just been swaggering around all dropped to the ground, their life force snuffed out in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, a thick layer of termite corpses blanketed the floor.
This was the failsafe Lei Lin had preset, and sure enough, it had proven remarkably effective.
"Things like this are riddled with uncertainty! It looks like I'll need to run a whole lot more experiments before these can be deployed in actual combat…"
Lei Lin quickly collected a few termite corpses as specimens, then stepped into the earthen pit, which had already collapsed nearly halfway.
Before long, he reached the spot where the Fog Tree Root had once been. Unfortunately, all that remained were scattered debris and soil — the enormous root-relief face that had been there before had vanished without a trace.
"But this trap — they really did put a lot of thought into it!"
Lei Lin eyed the black passageway that the Fog Tree Root had used as a trap. Inside the corridor, a dense layer of charred termite corpses was piled up.
It was clear they hadn't died from the genetic collapse Lei Lin had preprogrammed, but rather from the trap inside the passage itself.
And right where the Fog Tree Root had once coiled, another corridor was now exposed — this one a burnished bronze color.
The passage seemed to be made from something resembling ceramic, its surface quite rough, yet possessed of a unique aesthetic beauty.
Near the entrance, a line of text in the Ancient Byron Language was inscribed: "Laboratory One Passage! Top Secret! Unauthorized Entry Strictly Prohibited!"
The vivid crimson characters sent a slight chill down Lei Lin's spine.
"This material…"
Lei Lin reached out and ran his fingers along the bronze-colored ceramic wall. In his perception, the walls were exceedingly hard, and what's more, they felt remarkably similar to the Weeping Blood Alloy he had seen back in the Dillon Garden — both were designed to block spiritual fluctuations.
"If this really is what I think it is, then whatever's locked inside here is something truly terrifying!"
The unease in Lei Lin's heart now surged to its peak.
He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then decided against rushing in. Instead, he found an open area and began pulling all manner of materials from his clothing, inscribing an unusual formation array on the garden floor. The formation had an oddly peculiar appearance — it looked like an inverted "L" symbol. In the end, Lei Lin even carved a similar symbol onto his own robe.
"Looks like I really am terrified of dying!" After setting up the formation, the unease in his heart finally eased somewhat. He gave himself a self-deprecating laugh, then stepped into the passage.
The bronze corridor wasn't long, and Lei Lin quickly reached its end.
It was a small hall, and on its far wall stood a massive black metal door, well over four meters wide.
Along the door's frame, all manner of
After all this time, the lettering on the metal door had grown somewhat worn, and a layer of dust had accumulated, giving the whole thing a dilapidated air.
Standing before the door were two figures that walked straight into Lei Lin's line of sight.
Upon recognizing them, Lei Lin stepped forward. "Old Ghost, and Jay! Where's Copper Ring?"
The ones who had appeared before Laboratory One were none other than the Old Witch and Jay, while Copper Ring was nowhere to be found.
"Last time, we must have stumbled into an ancient Wizard's disorientation trap! Inside the trap, every time we thought a companion was right beside us, we were actually drifting off onto diverging paths without realizing it, growing farther and farther apart…"
The Old Witch spoke up, then continued: "The moment that trap activated, the four of us each went our separate ways. After that, I ran into an auditory illusion trap laid by an ancient Wizard… After a fierce battle, I found my way here and met up with Jay. Her experience was more or less the same as mine…"
Lei Lin nodded and briefly recounted his own ordeal — though naturally, he glossed over the specific abilities and Wizard spells he had used.
Then he said, "Looks like all we have to do now is wait for Copper Ring to show up…"
"No need. I can sense it — Copper Ring is dead!" Jay suddenly dropped this piece of news, drawing a slightly startled look from Lei Lin.
This person, who was presumably a woman, had barely spoken a word since joining the party. She seemed quite familiar with the Old Witch, and her energy fluctuations were unremarkable — only marginally above those of an ordinary rank-one Wizard.
But now…
Lei Lin found himself studying Jay more closely.
At the moment, Jay was still cloaked head to toe in black, but the fabric was riddled with tears and scorch marks that spoke of combat damage.
Beyond that, the energy fluctuations around Jay's body were in a highly unstable state — sometimes hovering right at the threshold of a rank-one Wizard, as if she were a newly advanced practitioner, before suddenly surging dramatically, drawing Lei Lin's gaze again and again.
"Jay has learned and memorized a very special rank-one Wizard spell that can determine whether a Wizard she has seen within a certain period of time is alive or dead. That's why we decided to wait here for you!"
Jay's personality seemed quite solitary — she never spoke unless it was truly necessary, and the Old Witch relayed everything on her behalf.
"Is that so?" Lei Lin was somewhat skeptical, but rank-one Wizard spells in the Wizard world came in every conceivable variety. Countless Wizards had built upon the work of their predecessors, modifying and creating new and unique spells that were passed down through the generations. As such, he had no way to judge whether the Old Witch's explanation was accurate.
"Since you're here, let's rest up a bit, and then we'll try to enter this Laboratory One!"
The Old Witch's eyes gleamed with eagerness: "I have a feeling — the altar I need is right in there!!!"
Lei Lin was somewhat speechless. The Old Witch was being far too hasty.
Nevertheless, he stepped forward and ran his hand over the black metal portal before them.
The moment his fingers touched the metal door, a sensation passed through him — first icy cold, then pleasantly warm. The solid iron gate radiated an impression of utter indestructibility.
Combined with the symbols and incantations carved into the doorframe, Lei Lin got the distinct feeling that this gate was not designed for experiments — it was meant to contain something.
In the center of the black door was a keyhole made of brass. The dark, hollow lock made Lei Lin's hair stand on end as a bone-deep chill washed over him.
"I don't recognize all the runes on this door, but I can make out a few of the higher-level ones — one reinforcement glyph, one metal-memory glyph. Breaking through this gate would cost us considerably more effort than I'd like. Perhaps we should look for its key!"
Lei Lin suggested.
"No need! It's right here in my hand!" The Old Witch cackled and produced a heavy brass key from inside her robes.
The key was slightly curved, shaped somewhat like a ladle, but it was a perfect match for the lock on the door.
The Old Witch raised the brass key and moved to insert it into the gate.
"Wait!" A figure suddenly stepped between her and the door.
"Blood Hand, what are you doing?" The Old Witch stared at Lei Lin blocking her path, a look of unmistakable anger crossing her face.
At the same time, Jay immediately took up a position behind the Old Witch. A faint magical luminescence flickered around her body, making Lei Lin's eyes narrow.
"Nothing much — I just feel the danger here exceeds what I signed up for. I'd like to withdraw." Lei Lin's expression was perfectly calm.
"From what I've read, this ancient Soul Slaughter Cult may have been the hidden force behind many ancient plagues and catastrophes, and they were conducting extraordinarily dangerous experiments on the soul…"
Lei Lin's tone was thoroughly sincere. "Therefore, I suggest we suspend this exploration for now. Once we've grown strong enough, we can try again…"