Above The Sky
Chapter 611 - 611 580 Flesh Shapeshifter 13

611: Chapter 580 Flesh Shapeshifter (1/3) 611: Chapter 580 Flesh Shapeshifter (1/3) Subspace Labyrinth, a certain deep corner of a boxed garden.

In an atmosphere thick with the scent of roasted meat, a cluster of flames burned in the center of a makeshift camp constructed from mud and corpses.

The scent was unmistakably that of roasted meat, but no one present wanted to know specifically what kind of meat it was.

The fuel for the fire, besides the wood and blood vines temporarily found in the Subspace Labyrinth, included numerous research reports which, after confirmation, had lost their value.

As fuel, the black text of the research reports was gradually engulfed by the flames, turning into ash-gray remains, yet its eye-catching title was still clearly visible.

“The Process of Overcoming Death: Artificial Souls Have Entered Clinical Trials”

Members of the Huai Guang Rescue Team were silently eating around the campfire, replenishing their strength.

Through the filter of the subspace, the fire seemed like a flickering mass of fresh blood, giving off a damp, fishy smell rather than a warm light.

In fact, maybe that was the truth.

Ever since they entered the Subspace Labyrinth, everything seemed to be twisted…

The rescue team encountered two battles as soon as they entered.

Although somewhat chaotic, they managed not to lose any members thanks to the strength and aura of the two Holy Hall Enforcers, and with the help of a medic, they quickly healed several injured members.

Following the scanning of the subspace probe, they steadily made their way deeper into the labyrinth.

But as they went deeper, the intensity of the battles grew greater, to the point where they faced multiple Second Energy Level Phantasms in ambush, a challenge that could only be dealt with through sheer strength.

This was actually not hard to solve—looking at the corpses under the feet of these rescue team members, exuding the scent of roasted meat, one could tell how formidable their strength was.

Not to mention Second Energy Level Magical Beasts, even Third Energy Level ones might not hinder their advance…

Of course, Third Energy Level might be difficult.

It depended on whether it was the emergence of a lower tier Heart Light Body, or a middle tier awakened with Life Spirit Energy, or a high tier where the Heart Light Body had matured and merged with Life Spirit Energy, able to materialize a concrete figure.

The lower tier could still be dealt with, but starting from the middle tier, they would have to run.

But the real problem was, some enemies could not be detected by them at all.

Even if team members died because of it, they still remained undetected.

The atmosphere in the camp was quite heavy, with Redemption Light scrubbing her twin heavy swords with a solemn face, while Glorious Sword closed her eyes, meditating to recover from the mental and physical strain caused by Spirit Energy.

The team consisted of more than a dozen people, including three Elves, five Demihumans, five Humans, and two Dwarves, plus the team leader Glorious Sword and deputy leader Dawn Light, making a total of fifteen people; essentially an international contingent from Terra.

In fact, this was the largest team that Huai Guang supporters acting on an individual basis could gather from South Ridge and West Frontier Plains.

They had worked together in unity, enduring many hardships…

and yet, inexplicably lost two of their best members in the labyrinth.

The Elven Archer Yileisha, a top marksman who could accurately hit the core of an apple from seven hundred meters away, had exceptionally astonishing eyesight, and it was said that her difficulty to get close to people was due to her ability to see the mites on human faces.

Yileisha mysteriously disappeared after a minor skirmish; all that was found was her fragmented longbow.

She evidently struggled for a while after the ambush, but no one noticed when she was attacked or when she died.

The second victim was the cat-person Fafu.

He was a natural stealth expert, and his Phantom Chameleon Bloodline allowed him to move unseen in any environment or setting.

Fafu was once a notorious jewel thief, but after being saved by Dawn Light in a natural disaster, he chose to reform, dedicating his services to Dawn Light as repentance for all the treasures he had stolen in the past.

However, his body, soaked in deadly poison, was discovered in another boxed garden.

To prevent further casualties, the Huai Guang Rescue Team dared not retrieve his body and instead retreated to a simpler boxed garden to rest and guard against potential dangers.

From beginning to end, this affair was filled with an intense sense of eeriness.

The two who died were amongst the most sensitive in the team, and were experienced in countless battles with excellent coordination.

It was not hard to explain their death in combat, but to die quietly here was utterly unreasonable.

As Karo, another Tiger Demihuman warrior, said, even if ten of him had died, Fafu should not have.

Fafu had a natural premonition for danger, and he would be forewarned and instinctively evade any attack aimed at him, even if it was an alchemical firearm bullet at supersonic speed.

Unless the attack came from behind.

—This was the most serious accusation.

—There was a traitor within the team.

The team leader, Glorious Sword, gently asked the tiger warrior if he truly thought so and who the traitor might be.

The warrior, who seemed rough and not particularly bright, suddenly faltered—he had merely been venting his emotions instinctively and had not considered that such an accusation could lead to the team’s dissolution.

That’s why the mood of the team was so gloomy now.

[There indeed is a traitor]

Through the plain internal communication within the Huai Guang, Glorious Sword was conversing with Redemption Light: [Karo is right, Yileisha might have been ambushed, but Fafu couldn’t have been taken by surprise by an enemy…

It had to be a close friend who could strike without him noticing.]

Redemption Light nodded, her brows furrowed deeply: [But this is too inconceivable.

Most of us in the team have fought for Huai Guang for over a decade, and to turn against us in a place like the Subspace Labyrinth, before we even complete the mission, before finding our rescue target…

It just doesn’t add up.]

[Yingguang, what do you think?]

She turned her head, asking her younger sister disciple, the white-haired Dragoness Nun Yingguang.

[Someone must have had their mind bewitched, this must be caused by the Spirit Energy of some mysterious and powerful Subspace Magical Beast]

The Radiant Nun Yingguang was also present.

Compared to her attire in the Leyan Territory, she was now clad in silver light armor, holding a ruby staff that doubled as a spear in one hand, and a shield in the other—a characterization of the most common clergy attire in Terra.

She was also the core of this team, a member of the medical personnel.

The perceptive nun was now surreptitiously scanning all present with the corner of her eyes, without drawing attention: [Fafu might let his guard down because the other is a friend, but Yileisha doesn’t usually allow anyone within two meters of her…

This clearly points to an influenced mind, and perhaps we are affected as well, without even being aware of it.]

The moment she spoke these words, even the internal channel fell silent for quite a while.

The blood-red flames heated the water in the pot, making it boil with a rumbling sound.

But suddenly, Redemption Light stood up.

“Who is it?!”

The angry roar of the cow woman sounded like thunder, jolting the entire team into high alert, spreading out into combat formation.

But as Redemption Light roared, another sound was heard—a gunshot burst on the edge of this miniature garden!

Bang!!

With the explosion-like report of the firearm, an alchemy bullet propelled by high-purity Origin Quality tore through the air, screaming with a pitiful whistle, heading straight for a human Knight in the team!

Because it was so sudden, and the bullet moved too fast, no one was able to stop the shot in time.

But oddly, the target Knight’s behavior was quite strange—while he clearly noticed the bullet and his expression of shock was all too real, his body moved slowly, as if pretending not to be able to dodge.

Yet a moment later, his speed surged, and his entire body jerked unnaturally, avoiding the bullet in an extremely twisted posture.

Thump!

The alchemy bullet that had been dodged exploded, and instead of a lethal wave of alchemical gunpowder, a special ‘Dull Light Powder’ dispersed—a substance similar to Revealing Dust, which could easily reveal hidden Sublimators, though lacking the ‘highlight marking’ effect of Revealing Dust.

But it was enough.

The Knight, whose posture was extremely unnatural as he dodged the bullet, was suddenly covered in Dull Light Powder.

He let out a harsh, spiteful roar—followed by his entire body writhing and morphing into a humanoid Flesh Shapeshifter!