Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 616 - 605: The Truth About the Stairs

Chapter 616: Chapter 605: The Truth About the Stairs

The zombie was highly skilled in martial arts, almost perfectly blocking the rays Wen Wen shot out haphazardly, and it displayed impressive combat power even in the confined space.

However, its opponent was Wen Wen, and its own strength was ultimately too weak, so it wasn’t long before Wen Wen incinerated it with a flame.

Wen Wen shook his head speechlessly, then charged forward, advancing as if nothing could stop him.

During his advance, Wen Wen kept an eye on the Custodian Badge, and according to the information displayed on the badge, Wen Wen was continually moving downward — at least twenty-five meters down were stairs.

The monsters Wen Wen encountered were becoming stronger, and they seemed to appear specifically to target Wen Wen’s weaknesses. If Wen Wen used fire on one floor, the next floor would inevitably have a fire-immune monster.

But Wen Wen’s methods were almost too numerous to count, and he easily made his way to the twenty-first floor.

The first ten floors featured Disaster Level Monsters, and the items dropped were antiques of increasing value, but to Wen Wen, they were barely better than nothing.

From the tenth floor up to the twentieth, the strength of the monsters increased from Disaster Lower Order to Disaster Intermediate Sequence, and they dropped some monster materials upon death, though these materials were still only from Disaster Level Monsters.

This left Wen Wen feeling somewhat weary; even if he killed a Disaster Level Monster outside, he would not just obtain so little — the Endless Stairs were indeed quite stingy.

The twentieth floor granted Wen Wen a Rune Dagger, but such an item was something Wen Wen could easily make himself, making it meaningless to him.

"Had I known this, I wouldn’t have come here. This trip is a total loss," he muttered.

If the loot was uninteresting that would be one thing, but at least battling different types of monsters could have increased Wen Wen’s combat experience.

However, during the process of advancing, Wen Wen simply could not find any joy in the battles, no blood-pumping excitement, no life-or-death crises—nothing at all.

Moreover, Wen Wen always felt something was off here, whether it was the stairs or the monsters appearing, all had an odd sense of discordance, but he couldn’t pinpoint where the discordance lay.

The monster on the twenty-first floor was covered with mud and had numerous small holes on its body, seemingly from which something could be emitted. This monster was of the Disaster Upper Order!

Finally encountering an Upper Sequence Monster, Wen Wen’s spirit lifted, and he immediately threw himself into the fight.

However, after battling for a while, Wen Wen reluctantly discovered that this Upper Sequence Monster was merely a replica of Xiuluman.

Light rays could be emitted from the holes in its body, its body fluid could dissolve anything it touched, and even its fighting style was somewhat similar to Xiuluman’s.

"Just like Xiuluman... Is this a coincidence?"

Suddenly, Wen Wen’s expression changed as he looked at the monster with a new perspective.

He carefully recalled the twenty monsters he had encountered previously and analyzed each one, soon realizing, besides the monsters from the first five floors, all the others resembled opponents Wen Wen had faced before!

Though they seemed completely different at first glance, dissecting their abilities revealed they were composed of elements from Wen Wen’s past opponents!

The Endless Stairs must be a Containment Item, and most of the monsters Wen Wen faced seemed specially tailored against him.

It was the same for Wen Wen as it was for other Demon Hunters who came here—could a Containment Item really sustain so many different monsters within it?

Unless... those monsters were all fake!

If those monsters were fake, could everything else be fake as well?

"I think I might have figured something out," he said.

Wen Wen stopped his attack on the Mud Monster and stood still with his eyes closed. The Mud Monster shot a laser at Wen Wen’s head, but Wen Wen made no move to dodge.

Just as the laser was about to hit Wen Wen’s head, about to kill him, the laser automatically veered off course, striking the wall next to him.

Wen Wen smiled and said, "Just as I thought, you won’t let the attack actually hit me... or perhaps, though you appear powerful, you actually lack the ability to harm me."

The Mud Monster ceased its attack, tilting its head as it looked at Wen Wen, seemingly puzzled by his words.

"You’ve stopped, so you understand what I’m saying, which means you are conscious, and I’m not just talking to myself," Wen Wen said.

The Mud Monster squirmed for a while, then formed two large eyes that looked innocently at Wen Wen, as if echoing his words.

Sitting down, Wen Wen explained, "All this you’ve done is quite intricate. Had it not been for me, the legend of the Endless Stairs could have gone on."

"Think about it, all the superpower users who’ve explored here have returned satisfied, none have died, not even one has been seriously injured here—that in itself is already quite abnormal."

"If this staircase could truly extend indefinitely and harbored so many monsters within, it would necessarily possess considerable strength. Even if this Containment Item itself is benevolent, those superpower users wouldn’t all escape unscathed."

The Mud Monster sat on the ground and extended its hand towards Wen Wen, seemingly urging him to continue.

Wen Wen laughed and said, "While I was fighting the monsters, I always felt something was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. When I saw you, I suddenly understood."

"If all of this is an illusion, then it all makes sense!"

"When I entered here, I was most on guard, so the first few meters aren’t Illusionary Realm, but really exist."

"I defeated the first monster, believed the rumors about this place, and then the construction of the Illusionary Realm began. All the illusions didn’t directly affect me, but achieved through subtle changes to the stairs and walls, which is why I couldn’t notice."

"Those monsters aren’t really here, they just feel like they are, like ultra-realistic holographic projections."

"When my attacks hit, you somehow simulated the monsters’ reactions during the battle, so I couldn’t see any flaws."

"But you didn’t dare let those monsters truly touch me, because then I would have noticed something was off, and the proof is that in these twenty-plus floors, I haven’t once actually touched those monsters!"

The Mud Monster sighed, transforming into a human form, somewhat resembling an old man from outside, "You’re right, what do you plan to do next then?"

Wen Wen stood up and said, "Nothing much, I just enjoy unraveling mysteries. As long as you don’t harm anyone, what does it have to do with me?"