Catastrophe Containment Facility
Chapter 698 - 688 Awkward Encounter

Chapter 698: Chapter 688 Awkward Encounter

Looking at the monster’s strange appearance, Stein felt trepidation in his heart.

At first glance, the creature looked like a horse, but upon closer inspection, one could see that its mane was made up entirely of slender, tubular worms.

Therefore, even though the monster seemed non-threatening, Stein didn’t dare to mount it, and even a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he thought about summoning the Tings Hound to drain the creature dry.

But just then, the Mist Box moved on its own, nudging Stein forward, as if signaling him to ride the creature.

With this action from the Mist Box, Stein didn’t dare to act rashly, realizing that the monster was summoned by the Mist Box, so he extinguished the murderous intent in his heart and, after much hesitation, finally mounted it.

What he didn’t know was that, in fact, the Mist Box had just saved his life.

If Stein had summoned the Tings Hound just then, he would have undoubtedly died, because the Tings Hound wouldn’t target the horse-like monster but would instead launch an attack directly on Stein.

The horse-like monster was essentially a mass of fog, and naturally, the Tings Hound wouldn’t take the fog as its target, so the only living person nearby, Stein, would have suffered.

Carrying Stein, the horse-like monster moved leisurely forward, and although the direction was unclear, Stein knew the creature had a clear purpose.

Stein’s senses were not sharp, but he could see the mist around them churning, and from the movement of the fog, he deduced that there were probably many monsters following them.

But he couldn’t possibly imagine what kind of scene surrounded him at the moment.

The thick fog around him concealed untold horrors, causing a chill to run down Stein’s spine, for apart from the Tings Hound that was after him, he had no other means to protect himself.

And it wasn’t just the hidden monsters that frightened him. He had noticed that the surroundings had grown chaotic and out of order.

Explosions, gunshots, the clashing of metal... and the occasional shouts convinced Stein that he was now in the crosshairs of the Hunters Association.

Those sounds were Demon Hunters with magical powers attacking him, but thanks to the misty monsters nearby, he remained unscathed for the moment.

In such an environment, whether he moved five minutes forward or five minutes back, there was no possibility of escape.

So he patted the neck of the strange horse he was riding on and said, "I hope you can take me to the Demon Hunter surnamed Wen... This is probably just wishful thinking on my part."

...

Several hundred meters away from Stein, dozens of shadows stood spread out.

It was Xun Qing, George, Kikujuro, and other True-order Masters, along with several dozen High Order Demon Hunters.

George pointed to a huge mist whirlwind not far away and asked, "Are you sure Stein is inside that massive mist whirlwind?"

Even with the dense fog enveloping them, the experts could sense that ahead, there was an irrationally dense, massive whirlwind of fog, filled with monsters formed from condensed mist, and a hundred-meter-long mist fish lazily circling the whirlwind.

Although they hadn’t clashed with that fish, George and the others were certain it possessed, at a minimum, True Order Rank strength, and since it couldn’t truly be killed, it was likely to be a lot more troublesome than an average True-order Master.

It was precisely because of the presence of that fish that the group had refrained from launching a focused attack on Stein, settling instead for a few ordinary probing attacks.

Martina, who had previously shot arrows at Stein, nodded and said, "That’s right, I saw him come out of an underground inn with my own eyes and get onto a monster that looked like a horse. My initial attacks were blocked by the monsters in the fog, and after the fog turned into what it is now, I didn’t dare to make a move."

Xun Qing sighed deeply and said, "For now, let’s just wait and see where he’s going. If it really becomes impossible to avoid confrontation, we’ll have to force our way in."

The horse-like monster did not move quickly; it took a full half-hour to trudge to the residential area where Wen Wen was located.

At that moment, Wen Wen was sitting in the center of the neighborhood when a sudden tremor welled up in his heart. Seeing the giant vortex approaching him, he knew Stein was nearby.

So he shouted, "Disperse!"

Upon hearing Wen Wen’s command, the surrounding mist instantly cleared, making the world seem instantly brighter.

The monstrous steed beneath Stein suddenly knelt, causing the unsuspecting Stein to tumble off, staring in astonishment at the densely packed monsters around him, which also arranged themselves orderly towards Wen Wen, bowing their bodies in submission.

The hundred-meter-long fish circled slowly above the neighborhood but did not descend, as if serving as Wen Wen’s guard.

Neither Stein nor the massive fish managed to surprise Wen Wen.

What truly astounded him was the nearly a hundred auras he sensed after he ordered the mist to disperse—some on par with his own, others far surpassing his.

All those Demon Hunters had actually followed Stein and come along!

Given Stein’s grand entrance, it made sense that these superpower users would take notice of him.

But Xun Qing and the others were even more shocked and astonished than Wen Wen; no one expected the surrounding mist to disperse in an instant, revealing a man in a black robe sitting at its core.

From the faint aura emanating from the man in the black robe, he appeared to be a Catastrophe-Level Expert!

Xun Qing took a deep breath, then took a step forward and bowed slightly, saying, "We did not know you were here. If we have offended you, please forgive us. However, why are you here, and is this mist related to you?"

Seeing Xun Qing’s demeanor, along with Wen Wen’s attire, several True Order individuals guessed that the one seated there was the recently emerged Catastrophe Level Powerhouse, Black Cross.

The existence of Black Cross was not a secret among the upper echelons of the Hunter Association; each True Order member knew something about it.

If it weren’t for the agreement Minister Zheng had signed with Black Cross back then, a relentless stream of Demon Hunters would have thoroughly investigated Black Cross by now, and Wen Wen would not have been able to remain in hiding.

Despite rumors that Black Cross was amicable toward the Hunters Association, the sight of him appearing here cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts.

If the catastrophe in Nim City was indeed orchestrated by a Catastrophe-Level Expert, how were they to deal with it? Should they engage in a brawl with a group of Catastrophe-Level Experts?

Hearing Xun Qing’s words, Wen Wen simply nodded at him as a gesture of goodwill, then paid them no further attention.

In the eyes of the Demon Hunters, this was a Catastrophe Level Powerhouse’s disdain for communication with them, but Wen Wen was merely avoiding talking too much for fear of giving himself away. Outwardly calm as an old dog, yet internally panicked.

Fortunately, when he said "disperse," he had put on the robe of the Calamity Prison Supervisor, otherwise the situation would be extremely awkward.

Wen Wen felt overwhelmed; with so many Demon Hunters present, he could no longer do as he wished.

While maintaining the prestige of a Catastrophe-Level Expert, he needed to take down Stein and the Mist Box.

If he inadvertently made a fool of himself, the reputation of Black Cross would be tarnished...