Deep in the Living
Chapter 274 - 262 Dual-phase Projection

Chapter 274: Chapter 262 Dual-phase Projection

[Border City Prison]

Luo Di’s eyes snapped open on the metal conduction chair.

Despite the accumulation of large amounts of ice inside the prison cell, the internal temperature still remained above forty degrees.

Ding! (The sound of metal twisting)

The metal cuffs binding Luo Di’s arms were easily snapped off.

Luo Di himself wasn’t even aware of this action; he was simply waking up and unconsciously wanting to move his arms.

Looking at the shackles destroyed by brute force and feeling the subtle changes in his body, especially the temperature far higher than the normal human body.

"My body... has changed?

Has the body forged in True Hell also influenced the physical body through [Projection]? It’s probably not just an influence; rather, it’s a synchronized enhancement."

Luo Di tried clenching and swinging his fists, feeling different than before. Hardness, muscle density, and strength had all improved.

As the voice from Hell had said, it was indeed such a mature body that could bear the further growth of the spine and carry Luo Di towards the [Gate of Demon Ascension].

However,

Using the reflection from the broken metal, Luo Di glanced at his own facial features, which still displayed black hair and a normal chin, differing from his appearance in Hell.

Feeling the evolution of his body,

Feeling the reverse influence of Hell on reality,

The muscles of his face pulled the corners of his mouth upwards,

This was also the first time he had smiled since leaving Moon City.

And because Luo Di had forcibly freed himself from the metal chair, the prison’s alarm bell was sounded.

It didn’t take long for a large number of prison guards to arrive at the scene, accompanied by the Prison Director, who still moved around in a fully automated mechanical wheelchair.

"Luo Di, have you ended your world journey so soon?"

"No, it’s just that it’s troublesome to do certain things over there without clothes and weapons. I’d like to request access to my Cornered Tool; I wonder if that’s possible."

The Prison Director did not reply immediately but instead observed Luo Di’s face and the restored color in his eyes.

"Not only your body, but your state of mind has changed as well.

It seems you’ve come to terms with the affairs of Moon City and have gained a higher understanding on the level of killing.

In that case, your request is approved, but the permission is only for the duration of the [Connect World] period, and the tools must be turned in immediately upon your return to the prison."

"Thank you, Prison Director."

The surrounding prison guards all wore expressions of astonishment; detainees of such a level were never supposed to touch any tools, let alone a Cornered Tool.

However, since it was the Prison Director’s command, they had no choice but to comply.

Some veteran prison guards who had been there for a longer time even noticed that the mood of the Prison Director had improved quite a bit since Mr. Di’s incarceration.

A pig head and a coat were quickly brought to this special cell.

Putting on the coat,

Wearing the pig head,

He continued to sit on the metal chair designed to help with Consciousness Projection.

Thanks to [Physical Casting], Luo Di had already received the true identity of a Spine, and his connection with True Hell became more smooth and natural.

Under normal circumstances, he could actively connect to that world and disconnect at will to return.

Of course, with the assistance of such a chair, the connection effect was even better.

Electricity connected.

Hum!

His body shuddered, and steam dissipated.

When he opened his eyes again, Luo Di was back in his familiar residence in Nest City. But this time, he was not naked, but wearing a dark coat and a pig head mask.

Since ordinary clothes couldn’t be projected, only the coat, as a [Cornered Tool], could realize the Consciousness Projection, and the buttons of the coat were not fastened.

The current image was even more extravagant than being naked, and even the label "pervert" wouldn’t suffice.

The ’Recruiting Spine’ that had stood across the table before was now flying to the corner of the ceiling, trying to distance itself from Luo Di as much as possible.

From the base of its spine, nerve roots grew out, anchoring it to the wall, while its wings shielded its front.

Creak creak~ A faint trembling sound could be heard between the vertebrae.

It was clearly afraid, terrified by the otherworldly aura emanating from Luo Di, a dangerous presence from the Corner.

An aura named [Fear].

As Luo Di removed the pig’s head and set it on the table,

and fastened all the buttons of his coat, thereby covering his private parts,

it was only after releasing waves of Hell’s breath that the Recruitment Spine slowly descended and returned to the table.

"Is this... a living product from your world? It seems to be related to brain structure, no wonder it could project here with you.

I personally wouldn’t recommend taking something like this outside, as Spines are naturally combative and can easily cause misunderstandings and trouble."

Luo Di, however, didn’t care; he no longer wanted to stay indoors and was eager to go out and have a look.

"Let’s go."

"Didn’t I tell you? A living alien product like this will..."

The Recruitment Spine suddenly froze, as the alien aura it sensed rapidly dissipated, and the inexplicable sense of fear gradually subsided.

Luo Di reached out and touched the top of the pig’s head.

The flesh and bones were immediately absorbed into Luo Di’s body, ultimately transforming into a common Pig Slaughter Knife, a most ordinary metal tool.

The black coat he wore also turned into something plain and unremarkable with a flash of grey light, no longer emitting any Corner-related aura, and the feeling similar to being watched by a camera disappeared as well.

[Disguise]

Luo Di learned an important ability in Moon City, which was also a gift left to him by his squad leader. He could now activate and use it through his pituitary gland as a sort of auxiliary ability.

Looking at the ordinary-looking young man with grey hair in front of him,

the Recruitment Spine trembled even more violently, as though premonitions of danger from the Hell Force swirled in its mind.

"...Apart from contact with [Order Group],"

"Luo Di, is it possible you’ve also had dealings with [Evil Play]?"

"No."

Luo Di had heard this force mentioned for the second time.

The Recruitment Spine stabilized after a bout of trembling, "I suppose so~ If you had deep interactions with Evil Play, they would definitely leave something important inside of you.

You would have been exposed during the Physical Casting process.

Now it seems this kind of Disguise is an ability of your world... I apologize, I was overthinking~ This is my first time being in charge of receiving an Outer Realm Apostle like you."

"Speaking of which, is this [Evil Play] very powerful?"

"The most powerful are obviously us Spines, followed by those plague-spreading fiends... Evil Play is not so much powerful as it is dangerous.

Once you formally join the legion, you will have the chance to come into contact with these things."

"Hmm, so can we go out now?"

"Yes~ Since even I can’t see any problems, ordinary residents of Central Nest also won’t be able to spot anything."

"By the way, how should I address you?"

Luo Di could tell that this Recruitment Spine was a sort of independent creature. According to it, the Spine served as a guide before officially joining the army, likely for an extended period, so it was more convenient to ask for its name.

"You may call me by my code, 5179."

"Don’t you have a name?"

"Name... That’s a very distant, hazy concept. I can only vaguely remember the blurry name of this spine’s former owner, seemed to be something like Fi.

If you don’t want to use the code, you can call me Fi Spine."

"Former owner?"

"Yes, I forgot to explain. Creatures like me, ’Recruitment Spine,’ are special products of the factory, originating from Spines who died on the battlefield.

If the body’s spine is relatively intact, it can be recycled.

Some spines that retain a part of the consciousness are made into independent creatures like me, responsible for some miscellaneous tasks within the army, such as surveillance, transportation, and recruitment work like now.

I specifically receive newcomers like you who have never been to Nest City before, responsible for familiarizing you with the situation here before leading you to the recruitment ground for the most important service examination."