The metal box was opened, but inside was not the item Yue Shi had expected. Instead, there was a smaller box.
To be precise, it was a cube.
The material of this box was not metal, but it was just as smooth as a mirror.
Compared to the sturdy outer metal box, this one was fragile and much easier to open. With a slight application of force from Yue Shi’s fingers—
“Crack—”
Accompanied by a crisp sound, the surface of the box was instantly covered in cracks. Fragments fell away, dropping into the grounds of the Qingshan Sanatorium.
The inner walls of the box were actually mirrors as well.
Yue Shi recalled that the inner walls of the outer metal box he had just torn apart were the same—mirrored on both the inside and outside.
Did such a strange design have some special significance?
His gaze fell into the box, only to find the interior empty except for a single... thread?
The thread was about half a foot long and as thin as gossamer, emitting an indescribable and ever-changing radiance.
The light seemed to belong to another world; looking at it for too long even caused a sense of dizziness, as if one’s soul was about to be sucked away.
Only a few seconds after the box was opened, the previously motionless thread seemed to be suddenly injected with life, gradually “coming alive”!
At first, it merely pulsated slightly, but then it began to wriggle.
As it “awakened,” starting from both ends of the thread, the surrounding space became unstable, with visible ripples undulating through the air.
Occasionally, extremely brief and bizarre scenes flashed by—perhaps a starry sky, or the silhouette of some creature—vanishing in an instant, impossible to capture.
It’s trying to escape!
This thought flashed through Yue Shi’s mind. Almost at the same moment, the active thread flicked lightly, turning into a streak of light as it prepared to shoot into the unknown void!
Yue Shi’s hand moved like lightning, his palm snapping shut to precisely seize the thread in his grasp.
Caught it!
But... what a strange sensation.
The object seemed to have no physical form, yet it was tangibly imprisoned within his palm.
Yue Shi immediately activated his Insight vision, his gaze fixed upon this ethereal thread.
In his field of vision, the text information fluctuated violently, but in the end, it only deciphered a single word—【Bridge】.
What did this represent?
Yue Shi narrowed his eyes slightly. He remembered the egg from last time, which had eventually granted him the four-winged demon bird form.
Could this thread be...
At that thought, Yue Shi flapped his wings, leaving the vicinity of the Qingshan Sanatorium and landing in a strange, hidden corner of the Chaos Zone.
Unable to wait any longer, he closed his eyes. Time and space seemed to freeze at that moment as Yue Shi’s consciousness drifted upward, passing through layers of mist.
When he opened his eyes again, his consciousness had left the physical world and arrived at the familiar wasteland.
The massive Full Moon Stone Tablet stood before him, topped by a full moon and guarded by countless relief-carved tentacles.
Yue Shi raised his hand; the singular thread had come here with him.
The Full Moon Stone Tablet accepted sacrifices, but its requirements for them were extremely high. When it encountered a suitable sacrifice, those requirements would manifest as an instinctive craving within Yue Shi.
Items from the physical world could not enter this mysterious space, with the exception of sacrifices.
A sacrifice that could be favored by the Full Moon Stone Tablet perhaps didn't belong to the material universe at all.
Yue Shi opened his palm. The intangible yet real thread, as if guided by some force, slowly drifted up and fell toward the profound stone tablet.
The moment the thread touched the surface of the tablet—
One of the tentacles that had been a mere relief “came alive.”
It detached from the hard body of the tablet, shifting from stillness to motion like a flexible vine, gently coiling around the thread.
The thread instantly fused with the tentacle.
The entire process was swift yet silent.
Once the fusion was complete, the tentacle stabilized. However, the form it took was completely different from the sinister, eyeball-covered tentacle that had given Yue Shi his demon bird abilities.
It didn't look like the organ of a monster; instead, it looked like an extremely orderly... “progress bar.”
This new “progress bar” tentacle displayed the same shifting radiance as the thread. Starting from the end, nine clear scale nodes were arranged in a neat row.
At this moment, the very first node had been lit up.
Yue Shi focused on the illuminated node, and information appeared directly in his mind—
【Banish】
【Open a gateway to the Chaotic Void】
【Behind the gateway lies violent spatial turbulence】
【Expel the target, exile them to the unknown】
【“Open the door, see the guest out~”】
【Briefly opens an extremely unstable spatial rift, forcibly throwing a designated target into the spatial turbulence. The location of the rift, its duration, and the target's final destination are all random and uncontrollable. You can only control the “opening” and the “designated target”; everything thereafter is determined by the chaotic laws of space.】
As Yue Shi “read” this information, waves of joy flickered in his eyes.
He had gained another new ability.
No, more accurately, he had unlocked an entire systematic set of supernatural powers!
When the “progress bar” reached 100%, he might even be able to manifest a second Transcendent Form.
“As they say, a horse won't get fat without night grass, and a man won't get rich without windfall wealth~”
If he hadn't decisively hijacked that armored transport vehicle, how could he have reaped so many benefits today?
In high spirits, he tilted his head back and surveyed this desolate, barren space that belonged solely to him.
However, this casual glance allowed him to observe some unusual changes.
The towering stone tablet still stood in the center of the wasteland, but the full moon at its peak seemed to have become brighter.
The “mist” that was too thick to disperse in the “sky” of the space seemed... a little “thinner”?
Although he still couldn't see what was hidden behind the mist, he could definitely feel that the density of the fog obstructing his vision had decreased.
What did such a change mean?
Perhaps it was caused by the sacrifice.
Or... it was related to his ever-growing power; he and this space were growing together.
Questions flashed through his mind one after another, but he found no answers.
With no one to guide him, Yue Shi could only explore on his own.
The mysteries of this space far exceeded his understanding. He was like someone standing before the door of an infinite treasure trove, occasionally catching a glimpse of the faint light through the cracks, yet knowing nothing of the full picture behind the door.
After the brief shock passed, Yue Shi quickly regained his composure. Unknown changes weren't necessarily bad; at least for now, everything seemed to be in his favor.
He didn't linger in the space for long. In the world outside, many things were still waiting for him.
Boss Pi, the Clown, the director, the heavily damaged Investigation Bureau, and the hijacked transport vehicle—countless storms were all converging on Amber City.
This was the kind of show that could truly bring joy to a fun-seeker~
Rate on N.U.
