Jin Xuyan was a very charismatic man.

The source‍‍‍⁠⁠⁠⁠‌⁠‌⁠‍​⁠​​⁠‌​‍‍‌​⁠ of the calamity that descended upon the swamp was a goat. Before the disaster spread, the swamp consisted only of sporadic patches on the surface; the primary landscape was originally a rainforest shrouded in dense mist.

At the heart of the rainforest stood a giant, pitch-black tree, its roots interlocking and snaking beneath the entire forest floor. The goat and the ancient tree underwent a hybrid mutation, and the residents of the nearby Bait Cities called it the Black Goat of the Woods.

This was the most horrifying realization for Jiang Xiao upon entering the mission zone—the local residents knew exactly what the Super-Aberrant was; they even knew its appearance because they had all seen it in their dreams. They gathered in numb adoration of its power. When they spoke of it, they didn’t use the clunky name “Black Goat of the Woods.” Instead, they called it “Mother.”

Everyone was under mental control.

The people in the Bait Cities drew the “Mother” from their dreams, photocopying the devotional images and pasting them everywhere. Others processed it further into animations, broadcasting them on electronic screens large and small. Before every drawing and every screen, people knelt in prayer, hoping that Mother would soon choose them for sacrifice.

On the screens, the Black Goat of the Woods had no regular shape. Its main body was a cluster of massive, meat-like black clouds, riddled with eyes that emitted a red glow, constantly gasping and spreading deep within the swamp.

With every heavy breath, a ceaseless flow of black mud poured from its body. The mud and slime grew into infinite tentacles that writhed slowly in the depths, devouring the life within the forest.

“This thing resembles a certain ancient myth,” Jin Xuyan said to Lumen as he stood before an electronic screen. “I don’t remember what the myth called it—likely some terrifying Elder God of fertility worship. Send the data back to the Black Tower. If possible, have them contact Law and ask if anything similar was seen in District 95 back then.”

Lumen frowned, stabbing at his terminal aggressively. “Can’t do it. Signal’s lost.”

“Oh.” Jin Xuyan looked entirely unsurprised, turning back to continue staring at the indescribably disgusting thing on the screen.

Lumen asked, “You’ve read the legends of that Elder God?”

Jin Xuyan thought for a moment. “Something capable of infinite consumption and reproduction should be very weak in its initial state, fattening itself up by devouring the rainforest and the Bait Cities. Judging by the mental state of these people, this fellow has clearly leveled up its ability to cause mental cholera.” He turned to see Lumen’s brow furrowing deeper and let out a snorting laugh. “It has a weakness, too.”

“What weakness?” Lumen asked immediately.

“Things with absolute power and reproductive capacity often have very low intelligence.” Jin Xuyan turned to leave, casting only a faint, smiling glance at the writhing black cloud of flesh on the screen. “Let’s go. Let’s see what’s deep inside that mist.”

Lumen noticed that unusual, faint smile.

He hadn’t been with the Spire for long, but since his arrival, Jin Xuyan had brought him along on every mission. He understood the Jin Xuyan of the missions, this man was arrogant to his very marrow. He always gave enemies nothing more than a cold glance, often disdaining even to lift a hand, leaving the final kill to his subordinates.

But this time, that faint smile made Lumen feel that Jin Xuyan was truly acknowledging his opponent. He sensed the danger of the thing, and of course, revealed an extreme bloodlust.

The moment they stepped into the mist, Lumen’s head began to throb.

The black mud of the swamp covered almost every inch of the ground. Before they set out, the mission briefing described the rainforest as rich and colorful, but now, every plant and animal was coated in black sludge.

The mud was still erupting and spreading wantonly, and the viscous sound of its flow was the very source of his headache.

Monitoring Lumen’s mental stability, a dark red, almost black rose petal suddenly swirled in the air and pressed against Lumen’s lips.

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In the language of flowers, the Black Rose means desperate love.

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As he spoke, Jin Xuyan turned and threw his arm out to shield Lumen’s face. A sharp rose thorn flew from his sleeve like a vicious whip, violently shattering a black shadow that had suddenly lunged from the distance.

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Jin Xuyan gave an “Mhm.” “Watch out for tentacles that might burst from the sky or the ground at any time. Don’t get hit, and don’t touch the swamp.”

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For some reason, Lumen had felt a sense of instability since entering the mist. This feeling didn’t come entirely from the eerie sights before him, but rather from Jin Xuyan himself.

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Lumen was momentarily speechless, then heard Jin Xuyan mutter: “It’s a good thing we stopped the Black Tower from a direct thermal weapon strike. If I’m not mistaken, this thing could have been destroyed by thermal weapons initially, but now, it would likely just gleefully absorb the energy of the explosions.”

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Jin Xuyan’s left arm transformed into countless strands of rose vines trailing in the air, covered in black rosebuds. Cruel, beautiful thorns extended from beneath the buds.

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“Do you remember the way out?” Jin Xuyan suddenly turned and asked him.

Those hawk-like eyes were deep and sharp. Most Protectors in the Spire were terrified to meet his gaze, but Lumen only curled his lip in a mocking smile. “Of course. If you want to retreat, just say the word.”

He paused, his gaze landing on one of the many rose vines on Jin Xuyan’s left arm. The injuries to his chest and back from the last mission were on the left side, affecting the upper left arm as well. After the genetic transformation, one rose vine looked particularly fragile. There were breaks in the aggressive thorns, with sap hanging from the wounds. Nearby rose leaves trembled in the mist, looking as if they were in great pain.

Before Lumen realized what he was doing, he had already opened his mouth toward that petal.

His lips moved slightly, as if whispering something. The metal engravings set near his lips transmitted those sound waves to the petal. As if sensing it, the petal actually quieted down.

Jin Xuyan frowned, looking at him with a suddenly strange expression.

“You actually dare to use your ability on your superior.”

“This is soothing the ’emotions’ of your wound.” Lumen looked away listlessly. “I only recently discovered that I can serve as a bit of a support, too.”

Jin Xuyan stared at him for a long time, then snorted and turned back.

As he turned, Lumen heard him whisper: “Proud little bird.”

Lumen frowned. In that moment, he suddenly realized why he always felt such complex, mixed emotions of admiration and loathing for this man—Jin Xuyan was so powerful that he looked down on the strength of others. For instance, even though Lumen was clearly a leopard, Jin Xuyan insisted on seeing him only as a bird.

“Please don’t forget that besides the Vampire Finch, I have half the genes of a Leopard.” Lumen sneered. “The claws you have, I have them too.”

Jin Xuyan paused, but didn’t look back again.

He only said coldly, “What I see you as has nothing to do with your abilities.”

Lumen didn’t understand what he meant and couldn’t be bothered to press further.

Two whips of mud attacked simultaneously from below and from the side.

The one from the ground tried to snag his ankle to drag him into the swamp, while the one in the air lashed directly for his neck.

In an instant, he manifested his leopard claws, shattering the mud whip in the air with one strike and severing the black hand on the ground with the blades in his hand.

“Smart not to fire,” Jin Xuyan evaluated. “Don’t feed it more energy.”

“You’ve already said that once,” Lumen said coldly.

He and Jin Xuyan exchanged their usual cold mockery, but both of their expressions grew increasingly grave.

Visibility in the mist continued to drop. The sneak attacks from the mud whips became harder to parry. The entire world was shrouded in blurriness and filth. They gradually lost their sense of direction as they moved forward, their physical and mental strength enduring a sustained assault.

When they finally reached the center of the swamp, Lumen felt a powerful sense of suffocation—as if he had swallowed an entire rainforest of marshland. It festered in his chest, leaving his skin numb, unable to speak a single word for a long time.