Chapter 214
In front of her, the "woman" dressed in luxurious red and gold was running towards Xia'er with a look of sheer terror, as if something was chasing her from behind.
The feather quill hovered anxiously around the "woman," as if it were alive.
Suddenly, the "woman" reached out instinctively towards the quill, and it floated directly into her hand.
"**!"
The "woman" halted abruptly, throwing the quill towards the blood-red vortex. At the same time, it seemed as if her waist had disintegrated; her clothes tore apart, blood and flesh splattered, and she rapidly became emaciated, as if all her vitality had been drained away.
This was a scene Xia'er had designed, one she had encountered in a dream.
Though there were no ruins or flames around, and the "woman" bore clear signs of having been mended, this simple maneuver successfully deceived the deranged shadow of the raven.
The quill, hurled towards the blood-red vortex, suddenly stopped mid-air, expanding rapidly into a phantom raven with a wingspan of half a meter.
Its eyes were wild, wings spread wide, letting out a horrific shriek as it lunged towards the "woman."
But just then, a terrifying hand emerged from the blood-red vortex, moving with lightning speed to grasp the quill, dragging it forcefully into the vortex.
As the "woman" fell to the ground, the raven's form was completely pulled into the other realm.
Meanwhile, Xia'er, standing behind the blood-red vortex, reached out and picked up her notebook.
Ten seconds had passed, and her hand had fully returned to normal.
【The plan was a success; it has been dragged into the other realm.】
【I need to go in too.】
【Good luck to us.】
Xia'er placed the notebook and pen on the ground.
With a thought, a monstrous hand reached out from the blood-red vortex, as if inviting her. Xia'er extended her hand and grasped one of its fingers.
In the next moment, she was pulled into the blood-red vortex.
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PS1:
I know it's not ideal to leave it here, but today is a special case. Yesterday, I thought I’d have some carbs and ordered noodles, but I’ve been suffering from stomach pain since finishing them. I woke up in pain last night, and I’ve been lying in bed all afternoon. I really can’t write.
I’ll make it up tomorrow, starting from 8K.
Good night!
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Chapter 130: Achieving "Uniqueness" and the Pollution of the Other Realm.
Fragments of memories from the other realm flashed through Xia'er's mind.
These were some of her few recollections of the other realm, stemming from her simulated self's journey there.
The goal at that time was to find the sealing object she would later learn was called "The Gaze of Death's Omen."
In those fragmented memories of the other realm, Xia'er had witnessed its bizarre transformations, but she had only confirmed the coordinates of the sealing object before her mind shattered.
Even when her real self later entered the simulation, those fragments continued to affect her.
Thus, Xia'er’s purpose was clear.
Once she entered the other realm, she would use every means at her disposal to dismantle the "Polluted Touch of Fate" as quickly as possible and extract the uniqueness.
Even if it meant death, she could not die in the other realm; she could not allow her real self to remain trapped there.
It seemed that Xiao Zuo understood Xia'er’s intentions.
After dragging Xia'er into the other realm, it climbed onto her back. As long as Xia'er’s mind showed any signs of distress, it would pull her back to reality.
It was like being strapped into a safety harness while bungee jumping.
At the moment she was fully pulled into the other realm, the buildings around her collapsed in an instant, and the world before her was shrouded in a thickening mist.
Xia'er had no time to focus on the changes in her surroundings. While she could still think, she quickly scanned her environment, searching for the possible location of the feather quill.
Soon, a silver-white light mixed with a shimmering blue appeared in her line of sight.
It was the sealing object—the feather quill!
At that moment, it had transformed into the shape of a raven, though it looked different from what Xia'er had seen before.
In the other realm, the shadow of the raven seemed to revert to its most primal form, but one of its pupils glowed with an abnormal silver hue.
There it was—a tiny silver gear, almost the size of a quarter of a fingernail.
"Xiao Zuo!"
Xia'er quickly commanded in her mind.
Instantly, the heavy weight on her back vanished, and a swift figure darted through the mist, heading straight for the raven that was still dazed in place.
Xiao Zuo, back in the other realm, moved as if it had returned home. While Xia'er could track its position outside, in the other realm, Xiao Zuo moved with the speed of teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Zuo had pinched the feather quill with four fingers and dashed back to Xia'er.
Seeing the raven pinned before her, Xia'er hesitated for no moment and reached out towards its eye.
At that instant, the raven, which had been materialized before her, began to twist.
Its pupil, adorned with the silver gear, seemed to be a monster brimming with tentacles, countless tendrils bursting forth from its eye, nearly bursting the raven's head apart.
The number of these blood-soaked tendrils quickly exceeded the size of the raven's body, and they continued to surge outward.
Xia'er’s right hand hesitated for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and plunged her hand into the mass of tendrils. Even as they burrowed into her skin and muscle, she did not flinch.
This is fake... it’s all fake...
Everything I see is not real...
A searing pain shot through Xiaer's right arm, as if every nerve were snapping one by one; she could no longer feel her right hand.
The tendrils pierced through her arm, burrowing straight towards her neck. If they reached her spine, Xia'er would surely be paralyzed in an instant.
The agony surged deep into her marrow, striking her soul. Xia'er began to see double, and through her blurred vision, she thought she saw not a mass of indescribable tentacles and an invisible raven...
But her sister.
That ethereal figure squatted before her, curiously observing her current actions.
Ah!!!!!!
Xia'er couldn't make a sound, but her heart was screaming. She summoned all her strength, ignoring the tendrils that continued to creep upward, and lunged forward, extending her right hand with the momentum!
Her right hand finally regained a flicker of sensation.
Amidst the sticky mass of tendrils, she touched something hard yet warm.
Crack—
Ignoring the fact that her fingers were already broken, Xia'er clenched her fist tightly, using her palm to grip the hard object, and yanked it back with all her might.
Pop—
A crisp sound echoed as the tendrils that had nearly covered the ground retreated rapidly towards the center, like a tide of tentacles.
The tide of tendrils surged towards the center, finally converging into a small point— the bloodied eye socket of the raven.
And in Xia'er’s skeletal right hand lay a crushed eyeball, amidst a mess of blood and flesh, a silver precision gear quietly rested in her palm.
Xia'er’s consciousness began to waver. She looked around in confusion, and through the mist, she could still see that this was an unfinished factory area, but deep within the fog, countless shadows writhed.
Their silhouettes twisted and contorted in indescribable ways, and their whispers echoed in Xia'er’s mind like a violent cacophony. She felt like a dazed puppet, kneeling there, allowing the shadowy figures wrapped in a mosaic of thick mist to approach her.
"Hiss—"
A sound like a snake's hiss reached Xia'er’s ears, bringing her a moment of clarity.
She turned her eyes and saw the terrifying left hand beside her, anxiously facing away from her and shrieking, seemingly trying to disperse the encroaching shadows.
"Uniqueness"... cannot be taken outside... it will be discovered...
What should I do...
Xia'er’s thoughts began to slow, and she had no more strength to think.
She raised her hand, instinctively performing a biological action—swallowing—and directly ingested the precision gear into her stomach.
Buzz—
A terrifying hum exploded in Xiaer's mind.
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