Chapter 128: Trap

Cyrus forged ahead, his expression entirely deadpan. The ash-gray streets reeked not only of damp mold from prolonged absence of sunlight, but also carried the thick, nauseating stench of alien secretion.

Hiss, hiss, hiss—

Rustling, skittering noises converged from every direction within the dense darkness.

Yet the creatures hesitated, fearful of stepping any closer.

The sheer, crushing spiritual pressure emanating from the black-clad man standing in the middle of the avenue was far too formidable; they were merely probing and stalling.

Cyrus was searching for their primary spawning grounds. The deeper he penetrated the ruins, the harsher the skittering became—a final warning before violence.

His radar signal degraded rapidly, pinpointing a solitary farmstead located on the outskirts.

A crumbling red-brick roof, a desolate courtyard, collapsed fencing... alongside a few petrified animal skeletons buried under the soil inside an abandoned barn.

Cyrus found it odd: Why was there a single, isolated farmhouse sitting out in the middle of this desolate wasteland?

Yet thermal readings confirmed the spawning nest lay in the immediate vicinity, given the elevated heat signature of the eggs.

Maintaining full combat readiness, he extended his spiritual threads to survey the area. Chi bounded ahead, breaking through the doorway into the master bedroom.

Verifying the absence of immediate threats, Cyrus followed close behind. The interior bore nothing out of the ordinary; the lingering traces left behind by ancient humans were on the verge of complete weather-driven decay.

From a dust-laden bookshelf, Cyrus retrieved the sole surviving picture book—severely faded, yet unrotted—with a plain black cover.

The tale contained within was startlingly simple:

A young girl wearing a red riding hood got lost in a forest, encountering a seemingly helpful gray wolf that offered her directions.

When the wolf inquired about her destination, she revealed she was heading to visit her grandmother.

Upon arriving at her grandmother’s cottage, the girl discovered the old woman had been devoured, leaving behind only a single strand of hair. Reminded of the wolf, she summoned a nearby hunter, who shot the beast dead on the spot.

Yet as the girl prepared to slice open the wolf’s belly, the hunter lunged forward, sinking his teeth into her throat and draining her dry.

For the hunter was the true werewolf all along.

Cyrus failed to comprehend the underlying significance of such a gruesome tale.

Chi suddenly nudged Cyrus from behind with its massive head. Turning around, Cyrus saw Chi holding a plush doll in its jaws, retrieved from some forgotten corner.

It possessed pink hair, green eyes, and wore a lovely princess dress, though the fabric had frayed terribly over time.

Recognizing a resemblance between the doll and Bunny, Chi had intended to bring it back as a gift.

Cyrus took the doll from Chi’s jaws, casually turning it over with his thumbs as the ghost of a smile touched his lips—so subtle it was virtually imperceptible.

Without a second thought, he shoved the doll straight into his tactical rucksack, addressing Chi with utter, shameless nonchalance. "Mine."

Chi: ?

Chi: I @@#*

Stealing stuff directly from your own spirit guide?!

At that exact moment, an eerie, haunting flute melody echoed from outside the farmhouse.

The tone of the flute was razor-sharp and grating, oscillating in erratic, uncanny pitches that mimicked eerie, ghastly whispers one moment and blades scraping against bone the next.

Cyrus identified it almost instantly—something was deliberately mimicking the sonic frequency of a matriarch Aberration.

Countless lesser Aberrations swarmed the farmyard, only to be sliced into pulverized flesh by the whirling gale of his dark spiritual blades.

Cyrus gave chase toward the origin of the melody. Every creature that dared block his path was reduced to a wet, crimson carpet beneath his boots.

Yet that mysterious silhouette maintained an uncanny, fixed distance ahead of him.

He knew full well that no living human could possibly reside in this abandoned sector.

The two plunged at high speeds down a sheer, vertical array of subterranean skyscrapers, engaged in a relentless game of predator and prey.

The entity had clearly failed to anticipate the terrifying extent of Cyrus’s strength—it was actively fleeing.

Slipping into a desolate medical complex, the creature glanced back and saw no sign of Cyrus, assuming it had successfully shaken him off.

Yet the moment it turned its head, Cyrus was already standing at the far end of the hollow corridor.

Under the faint, fluorescent green luminescence, the man’s tall silhouette shifted against the wall. With every step he took forward, his crushing spiritual aura grew exponentially more tempestuous.

Cyrus slowly drew the laser blade mounted on his back. "Let’s see what kind of monstrosity you actually are."

A flare ignited with a sharp hiss, illuminating the dark corridor and finally exposing the entity lurking in the shadows.

It was completely swallowed inside an absurdly oversized patient gown. Stringy, cascading white hair obscured its head and face, revealing nothing except a sliver of pale, greenish neck.

Cackle, cackle, cackle...

A sickening crunching sound—reminiscent of a beast gnawing on bone—echoed from its throat. It seemed to be laughing.

It rose to its feet, its frame matching Cyrus’s height yet looking remarkably gaunt and hollow beneath the oversized hospital gown.

Only then did Cyrus notice the object cradled in its arms.

No, not an object.

It was the corpse of a woman—recently deceased, as evidenced by the residual thermal signature clinging to her frame.

Her stunted, malnourished build indicated she belonged to the wasteland scavengers.

Cyrus couldn’t discern whether this entity was human or monster; it hadn’t devoured the body, but had instead dressed the corpse in spotless garments and woven her hair into neat braids.

The uncanny flute melody echoed once more.

In an instant, an endless tide of Aberrations erupted from every corner and crevice, weaving a suffocating net of darkness directly behind Cyrus.

He had walked straight into a trap.

***

Back at the tower, Bunny was attempting to interface with the Central Terra communications network. Earth’s local satellite links dropped connection constantly, driving her up the wall.

She was searching for archives on Sentinels whose ranks had degraded due to severe radiation exposure. Repairing Astin’s spiritual network was proving exceptionally difficult, as was Kai’s. During her previous treatment sessions, she had discovered that certain heavily eroded voids were simply impossible to patch using conventional Guide techniques.

Was there any alternative method?

Curling her legs onto the plush sofa, she rested her chin against her folded hands. After hours of digging through databases, her eyes felt thoroughly strained.

Suddenly, a warm chest pressed gently against her back, and a steaming mug of hot cocoa appeared before her.

Xander leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Still not finished with work?"

His voice was low, magnetic, and laced with a subtle, intoxicating rasp.

Bunny turned her head, met immediately by a close-up of his strikingly handsome features.

"It’s already eleven o’clock?"

Bunny had military theory courses scheduled for the morning, so she hastily snapped her terminal shut, intending to shower and turn in.

Unexpectedly, Xander scooped her up in his arms, offering a charmingly deceptive smile. "Come on. Let me bathe you."