CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 404: SCHEMING AND BEING SCHEMED AGAINST (SEEKING SUBSCRIPTIONS)

"Damn! Trying to trap me!" Pei Yan looked at the sudden large net that sprang up in front of him in the forest, his face turning ashen behind the faceplate as he cursed softly.

The two black spheres, previously unknown biomasses within the squad Pei Yan was tracking, suddenly slowed down and detached from the group, falling behind. Just as Pei Yan was puzzled about their intentions, a large amount of black viscous liquid was violently ejected from these two black spheres. These liquids expanded with the wind, and within moments formed a foul-smelling, pitch-black net in Pei Yan’s path. After accomplishing this feat, the two black spheres turned back and rejoined their squad.

Stopping his movement, Pei Yan extended a metal spike, attempting to cut through the black net obstructing his way. Unable to slice through the now semi-solid, sticky substance firmly gripping the spike, Pei Yan simply discarded the dagger and peered through the mesh at the retreating squad.

Is this to drag me down and use me as bait? Pei Yan sneered, suddenly recalling an old joke: Two people were being chased by a bear, and one said to the other, "Why run so fast? You can’t outrun a bear." The other replied, "I don’t have to outrun the bear, just you." It seemed he was the one left to feed the bear.

Originally intending to observe and steer clear of trouble, Pei Yan thought to himself, since you’ve acted, don’t blame me for being impolite. With that, his Mechanical Eye extended its vision, quickly focusing on the group in the distance, and in the next second, his figure vanished from sight.

Suddenly appearing in front of the group, Pei Yan saw the shock reflected in their red eyes, and felt a surge of satisfaction, genuinely grateful to Mu for granting him an extraordinarily powerful ability.

He wasn’t sure if it was due to his unique physique or if the ability mutated during the transfer, but Mu’s ability, once transferred to his own body, developed a new method of usage, residing completely within his Mechanical Left Eye. Through it, he harnessed his ability to its fullest potential.

Now, anything in his field of vision, as long as he captures a photo with his Mechanical Left Eye, he would teleport to that location the next second, completely bypassing Mu’s need to lay out space, making his actions stealthier and quicker.

Stunned by his spatial leap, the group gathered in front of him, led by a female humanoid monster who, after initial shock, quickly regained composure, a series of strange sounds emanating from her throat. The entire squad spread out in a fan shape, with the two eagle-headed beasts and a black sphere charging directly at Pei Yan, while the others jumped to the flanks, trying to bypass Pei Yan and continue fleeing.

"Hmph, trying to run!" Pei Yan snorted coldly, the light in his Mechanical Eye reigniting. A beam of light abruptly shot out, forming a huge light screen blocking his front. Unable to stop, the squad collided with it, and when they reappeared, they were thrown into the center of a group of unidentified creatures under the red sky.

Pei Yan’s move was like throwing a handful of salt into a pot of boiling oil, the scene exploded instantly just as he suspected. The group was indeed fleeing from the monsters in the red glow, and once the writhing creatures discovered targets, they madly swarmed forward.

Through the perspective from the Mechanical Eye, Pei Yan clearly saw the female humanoid creature, slashing down attacking bugs, casting a venomous gaze toward his location.

Pei Yan felt no guilt about this. If you make the first move, be prepared to face retaliation. He was only slightly surprised that the advance of this red space didn’t stop after capturing the group but continued steadily forward. Now, without the guiding squad, Pei Yan didn’t know where to hide or if there was a limit to this red zone. If it were to completely change the skies, would he have to flee to the horizon?

Despite these thoughts, Pei Yan dared not delay and decided to flee first. After leaving behind a dozen Nanomechanical Insects to monitor the group’s battle situation, as he turned to escape, he suddenly felt his foot tighten, and was alarmed to look down, only to find a sticky substance had somehow wrapped around his left foot. Looking up, the black net that had previously blocked his path was gone, transformed into a stream of black liquid that, during his observation, quietly counterattacked from the ground to entangle him.

Before Pei Yan could react, the rapidly solidifying black liquid swung him like a pendulum, directly tossing him into the red light screen.

Damn, underestimated it! Suspended in the red glow, Pei Yan’s face felt a burning pain. This retribution came quickly! Beyond the fury of being outwitted, he was more shocked to find that he couldn’t return to the disappearing nighttime world. Even using his spatial jumping ability, he could only crash into the advancing red screen’s edge, unable to push through the invisible wall blocking his progress.

After cursing the female monster’s ancestors in his heart, Pei Yan found himself embroiled in the battle. The monsters showed no friendliness toward him as an outsider, rapidly pouncing on him after the initial chaos.

Only then did Pei Yan carefully observe the hideous creatures. At a closer look, they made him nauseous. Resembling maggots, their backs were covered in thick Scale Armor. Their bodies squirmed rapidly, unexpectedly fast, and as they neared Pei Yan, they reared up, revealing their abdomen riddled with numerous tentacles and sickening slime, curling their bodies into a shrimp shape before suddenly leaping at Pei Yan like a slingshot.

Boom! Pei Yan lazily raised his hand and fired an electromagnetic cannon. The damage was substantial, the electromagnetic blast piercing through the insect’s scale-armored abdomen. The blast’s aftermath propelled the insect back to the ground. The only issue was their resilience; even with a gaping belly wound, the creature squirmed stubbornly, refusing to die. However, the next scene was sickening, other monsters showed no mercy for their wounded. They chose to swarm the injured companion, overwhelming it quickly, and moments later, the wounded insect was devoured without a trace left behind.

Seeing their harshness even towards own, Pei Yan had no illusions about his fate if caught. Thus, he fought more fiercely, holding nothing back. His body swayed as liquid metal surged, thirty mechanical clones formed in an instant. The battlefield erupted with gunfire, electromagnetic cannon flashes, and a metal storm unleashed a barrage, quickly carving a bloody path underneath Pei Yan.

Normally, Pei Yan would have taken some pride in his battlefield achievements, but now he couldn’t smile. It was as if he was in an ocean of maggots, waves upon waves of endless maggot armies rolling toward him.