Volume I: The Spiral Inscriptions Chapter 25: At Last, You Can Grasp a Fraction of My Agony

Chen Fan first made a trip to the surrounding construction area, and after acquiring four barrels of gasoline, he headed toward the residence in the mountains.

Just as he arrived outside the residence, the voice of the yellow-clad monster rang out.

"You've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time. Come in, hahahaha!!"

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and cursed, "Lunatic!" He then climbed the courtyard wall, made his way onto the rooftops, and doused them with gasoline.

He pulled out a box of matches.

With a sharp strike, the match ignited. He flicked his finger, and the match flew out, landing on the roof.

Boom!

In less than five seconds, the terrifying, high-heat flames had engulfed the entire residence. The fire grew rapidly, spreading until the surrounding trees were also set ablaze.

He... had become an arsonist.

Heat waves swept in every direction, seemingly warping the very space around him. The gray-black forest had now become a brilliant, golden-yellow inferno. The sinister aura was gone, consumed by his fire.

A roar erupted! It was the roar of the yellow-clad monster.

Chen Fan sneered, standing in the distance, leaning against a rough tree trunk to admire his "masterpiece." He was no fool; he would never follow the monster's rules and walk into that pitch-black house. If that dark house was where it "exercised its rules," then he would burn its "rules" to the ground with a massive fire. Its rules were of no consequence because he had his own, and his rules were the only ones that mattered.

"Why?" The yellow-clad monster’s roar grew increasingly wretched. It charged out of the house, struggling violently in the courtyard. It was now a man of flame, sparks jetting from every inch of its body.

Chen Fan couldn't be bothered to waste words on it; it wasn't worthy.

"I'm going to kill you!" The monster, fueled by rage despite its body being consumed by fire, stomped across the ground, which had reached temperatures of eighty or ninety degrees, and rushed toward Chen Fan.

Hissing sounds filled the air as its soles were scorched, releasing clouds of white smoke with every step. Leaving trails of grease and flesh behind, it reached out its hands like a vengeful ghost, closing to within ten meters of Chen Fan in an instant.

Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed. He drew his pistol, aimed at its head, and pulled the trigger. Its head exploded, but it continued to charge. As the yellow clothing burned away, its chest and abdomen were revealed, showing six massive holes. From the edges of these holes, flesh churned, and six red monster heads emerged, splitting their mouths to roar at him.

"Go to hell!" Chen Fan drew his long blade and swung with all his might. With a wet thud, the body was cleaved in two, and a deluge of pus and maggots sprayed from within. Chen Fan twisted his wrist and slashed backhanded; the two halves became four.

Reduced to scraps, it finally stopped its assault. Yet, the chunks of meat continued to writhe on the grass, seemingly still alive.

"Where is the stone?" Chen Fan gripped the hilt, using the tip of his blade to flip through the rotting meat, but he found no trace of the Wood Source Stone. His mental contamination index was rising steadily; he had to find a way to secure the stone quickly.

"Not in its body... then where?" Chen Fan looked toward the sea of fire ahead.

The flames were towering, reaching over ten meters high, scorching the surrounding trees. Rolling black smoke rose, staining the sky deep charcoal. Even from a distance, his body was bathed in a golden-yellow glow, and his hair, eyebrows, and clothes were beginning to singe.

"That is..." He suddenly stepped back, having made a major discovery.

In the midst of the inferno stood a blue figure! Its long hair dragged on the ground, and flames flowed across its body. It seemed unafraid of the fire; it seemed to be the master of the flames.

"The Wood Source Stone is with me. Do you want it? Come and get it!" The blue figure spoke, its voice melodious, like the sound of a flowing spring.

Chen Fan did not reply, for his head was suddenly struck by a piercing, violent pain. It was too sudden! He had no defense.

Supporting himself on his knees, he took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and looked within his mind. The golden-red panel had completely vanished; not a single golden-red speck remained. The bottomless black abyss, like a giant maw, had once again solidified, becoming incredibly clear.

The number next to "Mental Contamination Index" was 0.5%.

On the platform of flesh, the red-clad female corpse, unseen for days, had returned. But this time, she was not dancing; she sat on a throne of bones, staring straight at Chen Fan.

"What exactly are you?" Endless murderous intent surged in Chen Fan’s heart; he had never felt such hatred.

"I am... a secret! You are not yet worthy of knowing!" The red-clad female corpse spoke. This was the first time she had ever spoken. Maggots crawled from her eyes as she said, "Was the dance I performed for you before beautiful? One day, you will stand here and dance for me!"

Terror gripped Chen Fan’s heart, and he snapped his eyes open. He had to obtain that Wood Source Stone quickly, or he was dead!

The fire was massive, and survivors active in the area were all rushing toward the scene. Five survivors arrived, all men. They stood behind Chen Fan, staring fixedly at the figure in the sea of flames, their brows tightly knit.

"What kind of monster is that?" None of those present recognized it.

Standing near a tree trunk was a tall, middle-aged man named Qian Feng. The back of his head was covered in white hair; he was a Level 1 Mutate, and everyone around him treated him with caution. He stared at the blue figure in the flames, his eyes becoming increasingly agitated. "It must have the 'Wood Source Stone' inside it, otherwise it could never withstand the scorching heat of such a fire!"

The value of the Wood Source Stone was immense. If he brought it back to the base, he would receive a major reward, perhaps even being gifted two women. Women were rare in any world, and in this bizarre world, their value was immeasurable. He already had his own, but he felt it wasn't enough. Women were like private property; naturally, the more the better. But he was unwilling to sacrifice his own life for a woman, so a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he pulled out a pistol and looked at the men before him. In his eyes, these people were merely his pawns, to be used for his gain.

The fire burned for a full five hours. After five hours, the flames died out, the blue figure vanished, and the residence was incinerated. A massive cave appeared in their line of sight.

Chen Fan’s head was in agonizing pain, as if the abyss inside was about to burst. He dug his fingers into his skull, using all his strength to try and suppress the pain, ignoring the fact that his fingertips were piercing his own cranium.

But it was useless. In his ears, the laughter of the red-clad female corpse sounded like it was about to shatter his eardrums. He wanted nothing more than to sever his own head.

His eyes were bloodshot, his vision stained red until the entire world turned crimson. After taking a deep breath and forcing himself to endure the agony, he lifted his heavy feet and strode toward the cave ahead. The others followed close behind.

For a moment, he didn't know why he was still holding on. He was so tired. Was there any point in continuing? He had never been this exhausted. So tired that he only wanted to sleep forever, too lazy to even open his eyes. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his flesh, but he remained indifferent, feeling nothing.

He felt his mind was muddled, his thoughts numb; he seemed to have lost interest in everything. He truly didn't want to continue this kind of life. But whenever he felt despair, the faces and voices of his father, mother, and younger brother would appear in his mind. He wanted to go back and see them, to live with them again. He didn't want to die here!

I must go back!

Why is my life so painful?

He smiled, but it was worse than crying, for his smile was uglier than any expression of grief. To him, life had never been a pleasant journey; it was a long, endless plight.

He looked at the red-clad female corpse inside his mind. Her rotting face was terrifying and bizarre, yet she seemed to think she was quite beautiful, busy combing her hair while looking into a mirror.

"Catherine! Catherine!" Chen Fan called out in his heart, but she did not respond.

"Are you looking for her?" The horrific happened. After a soft laugh, the red-clad female corpse crouched down and actually pulled Catherine up from the abyss. Catherine was unconscious, and the pus and maggots from the corpse’s body dripped onto her, yet she remained unresponsive.

"What did you do?" Chen Fan’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. He had come to treat Catherine as his closest comrade; he would never allow anyone to harm her.

The red-clad female corpse smiled eerily, threw Catherine back into the abyss, and sat back on the bone throne. "Last time, you should have died in that cell, but she broke through my blockade and rushed out to help you. But this time, she won't have that chance..." She raised her skull to look at Chen Fan. "And you have no chance either. This time, you must die!"

Chen Fan recalled his previous experience of jumping into the black sewage ditch to suppress his mental contamination index, so he hardened his heart, intending to do the same again. As long as he could suppress it temporarily, it would be enough!

The red-clad female corpse seemed to know his thoughts and laughed. "Are you still dreaming? Do you really think self-mutilation can suppress me? I’m dying for you to die! Once you die, I will be free!"

Despair gripped Chen Fan. He had always thought this method was effective, but now it seemed it was only because Catherine couldn't bear to see him suffer like that and had secretly intervened to help him. But now, Catherine was gone. Who else could help him?

No, Catherine needs me now. I must pull myself together! Immediately!

His gaze turned resolute, and he rushed into the cave at top speed.

"From the beginning, it must have been that blue figure leading me in. What is its purpose?" Chen Fan’s gaze was grave. Upon entering the cave, he began to observe the surroundings. His brows knit into a knot; the tunnel before him was not a normal tunnel at all, but a passage of flesh!

Thick, dark-red flesh covered the walls, ceiling, and floor, with large, black blood vessels distributed across it. Embedded in the flesh were the hideous heads of monsters!

Roars echoed as these monster heads constantly snapped their jaws, trying to tear his group to shreds. Large amounts of foul-smelling saliva sprayed from their mouths, and where it landed on their clothes, white smoke hissed as the fabric was instantly corroded!

Cries of alarm rang out. A short, chubby man was terrified and tried to flee, but Qian Feng aimed his gun at him. "Keep moving! Take one more step back, and I'll blow your head off!"

"Please, just let me go. My name is Zhang Ming. I'm from the Second Base. My older brother is one of the base supervisors. If you let me go, he will thank you!" Terrified, he knelt and kowtowed to Qian Feng.

"Too much talk. Do you want to die?" Qian Feng ignored him and kicked him in the ribs. The man cried out in pain and, looking around, huddled closer to Chen Fan.

Five minutes later, they cried out again, for they realized they couldn't move their bodies! Upon closer inspection, they saw that the monster heads on either side had spat out spider-web-like silk threads. These threads were incredibly sticky, like superglue; once stuck, it was nearly impossible to break free. Even worse, the threads were penetrative, piercing their flesh! Their blood moved slowly along the threads, eventually staining them crimson.

"It's a trap!" Zhang Ming said in terror, looking at Chen Fan. "Brother, please save me! My brother is a supervisor at the Second Base, he’ll thank you, please!"

"Aren't you going to help me? Are you tired of living? Don't you believe that once I break free, the first thing I'll do is kill you?" Qian Feng glared at Chen Fan with rage, hating his own carelessness as much as he hated Chen Fan’s indifference. Others also cried for help, desperate for Chen Fan to assist them. They said every kind word they could think of, but Chen Fan remained... indifferent.

Because his mental contamination index had reached 1.5%. He looked down at his own body and saw that it was already heavily rotted! Everywhere, only scraps of putrid meat clung to his bones, emitting a pungent, nauseating odor. Dense clusters of white maggots piled within his body, writhing violently as if poisoned. Looking closer, these maggots were writhing into the shape of a face—his brother’s face!

A moment later, it shifted into the faces of Catherine, his father, and his mother. Finally, "his mother’s face" spoke: "If I want you to live, you live! If I want you to die, you die!" The voice was... the red-clad female corpse’s voice!

No!! How dare you? How dare you??

He dug his fingers into his own cheeks, and as he clawed downward, his skin and flesh peeled away! Five bloody grooves appeared on his cheeks, revealing two rows of bared, ferocious teeth! Blood gushed out!

In the immense pain, he finally regained a sliver of clarity! He... finally heard their cries for help!

I am in so much pain! Are you in pain too? You can finally understand my pain a little! We are finally the same! Hahahahaha!

He had gone mad!!

Boom! A thunderous roar erupted behind them. Chen Fan’s eyes were bloodshot as he looked back. A massive stone door was rapidly descending at the exit, and simultaneously, the blue figure appeared. It stood in front of the gate, brushing its long hair aside.

Its appearance was breathtakingly beautiful. It laughed, looking like a lunatic. "Refine one hundred thousand heads, and I can return to Earth! Ha!"

"Return to Earth?" Chen Fan stepped back, staring at it with blood-stained eyes. According to its words, it was an Earthling. Since it was an Earthling, it was a Visitor. If it were a Visitor, couldn't it just honestly collect the Hunyuan stone carvings? Why refine heads? Did Visitors have different professions? And if it were a Visitor, why did it not emit golden light, and why did its name not hover above its head? He didn't understand what was going on.

It looked at Chen Fan. "Do you know why I lured you here? Because one Earthling is worth five hundred natives!" It laughed again. It didn't seem to want to do this, but the rules were such. To return, it had to follow them; it had no choice.

Chen Fan asked, "Why doesn't golden light shine from you? Is that part of the game rules too? How many such rules are there? And why refine heads instead of collecting the Hunyuan stone carvings?"

It nodded. "This is a bizarre world artificially created. The game rules are countless. One of them is called the 'Identity Concealment Rule.' That is why you cannot tell that I am an Earthling!"

"Furthermore, the professions of Visitors are divided into many types! Your profession is 'Hunyuan Stone Carving Collector,' and mine is 'Head Refiner.' Different professions mean different game tasks! You have your game task, and I have mine!" It looked into Chen Fan’s eyes. "So, can you stop resisting?"

Chen Fan endured the agony, pulled out his heavy pistol, and pulled the trigger. This was his answer!

Bang!!

Its head exploded on its neck, but a moment later, as the flesh churned, its head grew back. Chen Fan’s heart tightened, and he backed away. Was it immortal?

A wretched sound rang out as it transformed into a blue blur, lunging to kill him. Qian Feng, Zhang Ming, and the others, already pinned by the threads and unable to move, were tackled to the ground by it. A crunching sound followed as their heads were gnawed off one by one, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere!

"Who would still believe you're an Earthling?" Chen Fan’s gaze was twisted as he slowly holstered his gun.

"It’s enough that you believe it!" It transformed into a blur and dove toward Chen Fan, swift as thunder!

"He possesses the power of corrosion?" After closing in on Chen Fan, it noticed its body beginning to melt severely, its skin and flesh stinging. But this was a rare opportunity, and it would not retreat; it continued to lunge at Chen Fan.

Boom!

Chen Fan activated the "Quake" technique! Thick red lightning coiled around his body. He roared, reached out his hands, and clamped them onto its head! Blinding red lightning illuminated the cave! Like a lightning storm washing the earth, endless red current poured into its body! It was engulfed by the red storm!

The roaring was deafening. It was furious, and its five fingers closed. The entire flesh tunnel contracted instantly, like a hydraulic press, crushing toward Chen Fan from all directions.

Ahhhhhh!!

Chen Fan screamed as his bones were crushed, and his internal organs seemed to burst within his chest and abdomen! Blood sprayed from his eyes as he opened his jaws and bit down onto its skull!

Crunch! He shattered its skull!

Is this the taste of chocolate? Is this the taste of the food my mother cooked? Is this the taste of the fried chicken my brother loved most?

No!! This is the taste of flesh!! Am I mad? Hahahahaha! I am mad!!!

His gaze was extremely twisted, his eye sockets tearing, and he reached out a large hand, plunging it directly into its body. With a squelch, his hand pierced through its flesh! Thick, viscous blood coated his arm, giving him a sticky, sickening sensation!

After ripping the Wood Source Stone from its body, he opened his mouth wide and tore another large chunk of flesh from its neck. He grabbed its ribcage, threw it aside, and, resisting the crushing pressure, blasted toward the cave entrance!

A roar echoed as thick red lightning pierced the space, instantly punching through the heavy stone door and carrying away a massive cloud of gray mist!

"No!!" Through a hole in the stone door, it thrust its shattered head and roared at Chen Fan!

Chen Fan didn't listen. With a twisted smile, he jammed the Wood Source Stone into his own abdomen. With a wet squish, the stone pierced his body, shredding his flesh! With a humming sound, the Wood Source Stone merged with his flesh, vibrating in circles of red-and-green ripples!

The Wood Source Stone acted like a seal-breaking key. The moment it entered his body, the endless abyss within his head began to shake and contract violently. The red-clad female corpse let out a scream that tore through his head. As the black abyss turned into a vortex, her body was forcibly dragged into it.

The black abyss gradually blurred, and the golden-red panel became clear once more. Catherine finally appeared, lying on the golden-red panel like a desktop sprite, eyes closed in sleep.

After suppressing the mental contamination index, the Wood Source Stone secreted large amounts of green mist, beginning to repair his injuries! In terms of healing, the Wood Source Stone had unique properties, comparable to an immortal elixir!

He sped away.