Chapter 185: Chapter 183: Mirage City
Mo Ling remembered following on the roof of the car when he first arrived in Oasis City. After Li Luo and his companion got out, he had followed them.
However, within this phantom image, he couldn’t see any trace of the Block at all.
’The Block is gone?’
Unable to contain his curiosity, Mo Ling floated directly to the office window of the bespectacled man in the suit from his memory.
The office wasn’t on a high floor, and just as Mo Ling arrived, he saw the bespectacled man leading the two of them into the office.
Behind Li Luo, there was nothing at all.
The Block was truly gone.
As Mo Ling watched this bizarre scene, doubts swirled in his mind.
Just then, Martin’s words echoed in his mind.
"You are one of a kind."
Whether it was a dream or a historical phantom image, it was one of a kind.
Mo Ling was stunned. ’Is this "one of a kind" trait something that even a phantom image can’t replicate?’
’This is too strange.’
Unable to figure it out, Mo Ling could only set this bizarre scene aside for the moment.
Because now, something even stranger was happening.
On the other side of the building, a blurry patch of iridescent light was constantly trembling, as if unable to take solid form.
Just as the iridescent light was about to solidify, it would be broken up by a sudden gust of air, as if something were striking the mirage, preventing the energy there from ever coalescing.
’Did the people of Oasis City take some kind of action?’ Mo Ling wondered.
As he thought, he drew closer to the distorted iridescence.
It wasn’t until he was near the light that Mo Ling discovered it was shaped like a potato chip.
A smooth, strangely curved surface, as if it were being compressed to an extreme degree.
The instant the edge of the surface began to solidify, it would be struck by a current of air and revert to its initial iridescent form, causing the light to remain in this bizarre state.
It was utterly bizarre.
Mo Ling tentatively drew near and passed through the patch of light.
Like a pebble dropping into a pond, the iridescent light rippled with a current of air.
Mo Ling’s action shattered the balance. The sheet of iridescent light collapsed into a clump where the Block had struck, and the stable mirage was instantly thrown into chaos.
After a flash of multicolored light, Mo Ling found that his surroundings had changed.
The building to the side suddenly looked brand new, all traces of decay completely gone.
Many of the structures below had also vanished, and even the previously bustling crowd was nowhere to be seen.
What was going on? Mo Ling was confused.
It was as if he had passed through the iridescent light into another world.
Or perhaps, another era.
’Was that patch of iridescent light the boundary between two phantom images?’ Mo Ling had a bold guess.
Looking inside the building, there were far fewer office workers in suits. Most of the people were Hunters in combat gear.
’What time period is this now?’ Mo Ling could tell from the environmental changes that it was an earlier period, but he couldn’t pinpoint when.
Inside the building, an intense discussion was underway in a conference room. Mo Ling quickly maneuvered the Block closer to the window, hoping to learn something.
An elderly man, who appeared to be chairing the meeting, rested his chin in his hand. With a worried frown, he asked a serious-faced, middle-aged Noncommissioned Officer in a combat uniform standing beside him, "What is Xu Jian Country’s opinion?"
"He says the Wishing Spring is safe, but he’s strongly against opening it to the public. He says he himself is a prime example," the Noncommissioned Officer replied calmly.
The old man waved his hand dismissively. "We don’t need to heed his opinion. As long as we know the Wishing Spring is safe, that’s all that matters."
The old man then turned to a Researcher with messy hair wearing a white lab coat and asked, "What does the institute think? Does the Wishing Spring have any hidden dangers?"
"Of course it does." The Researcher nodded, looking at the data pad in his hands as he explained, "From what we understand so far, the price of using the Wishing Spring is that the wisher forgets their own wish. This can lead to a drastic change in their personality."
"Also, if one lies instead of wishing according to the image shown by the Wishing Spring, the relic it grants will have significant risks and a hidden cost."
"A hidden cost?" The old man was very interested in this. "Elaborate."
The Researcher swiped on his data pad, projecting its contents onto the large screen beside them. "For instance, this."
On the screen was a Hunter bound to a surgical bed. He was struggling ceaselessly, hair growing uncontrollably all over his body and writhing like earthworms. His torso was visibly starting to atrophy.
The Hunter’s face was a ferocious mask. He couldn’t stop grinding his teeth, so much so that they had shattered, filling his mouth with blood.
His eyes were bloodshot and his head shook uncontrollably. His eye sockets were sunken, and an inhuman roar echoed ceaselessly from the screen.
The Researcher watched the Hunter on the screen with a hint of pity and began to explain.
"This is Hu Qing of the guard detail. He volunteered for the Wishing Spring experiment. He lied when making his wish, telling the Wishing Spring that he wanted to increase his strength. The Wishing Spring gave him a necklace."
"This necklace did indeed enhance his strength, and its effect was greater than any known relic. The power in his four limbs reached a terrifying level."
The scene cut to a massive, bottomless pit, dozens of meters in diameter. Sand from the edges continuously trickled into its depths.
"He made this crater with a single punch. The sand still hasn’t filled it," the Researcher said, a lingering fear in his voice.
The scene cut back to the Hunter.
"But because he lied, after he gained the power, his body began transforming into another type of creature. He himself is completely unaware of it."
"What creature?" the Noncommissioned Officer pressed impatiently.
"A Burrow-limb." The Researcher walked to the screen and pointed at the Hunter’s body. "His entire torso is atrophying, while only his four limbs are ceaselessly expanding. His hair is mutating as well. We speculate that he will ultimately give birth to four distinct Burrow-limbs."
"He can no longer control his own limbs. Because his strength is too immense, we’ve had to use the ’Surgical Bed’ relic to seal him. After another observation period, we may have to resort to euthanasia."
The Researcher’s expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke.
"This is the price for lying."
Hearing this, many of those present had looks of fear on their faces.
"The Wishing Spring cannot be opened to the public. It’s too dangerous," the Noncommissioned Officer said resolutely, slamming a fist on the table.
The old man gestured for the Noncommissioned Officer to calm down, then turned back to the Researcher. "Please continue. Surely it’s not all bad news?"
"Of course not." The Researcher quickly shook his head.
"If you wish according to the desire shown in the golden stream, the relic you receive will have excellent abilities. Most importantly, the price for such relics is very small, sometimes even negligible."
"The Little Elf of the Wishing Spring is very friendly toward humans who don’t lie. You can even negotiate the relic’s abilities and price with it. As long as it aligns with your original wish, it will even help you modify the relic, and it seems to enjoy the process."
At this, the Researcher’s expression turned a little strange. He picked up his data pad and projected a video file onto the screen.
It showed the experience of another Hunter who had volunteered for the experiment.
