Chapter 23: The Escaped Monster

Li Yi and Zhang Gao followed Brother Tao deeper into the danger zone, and so far, everything was safe. Despite this, Brother Tao skillfully led them around three danger points, and finally, they stopped in front of an abandoned building.

"The address is correct. This is where we need to hold our position. From now on, we'll stay here for the next six hours," Brother Tao said, pulling out his phone and double-checking the map. Satisfied, he signaled to the two behind him.

"Let's go to the top floor," he instructed.

"Is this building dangerous?" Li Yi asked.

"This building is at the edge of that extraordinary creature's territory. Other things in the danger zone won't come near here, so it's actually safer for us. Yang Yilong and his team are much faster. We took twelve minutes to get here; they can reach the center of this territory in about five," Brother Tao explained. "The creature will have to deal with Yang Yilong's team first and won't have time to bother with small fry like us. Once Yang Yilong succeeds in his hunt, we can retreat, but we must report any anomalies."

"There are too many unknowns hidden in the danger zone. Yang Yilong hired us to prevent other unknown entities from taking advantage. Don't underestimate those things; even the remains of these creatures are not simple to deal with," Brother Tao continued as he led them into the building.

The building was well-preserved, with hardly any damage, though it was covered in dust and had no water or electricity. It was evident that the evacuation had been urgent. Inside, Li Yi could still see items like wallets, phones, and car keys scattered around.

"Can you believe this wallet still has money in it?" Zhang Gao said, picking up an abandoned wallet and finding several hundred yuan inside.

However, this old currency was no longer in circulation after the Skyfall event and was banned from use, though it could be exchanged at a bank for new bills.

"If you don't mind the hassle, you could scavenge the danger zone. With luck, you might find a lot of money or even the vaults left behind by wealthy families. The abandoned cities were once places scavengers avoided, so there's a lot of wealth left in the danger zone," Brother Tao said as he walked.

"Too much trouble. I'll pass," Zhang Gao replied, tossing the old wallet aside after a moment's thought. While the idea was appealing, anyone capable of surviving in the danger zone wouldn't be short of money.

Moreover, truly valuable items had long been taken by hired practitioners. If something couldn't be taken, it was either in a particularly dangerous area or not worth the effort.

With no power, the building's elevators were out of service, so the three had to take the stairs to the top floor. Fortunately, they were all in excellent physical condition, so climbing more than twenty flights in one go was no problem.

"Stop."

Suddenly.

Li Yi and Zhang Gao halted abruptly, their bodies instantly tensing. They sensed an unusual tension in Brother Tao's voice.

Is there... something abnormal?

In the darkness, Li Yi's eyes subtly scanned the surroundings for any danger. Soon, his pupils constricted slightly. Even without activating his medium abilities, he saw something hidden on this floor.

But what exactly was that thing?

A spider?

No, it wasn't a spider. It was a 'person'?

On one of the walls of this floor, a strange person was clinging. This person had gray-black skin, blending almost seamlessly with the environment. What made the scene particularly eerie was the eight extremely long and thin arms, each ending in a hand.

The eight hands adhered to the wall like suction cups, making this humanoid creature resemble a giant spider.

Zhang Gao also saw it and began to breathe heavily.

What should they do?

Ignore the creature, or try to eliminate it?

Li Yi and Zhang Gao looked to Brother Tao. This decision was his to make since he was the medium and the strongest among them.

Brother Tao stood motionless, his eyes continually assessing the spider-like humanoid on the wall, contemplating their next move.

"I'll make a probing move. This thing here could hinder our subsequent actions. Even if we can't kill it, we need to find a way to drive it away. Be careful," he said quickly.

"Alright," Li Yi replied, taking a deep breath and preparing himself.

Without further hesitation, Brother Tao swiftly approached the strange spider-like humanoid on the wall. As he got closer, the creature immediately noticed and began moving its eight long arms. It scuttled about four or five meters along the wall before pausing briefly.

At the moment the creature stopped, a flash of light appeared in the darkened floor.

Glimpse!

This was a unique attack method for practitioners who had activated their medium abilities. Brother Tao seized the opportunity to strike.

While Glimpse was nearly ineffective against practitioners of the same level, it was devastating against weaker entities and served as an excellent probing technique.

"Ah!"

Instantly, the silent building echoed with a sharp scream, a sound that was both eerie and chilling, part human, part beast.

The next moment, the bizarre humanoid creature with eight arms rapidly moved along the wall, quickly approaching Li Yi and the others.

"That speed... so fast."

In just one or two seconds, the creature had moved above Brother Tao's head. Its two slender arms, with hands like claws, swung menacingly, ready to tear him apart.

"Bang!"

Dust rose from the ground as the creature's attack left several deep gashes in the hard concrete floor. But Brother Tao was quick as well. As he evaded the attack, a black-coated machete appeared in his hand. Unlike common machetes, this one was not only sharp but also exceptionally durable.

He struck swiftly. In the dark environment, the black blade slashed through the air, targeting the creature. Immediately, two of the humanoid spider's arms were severed, and a strange, glowing fluid sprayed out in all directions.

With his attack successful, Brother Tao's confidence grew. He leaped up, attempting to decapitate the creature. The creature, seemingly intelligent, reacted quickly. Its remaining arms flailed wildly, trying to fend off Brother Tao.

In mid-air, the sharp blade clashed with the creature's strange hands, sparks flying from the impact.

The attack failed, and Brother Tao quickly retreated, pulling back to a safer distance.

"This thing's reflexes are faster than mine. It can even block my blade. Terrifying," Brother Tao muttered under his breath.

The spider-like humanoid, having lost two arms, seemed to realize Brother Tao was not to be trifled with. It ceased its attack and fled at an astonishing speed along the wall.

"It's trying to escape," Zhang Gao said urgently.

Brother Tao's expression was serious, but he didn't move. "Let it go. This creature won't return to this area anytime soon after being injured. It's not worth the risk to chase it now."

He didn't want to pursue, fearing an unexpected turn of events. After all, they were here to earn money, not risk their lives.

In just three or four seconds, the humanoid creature had darted out of a broken window and was climbing rapidly along the exterior wall of the building. Soon, it was out of sight, confirming it was truly fleeing the area.

As it left, Li Yi also breathed a sigh of relief. The creature's speed had been terrifying, almost too fast to react to. Thankfully, Brother Tao had the upper hand and drove it away; otherwise, Li Yi would have had to turn and run.

"It should be safe now."

Brother Tao remained vigilant. After ensuring there were no more sounds or movements, he carefully scanned the surroundings again. Only when he was sure there was no danger did he slowly exhale.

"What was that creature exactly?" Li Yi asked as he walked over, glancing at the severed arm on the ground.

Undoubtedly, it was a human arm. But the bone density and muscle strength were far beyond those of a normal human, even surpassing those of practitioners who had activated their medium abilities.

Brother Tao sheathed his knife and approached the severed hand for a closer look. Although he couldn't identify what kind of creature it belonged to, he decided to put the hand into a bag.

"Thank you, Brother Tao. Without you, we would have been in real danger," Zhang Gao said gratefully.

"No need to thank me. This thing wasn't particularly dangerous. I wanted to see if I could kill it, but it managed to escape," Brother Tao replied, shaking his head slightly, somewhat disappointed. In the danger zone, even for a medium-level practitioner, the number of creatures they could hunt was limited. Encountering such a creature wasn't necessarily bad luck.

Li Yi asked, "Brother Tao, if I may ask, how did you judge its strength? When it was clinging to the wall, it didn't move at all, like it was part of the wall itself. It was hard to see."

"There are two ways: experience and intuition," Brother Tao explained, lighting a cigarette. "The creature's skin was gray-black, matching the wall's color. This camouflage indicates it needs to avoid other predators, which usually means it's not very strong. So, this time, it was an analysis based on experience."

"I see," Li Yi said, finding the explanation quite reasonable. He thought of creatures like chameleons and octopuses, which also rely on blending into their surroundings.

"Regarding intuition," Brother Tao continued, "it's really about instinct. Practitioners at the medium level who continue to advance can develop this instinct. These practitioners have heightened senses, allowing them to better understand their position in the food chain. However, I haven't reached that level yet."

"Alright, let's head to the roof. The presence of such a weak creature here suggests this place is safe. I don't expect we'll encounter any more danger," Brother Tao concluded, resuming their ascent to the top floor.

After this incident, Li Yi's vigilance increased significantly. He realized that having an experienced medium leading the way was crucial. If he ever entered the danger zone recklessly on his own, he might not survive.

"I still have a lot to learn and improve," Li Yi thought, feeling a renewed determination to study and progress further.