Chapter 789: Man-eating Staircase
âThis multiple-choice question is really straightforward and crudeâŠâ Ling Mo remarked casually, directing his gaze upstairs.
The writhing flesh almost completely covered the staircase, as well as the walls and ceiling. The sharp teeth emerging from the flesh reflected a cold light, continuously producing a grating âcreak creakâ sound that discouraged anyone from approaching.
âA Man-eating StaircaseâŠâ
After a brief moment of thought, Ling Mo walked toward it decisively.
âIsnât there the gecko option?â Black Silk reminded him.
âDonât randomly give me names! If you must, change it to something like superhero!â
âWhy bother with such detailsâŠâ
âIsnât it part of a petâs duty?â
As Ling Mo lifted his foot, he explained, âItâs not that I wouldnât use it, but that method is already useless. The moment I opened the door, the opponent was aware of me⊠In that case, itâs better to just walk up openly.â
âYou certainly have a way with words for an infiltrator,â Black Silk said, clicking its tongue.
âIâm dying to know what your purpose on Earth isâŠâ
While speaking, Ling Moâs foot firmly stepped down.
Through the shared vision from Ling Mo, Black Silk clearly saw the entire scene.
As soon as the hiking boot stepped onto the staircase, the flesh below quickly sank, engulfing his entire foot. Simultaneously, several bloody vine-like objects shot out from the flesh, coiling around Ling Moâs calf like venomous snakes. One of these âvinesâ reared up, exposing its serrated mouthparts right in front of Ling Moâs eyes.
Although the thing didnât emit any horrifying screams, its mere appearance and the blood continuously dripping from it were enough to give anyone goosebumps.
Not to mention it always looked ready to pounce, imposing a significant psychological impact.
âDidnât expect it to be this well-designedâŠâ
Suddenly restrained, Ling Mo still maintained a calm expression, as if his leg wasnât even bound. He completely ignored the âvine.â âAnyone trying to pass through here will fall into this flesh swamp. Then, the vines will kill and dismember the restrained person. The severed limbs will be chewed into pieces by the sharp teeth and eventually assimilate into the flesh, becoming part of the staircase⊠It should be something like that.â
âAre you analyzing your own fate?â Black Silk suddenly snapped back to attention, saying.
However, there wasnât much worry in its tone since Ling Moâs psychic fluctuation remained steady.
Itâs just that Black Silk couldnât quite comprehend Ling Moâs explanation.
âHow could it beâŠâ Ling Moâs other foot stepped up, and reaching out, he grabbed the âvineâ in his hand. âThis is merely the outcome envisioned by the opponent; it doesnât mean it will become a reality.â
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Moâs fist clenched tightly.
The âvineâ immediately started to twitch, with its mouthparts repeatedly attacking Ling Moâs arm. But within a few seconds, when Ling Mo opened his hand, it had already turned to dust. Looking at Ling Moâs arm and palm, there wasnât even a scratch, not to mention any blood.
Black Silk was stunned for a moment: âWait, itâs a hallucination?â
âThatâs right. From the corridor to here, itâs all just an illusion. In reality, as long as you control yourself not to pay attentionâŠâ
As he spoke, Ling Mo had already taken several steps up, with the leg that had been bound completely unharmed.
ââŠyou can easily pass through. The other key point is not to accept this setting. Once you believe that all this is real, the sensations such as pain will manifest themselves on your body. However, this illusion, whose very existence is dubious, can only deceive mutation creatures like you. In my view, the scare factor here outweighs its practicality.â
Ling Mo was intentionally imparting this knowledge to Black Silk; its illusion projection, in some sense, could be considered a type of hallucination-based superpower.
Its potential for further development might be low, but at the very least, it should move beyond the realm of simple doodles!
âHow exactly does one control themselves not to pay attention? Thatâs the most important part and itâs almost impossible!â Black Silk grumbled.
âThis was simple because the purpose of creating this place wasnât to stop me, but rather to hinder those two from earlier. Making the scene so exaggerated is to make them retreat in fear.â As he spoke, Ling Mo couldnât help but touch his chin. âNo wonder that woman was furious. Didnât she say this was her territory? This is like being bullied in her own homeâŠâ
âOf all people, you have no right to say that. But how do you know theyâre not targeting you? Didnât you say they already noticed you?â Black Silk asked curiously.
âIf they were targeting me, they would definitely use some lethal hallucination tactics, right? Like turning the downward staircase into flat ground, making me step into thin air, or phasing out the wall so I crash into it⊠These are fairly straightforward methods.â
âBecause it wouldnât have much practical effectâŠâ
âRemember when I closed the door once? That was because I realized I was encountering an illusion and wanted to verify if they would immediately change it based on the situation. As it turned out, after noticing me, they did consider changing the Illusion but at best, it was only to the extent of causing a stomach cramp⊠Most of the Illusion remained the same, so it was thrilling but safe on the fourth floor,â Ling Mo said confidently.
âA stomach cramp⊠So, theyâre distracted and powerless?â
Black Silk quickly responded, âIf Xu Shuhan really is upstairs, she should still be safe now since these humans havenât caught her yet!â
âExactly⊠However, the fact that theyâd rather let me go in while focusing all their attention on the Fifth Floor makes me uneasy⊠Itâs possible they want me to walk into their trap, preparing to catch us all at onceâŠâ
Ling Mo quickly ran up the stairs, his expression growing more serious.
This Illusion, while easy to see through, is just the fringes of what theyâve constructed. Judging their power based on this would be a grave mistake.
Moreover, he had to deal not only with this mental ability superhuman but also with others hidden within the Illusion.
âHowever, since the Illusion works by affecting the senses, itâs not entirely hopelessâŠâ Ling Mo pondered for a moment and then said to Black Silk, âYou guys get nearby first. If you see that man and woman coming back early, try to stall them for a bit.â
âIs that all? What a wasteâŠâ Black Silk said with some dissatisfaction.
âIâll scout the situation first. If somethingâs off, you come in as backup. Itâs better than both of us walking into a trap.â Ling Mo explained.
As he ascended the âMan-eating Staircase,â it grew increasingly withered. The flesh on the ground and walls seemed to be decaying and shriveling, and the âvinesâ had turned into dry, twisted ropes hanging haphazardly around.
While talking, he reached the staircase leading to the Fifth Floor, standing at the edge and looking into the Corridor.
The Fifth Floor appeared pitch black, and a stronger, pungent scent of disinfectant pungent filled the air.
The long Corridor was littered with shriveled flesh, and the doors on either side were wide open, with sticky substances clinging to the doorjambs.
There were traces of black liquid running down the walls, and it seemed like there was something extra beneath his feetâŠ
However, these details were not the most importantâŠ
What truly made Ling Mo feel eerie were the corpses hanging from the CeilingâŠ
âDressed in white coats or patientâs gowns⊠This personâs Illusion is really detailed⊠grotesque.â
Ling Mo stood in place, thinking, âTo break the Illusion, the best way would be to directly attack the mental ability superhuman responsible for it⊠But since they noticed me first, theyâll probably come for me firstâŠâ
Operating within the opponentâs Illusion certainly posed risks. But considering that most of their attention was likely on the first âintruder,â they would probably just try to stall him. Still, Ling Mo wasnât planning to stake his life on this assumption; he had another planâŠ
âAfter all, Iâm half a mental ability user myselfâŠâ
As he stepped into the Corridor, Ling Moâs psychic tentacles reached out.
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