Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 178 The Shadow Hunting Ground of DataPort
Once outside the protective confines of the photo studio, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

It was no longer just smoke or dust, but an invisible pressure that permeated the air, as if the weight of the entire city was pressing down on one's chest.

The sunlight seemed bright, but it felt artificially lukewarm on the skin. High in the sky, the sickly purplish-red bruises clung stubbornly like unhealable sores.

Xu Yan pulled up the collar of his trench coat, and the jade cicada provided a continuous warm sensation on his chest, allowing him to conceal his own aura to the lowest possible level.

Instead of heading to the data port immediately, he first turned into a relatively quiet back street, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, he activated the encrypted terminal.

He first contacted A Zhe.

The channel connected almost instantly, and Ah Zhe's slightly hurried voice, tinged with static, came through: "Yan-ge! Are you alright? What's going on at the photo studio..."

“I’m fine,” Xu Yan interrupted him, his tone calm. “The defensive formation is damaged and we need to replenish it with a batch of Chaos Stones and Spirit-Eroding Talismans. Also, is there any progress in the research on the specialized Spirit-Eroding Talismans for D-level ghosts?”

“I’ll prepare the Chaos Stones and the ordinary Spirit-Eroding Talismans and send them over as soon as possible,” A Zhe said quickly. “But the D-grade talismans… are stuck. Based on the existing data, there’s a clear ‘gap’ or ‘qualitative change’ in the energy structure and psionic fluctuation patterns between E-grade and D-grade. I’ve analyzed all the E-grade data I could get my hands on, and the deduction model always crashes. Unless… I can get my hands on a D-grade ghost entity, even just a part of its psionic remnants as a ‘test subject,’ it’s impossible to reverse engineer the key parameters.”

Xu Yan's gaze sharpened slightly, which matched his previous guess.

Grade D is indeed a watershed moment.

Ah Zhe continued, "As for the prototype of the psionic infusion, I've modified it according to the idea you mentioned last time, improving energy guidance efficiency and stability by about 15%. The biggest bottleneck now is the energy core—we lack high-purity 'phantom crystals.' And,"

He lowered his voice, "I used the temporary account access you gave me for the Han Group to investigate further and found that Han Group's own laboratory is also secretly conducting high-intensity psionic infusion experiments, with an extremely high demand for high-purity psionic crystals, almost like they're buying them up."

"Understood. Wait for my news regarding the materials and test subjects." Xu Yan ended the call, his eyes deep.

Is the Han family also conducting large-scale psionic infusion? There's definitely more to this than meets the eye.

He hesitated for a moment, then dialed another number.

“Mr. Han.” Xu Yan’s voice was calm and even.

"Mr. Xu?" Han Wenshan's voice carried a perfectly timed hint of surprise, which quickly turned into the smoothness characteristic of a businessman. "It's rare for you to take the initiative to contact me. The initial planning for Liuquan Village has already begun, and the local 'friends' have been very supportive; everything is going smoothly. So, does Mr. Xu have any instructions?"

“It’s not really an instruction,” Xu Yan said casually, his gaze sweeping over a slightly stiff-looking “pedestrian” on the street corner. “It just occurred to me that, as a shareholder, if the project encounters official or unofficial ‘obstacles,’ perhaps I could offer some… ‘consulting’ services.” He deliberately paused slightly on the word “consulting.”

Han Wenshan, being astute as he was, immediately grasped the unspoken meaning—this mysterious Mr. Xu possessed abilities and channels for handling "abnormal" matters that they lacked. His laughter became even more sincere: "Mr. Xu, you're too kind! With your words, I feel much more confident. We're still in the early stages, and I'll certainly consult you if needed. I heard… you've been acquiring large quantities of high-purity psionic crystals on the market recently?"

"Yes, it has some use." Xu Yan said calmly.

"Understood. The Han family also has some connections in this area. We'll let you know as soon as we have any news." Han Wenshan understood without saying a word.

After ending the call with Han Wenshan, Xu Yan's thoughts became clearer.

The purification of psionic energy is a common bottleneck in many aspects of the process.

He thought of someone—Zhou Wenbin.

The communication request was sent but it took quite a while to be connected.

Zhou Wenbin's voice sounded somewhat tired, with a low, mechanical hum in the background.

"Xu Yan?" Zhou Wenbin asked, his tone filled with doubt.

"Why didn't you come to the Forgotten Photo Studio to carry out the mission yesterday?" Xu Yan was referring to the order given by the silver-level contractor named "Shadow" at Zhou Wenbin's house last time.

Zhou Wenbin himself looked puzzled: "I'm wondering the same thing. Before a mission, 'Shadow' usually double-checks. But I haven't received any notification. I suspect the plan has been canceled?"

Xu Yan sneered inwardly. The "judge" who issued the mission had already been dealt with by his father, so naturally there would be no further notification.

He smoothly guided the conversation: "The plan might change. Are you still in Cold Storage No. 7?"

“I submitted my resignation, but it hasn’t been approved yet; the process is stuck.” Zhou Wenbin’s voice sounded a bit irritable. “I’m practically on leave now, but I still have to show up every day.”

“Don’t rush to leave.” Xu Yan’s tone became serious. “The plan needs to be adjusted. Can you use your current authority and location to find a way to… create a device that can efficiently purify ghost energy? Or at least, the core technical blueprints and key components.”

Zhou Wenbin gasped, "Are you crazy?! Those are strategic resources strictly controlled by headquarters! Every piece of equipment has a serial number and a psionic imprint! Unauthorized copying or leakage will be discovered..."

“Risk and opportunity coexist.” Xu Yan interrupted him, his voice carrying an undeniable sense of pressure. “Think about ‘sublimation,’ think about the truth you seek. Without power, everything is just empty talk. This may be our chance to break the deadlock.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the communication line, with only the continuous hum of the machine.

After a long silence, Zhou Wenbin finally spoke, his voice hoarse with a do-or-die determination: "...I'll give it a try. But it will take time, and success cannot be guaranteed."

"As soon as possible." Xu Yan ended the call.

After sorting through all the information in his mind, Xu Yan turned his gaze back to the edge of the city.

Various forces are stirring, and psionic energy is key.

Currently, the most direct way to acquire power remains through data ports.

Like a gray shadow, he blended into the crowd of expressionless, rigid "pedestrians" on the street, heading towards the data port in the old city.

The closer you get to your destination, the more the "normal" feeling around you diminishes.

The buildings began to show more distortions and faults, and the middle part of some buildings became completely transparent, revealing the strange cross-section of the internal reinforced concrete.
The lettering on the shop signs along the street was blurry and flickered, switching between meaningless gibberish.

The smell of disinfectant in the air becomes stronger here, mixing with a burnt smell similar to overheated circuit boards, creating a uniquely nauseating odor.

This is a buffer zone that is repeatedly pulled and tugged by the rules of dreams and the erosion of the "Abyss," ultimately beyond the complete control of both sides.

A terrifying breeding ground, an abnormal nest.

Based on previously gathered scattered intelligence and occasional mentions by A Zhe, the entrance to the data port is hidden deep within an abandoned central telephone exchange.

Xu Yan avoided the occasional, vacant-eyed city cleaning robots patrolling the main roads and turned into a dark alley filled with abandoned servers.

At the end of the alley, a rusty metal door, as if torn apart by a tremendous force, stood crookedly open, behind which lay bottomless darkness, exuding a strong smell of rust, dust, and ozone.

This is the entrance.

Before stepping inside, Xu Yan did a final check of his equipment.

The Soul-Sealing Camera hung in the most convenient position on his chest, the Mind-Stabilizing Plate steadily emitting a faint light, and the Soul-Suppressing Iron imprint on his palm was slightly warm.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, a mixture of rust, dust, and ozone, and stepped inside.

Inside the door, the light suddenly dimmed.

It was not pure black, but a constantly flickering and changing eerie light.

The massive, long-dormant server array stretched as far as the eye could see, like a silent steel jungle.

Countless cables of varying thicknesses, broken and exposed, hung from the ceiling like withered vines, accumulating a thick layer of dust on the ground.

Tiny data fragments carrying trace amounts of electrical charge float in the air, causing a slight tingling sensation when they touch the skin.

Sizzle...rustle...

Intermittent noise, like an old radio searching for a signal, was everywhere, interspersed with a low hum, like countless people whispering in the distance.

That was the sound of turbulent rules, the whisper of the "Abyss".

Xu Yan held his breath and raised his spiritual senses to the limit, his spiritual energy cautiously reaching out in all directions like invisible tentacles.

The psionic environment here is extremely chaotic and... "dense".

He felt a chill run down his spine; no wonder this place had become a breeding ground for abnormalities.

A thought involuntarily surfaced: Why do information-related ghosts or anomalies seem to break through the E-level constraints more easily, touch the threshold of D-level first, and even show a stronger tendency to materialize?

He recalled the "Eyes of Sorrow" quest he had handled at Lianhua Road Station on Metro Line 7 in his previous life.

It was also an information ghost formed by the convergence of massive negative emotions and information flow. Its strength had firmly reached the threshold of D-level, and it had almost condensed into a semi-physical entity, capable of directly affecting the real environment and creating real "tears" and "whimpering".

Is it because the information itself is closer to the underlying structure of this "dream world"?
The foundation of this world woven by Shen Mengyao's subconscious may be a vast and complex collection of information, a concrete manifestation of concepts and rules.

So, in this world, is the anomaly, a mixture of information flow, data remnants, and the real despair seeping in from the "abyss," like a fish in water, with a natural environment that makes it easier to grow and "manifest"?

They are more likely to understand, adapt to, or even distort and exploit the local "rules" of this world. Their very existence is a "loophole" or "abnormality" with a certain "authority" generated after the collision between the rules of the dream and the rules of the "abyss".
This speculation gave him a deeper understanding of the dangers of dataports.

The Class D anomaly spawned here may not only possess immense power, but may also have some bizarre and difficult-to-defend abilities based on the information level.

He moved carefully through the steel jungle, his footsteps barely making a sound on the dusty ground.

The effect of the jade cicada was significantly interfered with here, as if a poor signal was transmitting a fragmented, warm sensation.

What was even more unsettling was that he could clearly feel countless invisible "gazes," filled with cold inquiry and pure malice, like a sticky spider web, projecting from every dark crevice and every distorted shadow in all directions, locking onto him firmly.

It wasn't just greed; it was more like a group of blind, strange fish lurking in the deep sea, smelling the vibrant life that didn't belong here.

He hadn't gone far when the seemingly solidified dark shadow cast by a huge server rack ahead suddenly began to twist violently like boiling asphalt.

Not one, but three twisted, humanoid figures, struggling to "emerge" from the shadows.

They have almost no fixed appearance. Their bodies are barely pieced together from countless wildly rolling, flashing gibberish and broken, distorted pixel blocks. Their edges constantly collapse and recombine, emitting a tooth-grinding, high-frequency "hissing" noise, as if a broken radio is playing all the noise from all channels at the same time.

They have no eyes, but their ever-changing pixelated surfaces clearly convey a pure thirst for life energy and a destructive urge, like piranhas that have smelled blood, pouncing with an unsettling speed.

Level E anomalies are the "cleaners" of DataPort, but their ferocity and strangeness far exceed those of their counterparts outside.

Xu Yan's eyes narrowed. Faced with an attack that would have made even an ordinary silver-level contractor flustered, his movements remained completely calm.

He didn't even use the Soul-Sealing Camera on his chest.

Just as the data afterimage at the very front was about to touch the hem of his clothes, waving its twisted, claw-like limbs made of garbled code.

call out!
Xu Yan raised his left hand as if by magic, and his fingertips had somehow already grasped a spirit-corroding talisman.

He didn't even make any extra movements; with just a slight tremor of his wrist, spiritual power was instantly injected into the talisman with an exquisitely precise force.

The talisman did not shoot out; instead, it suddenly transformed into a fist-sized, violently spinning, dark purple electric spark at his fingertips.

The ball of electricity emitted a deep hum, as if it possessed a life of its own, and precisely met the afterimage of the data.

"Sizzle—sizzle!"

There was no deafening explosion, only a chilling sound, like cold water being poured into boiling oil, or the violent reaction of strong acid corroding metal.

The data afterimage suddenly froze as it lunged forward, and the garbled text and pixels that made up its body flickered, malfunctioned, and clashed and annihilated each other at an unprecedented speed.

It emitted a piercing, inhuman wail, a mixture of electrical noise and despair. Its entire "body" collapsed from the inside out in less than half a second, like a sand painting being crushed by an invisible hand, turning into a cluster of tiny, rapidly fading points of light that dissipated into the oppressive air.

Kill instantly with one hit!

Xu Yan stared at the dissipating data lingering image, his gaze slightly narrowed.

Dealing with them was easier than expected, but their formation was far more bizarre than that of physical ghosts from the outside world.

They are more like... a kind of "program error" with autonomous offensive capabilities.

This clean and efficient scene caused the simple attack logic of the other two data afterimages to momentarily falter. Their pixelated "faces" even simulated a distorted expression similar to "astonishment," and their attacking movements involuntarily paused.

And in that brief pause of less than 0.1 seconds—

Xu Yan made a move!

His figure seemed to break free from the constraints of gravity, leaving a blurry afterimage as he approached the second data afterimage in an instant with a speed far exceeding what a Silver Level I should have.

He didn't even use any complicated moves. His right hand seemed to casually extend, and in his palm, the Soul-Suppressing Iron Brand suddenly shone with a deep light. A heavy, ancient, and powerful aura, as if capable of suppressing all illusory souls, spread out.

The data afterimage seemed to have encountered its natural enemy, letting out a terrified howl as it tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Xu Yan's palm, bearing the irresistible power of a brand, was like a red-hot iron pressed onto ice and snow, lightly imprinting itself on the ever-changing core area that was trying to form a defense.

"puff!"

A faint, almost inaudible thud.

There was no dazzling light, no burst of energy.

The data afterimage was like a punctured balloon filled with filth, its entire form suddenly collapsing and shrinking inward before being completely annihilated, leaving not even a trace of light behind, as if it had never existed.

Absolute crushing!
The last remaining data fragment witnessed its two companions being erased in a flash in completely different yet equally thorough ways, its simple consciousness utterly overwhelmed by primal fear.

It let out a shrill, distorted cry, and no longer caring about attacking, it turned around, trying to merge back into the shadow behind it where it was born.

Want to escape?
Xu Yan's eyes were indifferent, and he didn't even move his feet.

He merely raised his chin slightly, and the Soul-Sealing Camera hanging on his chest was now firmly held in his hand.

He didn't use the powerful but also more mentally taxing wide-angle lens; he simply used the most basic standard lens to focus on the fleeing figure.

There was no aiming process, no prelude to accumulating power.

"Click."

A crisp, decisive shutter sound, carrying a certain power of rules, echoed clearly in this deathly silent steel jungle.

The data afterimage that was merging into the shadows suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible, irresistible suction force emanated from the camera lens. Its body, as if gripped by an unseen giant hand, began to twist and compress violently, being forcibly pulled from a humanoid jumble of code into a thin, wailing gray stream of air, which was then completely sucked into the bottomless depths of the lens with a "whoosh".

The seal is complete.

From the moment the attack began to the end of the battle, it took only three or four seconds in total.

Xu Yan slowly put down the camera, stood still, his breathing steady and long, and even the hem of his clothes was not disheveled in the slightest.

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something.

The previously malevolent sense of being watched from all sides noticeably diminished at this moment, and even carried a hint of barely perceptible...fear.

He could sense that in the deeper darkness, even more powerful beings were still lurking and watching.

But the overwhelming power he just displayed, seemingly effortless yet overwhelming, was undoubtedly a silent warning.

He put away his camera, his cold gaze sweeping over the restless shadows around him. The shadows seemed to be pierced by an invisible sharpness and quietly retreated.

He put away his camera, preparing to explore further, but his gaze was drawn to a faint flash of light where the second data afterimage had disappeared.

He crouched down, brushed away the accumulated dust with his fingertips, and touched a small, unusual piece of metal that was half-embedded in the ground.

The fragment had sharp edges, and its surface was etched with a blurry mark, as if it had been scorched by high temperature or strong energy.

It was an abstract bird design with a sharp posture, next to which was a number that had been almost worn away: DY-07.

Xu Yan's fingertips paused on the shards for a moment, his eyes suddenly sharpening as if a hawk had locked onto its prey.

He recognized the mark.

It is one of the symbols commonly used by the peripheral agents of "Raven," an organization that Han Wenshan once vaguely mentioned, which operates in a secretive manner and has considerable power.

DY is likely an abbreviation for "raven".

Have the people from "Raven" also ventured into DataPort? Xu Yan's mind raced.

The material and damage of the fragments indicate that a conflict recently took place here, and that the two sides used extraordinary methods.

Is it about hunting down specific anomalies? Or about exploring the secrets of the dataport itself?
The situation was indeed more complicated than he had anticipated.

This chaotic land is not only a battlefield between the Anomalies and the Abyss, but now it has also been invaded by a third-party force called the Raven.

This means that he not only has to face the dangers of the environment and monsters, but also has to be wary of the schemes of his own kind, which may be even more cunning and dangerous.

He felt no panic; instead, a cold, hunter-like alertness spread through his heart.

He carefully collected the fragments and hid them in his inner bag.

This is not fear, but absolute focus after taking new variables into consideration.

He adjusted his breathing, becoming more focused on his senses, like a cheetah concealing all its presence, and continued to delve deeper into the core area of ​​the data port.

Guided by the faint, ever-present beacon of his father's light, and by his precise understanding of the concentration and purity of yin energy through his spiritual perception, he steadfastly made his way towards that most chaotic and potentially dangerous area, the one most likely to harbor prey.

The further you go, the larger the server ruins become, like silent metal mountains, casting suffocating shadows and forming an intricate labyrinth.

Those ubiquitous whispers, now clear as murmurs whispered in his ear, were no longer chaotic noise, but rather fragmented words filled with negative emotions, repeatedly assaulting his consciousness:

"pain……"

"fail……"

"There's no escaping it..."

"eternal……"

The spiritual pressure emanating from ahead, along with the ever-present whispers, made Xu Yan's temples throb.

He held fast to his senses and suddenly understood something.

The 'Eye of Sorrow,' and this thing before me... they are all made up of fragments of information, emotions, and rules.

This dream world, woven by Shen Mengyao's subconscious, is itself a vast collection of information at its underlying logic.

Here, informational anomalies are like fish in water; they are not 'fighting' the world, but rather 'utilizing' or even 'assimil' some of the world's rules to grow stronger, thus enabling them to break through boundaries more quickly and even touch physical entities!

These whispers are like invisible poison needles, precisely piercing the most vulnerable corners of consciousness, attempting to amplify every hidden fear and despair.

Xu Yan's mind was as firm as a rock. The Soul-Suppressing Iron Brand on his palm continued to emanate a gentle yet firm warmth, building a solid mental barrier that firmly kept out this pervasive mental erosion.

Suddenly, he stopped.

The view ahead suddenly opened up to a relatively open "plaza" with the ground paved with some kind of special heat-conducting material. It was vaguely recognizable that this place was once the base of a huge main server array.

At that moment, the scene in the center of the square made Xu Yan's breath catch in his throat.

There, suspended in the air, is an indescribable "being".

It has no fixed form, more like a constantly rolling and writhing living shadow, its edges extremely unstable, sometimes drifting away like smoke, sometimes suddenly tearing open, briefly revealing the terrifying absolute nothingness behind it, connected to the endless "fear" itself.

An overwhelming spiritual pressure, far exceeding any previous abnormality, chilling to the bone and as heavy as a mountain, spread out from its center, causing the surrounding air to seem to solidify, becoming viscous and piercing.

On the surface of this churning shadow, countless faces contorted in extreme agony would sometimes appear and struggle, and sometimes vanish silently like drops of ink falling into water. Their mouths were open, but no sound could be uttered; only pure despair echoed within them.

The shadows occasionally surge violently, coalescing into protrusions resembling sharp limbs or tentacles, which unconsciously slash across the ground, leaving behind sizzling, charred marks on the hard, special materials as if corroded by strong acid.

Grade D!
This is definitely a Class D anomaly!
Moreover, judging from its shape and the cold, despairing aura it exudes, which is almost pure and originates from the "Abyss," it is highly likely that it is a special variant—the "Abyss Shadow Demon"—born from the infiltration of the "Abyss" and the combination of the chaotic rules of the Data Port!
A terrifying being that feeds on devouring soul energy, spreading despair, and desperately craves a stable physical form.

It appears to be in a semi-dormant state, similar to "digestion" or "accumulation," slowly and continuously absorbing the negative energy and loose data residue permeating the surrounding environment.

Xu Yan's heart began to beat strongly, not out of fear, but because he had finally locked onto his target.

that's it!
By refining its core and absorbing its pure and vast yin energy, he would be extremely confident in breaking through that solid golden barrier.

But just as he was fully focused, his mental energy spreading out like threads, calmly analyzing the energy fluctuation patterns of the Abyss Shadow Demon, calculating the best attack point, and the strategy for using the Soul Sealing Camera, he suddenly realized...

A completely different feeling of being watched, like a cold snake, suddenly coiled around his spine.

It didn't come from the chaotic shadow in front, but from the side and rear, from the deep shadow formed by the massive server wreckage.

That gaze...carried a greedy, evaluative scrutiny, as if appraising a...perfect container?

Almost at the same instant this feeling arose.

"Tick."

A faint yet eerily clear sound, like the dripping of viscous liquid, came from the shadows in that direction.

Danger!

Xu Yan's muscles tensed instantly, his honed fighting instincts overriding all thought.

Without the slightest hesitation, his body, like a spring compressed to its limit, lunged forward and to the side.

"call out--!"

A dark, deep purple beam of energy, almost blending into the ambient light, grazed the back of his head at an astonishing speed.

The energy beam struck an abandoned server rack behind it. It didn't explode or melt through, but instead emitted a teeth-grinding "sizzle" sound. The hard metal shell seemed to be rapidly decomposed and annihilated by an invisible force, instantly disappearing a fist-sized gap with smooth, mirror-like edges, as if it had never existed.

It's not a physical weapon! It's some kind of... high-intensity energy annihilation effect.

Moreover, the attack carried a strong, chilling aura that was of the same origin as the Shadow Demon in front of him, but even more refined.

Xu Yan rolled on the ground, kneeling to steady himself. He had already raised the Soul-Sealing Camera, its dark golden wide-angle lens gleaming coldly in the dim light, locking onto the shadow from which the attack was coming.

The shadow began to writhe and stretch unnaturally.

A "figure" slowly "emerged" from it. Its appearance was not a physical movement, but rather more like an "error code" that did not belong here being forcibly written into reality, causing the surrounding light to distort and collapse in fear.

The moment those two crimson lights lit up, Xu Yan felt as if his memories were being turned over by a cold hand. Shen Mengyao's pale face, the red light in the darkroom of the photo studio, and countless fragmented battlefield scenes flashed by uncontrollably—it was forcibly reading his "data" and searching for the "interface" to accommodate its existence.

That greedy thought was implanted directly into his mind like a virus:
"Found you... the perfect... shell!"

"Containing the power of the 'Abyss'... yet so vibrant..."

"Give me...your body...it will become the perfect foundation for me to step into reality!"

Those two crimson lights, like red-hot branding irons, were firmly imprinted on Xu Yan's consciousness.

"A perfect shell..."

That greedy thought, like a cold spider web, coiled around him, trying to penetrate his mental defenses and peek into the secrets deep within his soul.

Xu Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

This is by no means a simplistic and chaotic abnormality!

It can accurately sense the existence of the "Abyss Core" and understand the value of the "Shell" and the "Foundation of Reality".

His wisdom and understanding of energy far surpassed any opponent he had encountered before.

"Roar--!"

Just then, perhaps stimulated by this sudden, more aggressive, but also originating mental fluctuation, the Abyss Shadow Demon in the center of the square, which had been in a semi-dormant state, suddenly became agitated.

Its massive shadowy body writhed violently, countless pained faces emitted silent screams, and an even more violent, chilling spiritual pressure swept out like a storm.

A fight between a snipe and a clam?

The thought flashed through Xu Yan's mind instantly.

But the next moment, he realized he was wrong.

The shadowy humanoid ghost glanced coldly at the restless Abyss Demon with its scarlet eyes, carrying a condescending contempt.

It raised an arm made of flowing shadows and made a grasping motion towards the Abyss Demon.

hum!
An invisible mental force field, carrying a strong sense of restraint and suppression, instantly enveloped the Abyss Shadow Demon.

The enormous shadow, like a flying insect thrown into amber, suddenly became sluggish and labored in its rolling movements, and its mental shrieks seemed to be mostly blocked out.

It can suppress its own kind! And with such effortless ease!

Xu Yan's pupils contracted.

This ghost is not only highly intelligent, but its control over spiritual power and yin energy is also incredibly precise.

It first resolves its own "perfect shell," and then deals with that stupid, homologous energy cluster.
His thinking is frighteningly clear!
There's no time to hesitate!
Just as the shadowy humanoid was about to suppress the Abyss Shadow Demon—

"It's now!"

Xu Yan moved! Instead of retreating, he charged towards the shadowy humanoid figure like an arrow released from a bow.

He knew that facing an enemy with such high intelligence and control, running away and delaying would only put him in a more passive position; he had to disrupt its rhythm.

As he charged forward, several Soul-Eating Talismans that he had already held in his left hand shot out like a shower of flowers.

But the target is not the shadow figure itself, but the ground, walls, and thick cables hanging from the sky around it.

Tsk tsk tsk!

The eerie purple lightning burst out in different locations. Although it could not cause any real damage to the D-level ghost, it instantly disrupted the energy field of that area, interfered with its connection to the surrounding shadows, and, more importantly, created chaos and obstructed vision.

A hint of anger, as if provoked by an ant, flashed in the crimson eyes of the shadowy humanoid. It seemed that it had not expected Xu Yan to dare to take the initiative to attack.

With a swing of its other arm, a more condensed, deep purple annihilation ray shot out like a venomous snake, piercing through the electric smoke screen created by the talisman and heading straight for Xu Yan's chest.

As if he had anticipated this, Xu Yan's charging figure spun sideways at an angle that almost defied the laws of physics at the last second. The annihilation ray grazed his chest and vaporized a server behind him, leaving a blank space.

At the same time, taking advantage of the momentum of his rotation, the Soul-Suppressing Iron Brand on his right palm shone brightly, carrying a majestic and righteous will to suppress evil spirits. Instead of striking the ghost, he slammed his palm hard onto the ground.

boom!
An invisible shockwave emanated from his palm.

This is not a physical attack, but a mental shockwave targeting a spirit.

The power of the Soul-Suppressing Iron to restrain this existence, which is purely composed of negative energy and spiritual entities, is now fully revealed.

"Ugh—!"

The shadowy humanoid let out a sharp mental shriek, its smoky lower body trembled violently, its connection with the shadow on the ground momentarily unstable, and its scarlet eyes briefly became unfocused.

The power of the Soul-Suppressing Iron directly shook its core.

opportunity!

Xu Yan's eyes were as cold as knives, and all his movements were executed in one smooth motion!
The moment the ghost was affected by the mental shock, the soul-sealing camera on his chest was already raised, its dark golden wide-angle lens aimed at it.

"Crack!!!"

This time, the sound of the shutter was far heavier and louder than ever before! It seemed to resonate with some kind of cosmic law.

The dark gold lens seemed to come alive, its surface texture flowing with a luster like lava.

A terrifying suction force, far exceeding anything seen before, suddenly erupted.

The shadowy humanoid had just recovered from the mental shock when it felt an irresistible force gripping its core.

It let out a roar of shock and rage, its shadows surging wildly as it tried to resist, while the two points of scarlet light stared intently at Xu Yan, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

"No—! This body... should have belonged to me!!"

Just before it was swallowed by the lens, it unleashed its last surge of despair and resentment, shooting it like a poisonous stinger at Xu Yan. Xu Yan's vision went black for a moment, then brightened again—he "saw" himself standing in the darkroom of the photo studio, but his reflection in the mirror grinned, its eyes burning with a scarlet light, silently sneering at him!

“We… will meet again…” the illusionary “Xu Yan” mouthed.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Xu Yan bit his tongue hard, and only under the dual stimulation of the excruciating pain and the Soul-Suppressing Iron was he able to break free, completely sealing the last shadow of his struggle into the camera.

It frantically mobilized its mental power, even drawing upon the power of the Abyss Shadow Demon that it had partially suppressed, and waves of chilling shockwaves surged toward Xu Yan like a tidal wave.

Xu Yan gritted his teeth, feeling as if his soul was being pierced by countless ice spikes, and his sea of ​​consciousness was churning violently.

But his hand holding the camera was as steady as a rock, and he poured all his mental energy into it, activating the power of the Soul-Sealing Camera.

He knew that this was a contest of wills, and the slightest slackening would lead to utter ruin.

"Get in here!"

He let out a low roar, and the Soul-Suppressing Iron Brand once again erupted with blazing light, stabilizing his mind and simultaneously strengthening the suppression of the ghost.

Finally, amidst the desperate howls of the shadowy humanoid, its resistance crumbled.

The massive shadow body was forcibly compressed, stretched, and twisted into a thick, struggling black current, which was dragged into the dark golden wide-angle lens like a whale sucking in water.

"Om..."

The lens emitted a satisfied, low hum, and the shimmering light on its surface slowly subsided.

Almost at the same time that the shadow humanoid was sealed, the suppressed Abyss Demon was freed from its restraints, let out a wild roar, and pounced even more frantically at the only living creature in the field—Xu Yan.

However, at this moment, the Shadow Demon, having just had some of its power forcibly drained and gone completely berserk, had lost all sense of order in its actions.

Although Xu Yan was mentally exhausted, with the powerful enemy gone, he calmed down when facing a monster driven only by instinct.

He quickly switched to the standard lens, using the basic functions of the Soul-Sealing Camera, along with his movement techniques and the interference of the Spirit-Eroding Talisman, to continuously weaken and imprison the Abyss Shadow Demon.

The process remains dangerous, but the outcome is no longer in doubt.

When the last sliver of the massive shadow was sucked into the camera lens, the entire "square" seemed to fall silent for a moment.

The pervasive, chilling spiritual pressure and the devastating whispers also diminished significantly.

Xu Yan staggered, using the camera to support himself, his face as pale as paper. He felt an unprecedented, bone-chilling cold emanating from the Soul-Sealing Camera in his hand, and it even vibrated slightly in his palm, as if the thing imprisoned inside was extremely restless.

Unlike the silence that followed when any ghost was sealed away before, this time, the camera seemed to possess a heavy and malicious "heartbeat".

Sweat kept sliding down his forehead.

Dealing with two D-class beings simultaneously, especially the highly intelligent Shadow Humanoid, was a huge burden on his mind and body.

But in his eyes burned a flame of excitement.

He succeeded!

Not only did they resolve the deadly ambush, but they also obtained two Class D anomalies in one go.

Especially that shadowy humanoid, its quality is extremely high.

(End of this chapter)