The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The residual heat of the explosion hadn't dissipated; the pungent smell of gunpowder mingled with the stench of decay typical of sewers, making one want to vomit. Li Haotian brushed the dust away, his knuckles white from gripping the gun too tightly. However, when he saw what was before him, his pupils constricted sharply—it wasn't the expected carnage of severed limbs, but rather a far more eerie mass of black mist.

The explosion that was loud enough to shatter kidney stones didn't harm these monsters in the slightest.

The black tentacles seeping from the dark crevices had a translucent, gelatinous appearance in the firelight. They didn't writhe clumsily like solid creatures, but rather meandered through the air like some kind of self-aware fluid. When bullets struck them, they didn't splatter blood, but rather a series of ethereal ripples like bursting soap bubbles.

"Stop firing! Physical attacks are ineffective!" Li Haotian shouted sternly, pressing down Su Wan's hand as she was about to pull the trigger.

"What the hell is that? Is it some kind of ghost wall?" Su Wan's voice trembled slightly as she swept the beam of her tactical flashlight across the tentacles. The light was absorbed by the black, gelatinous parts, leaving only a pale, eerie green.

The surrounding walls seemed to come alive, countless black tendrils growing wildly like vines, completely blocking the narrow passageway. Instead of launching a fatal attack, they raised their "heads" like snakes, slowly swaying above everyone's heads, emitting a teeth-grinding scraping sound. It was a sound similar to a wet cloth dragging on glass, sending chills down one's spine.

Li Haotian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He carefully observed the attack trajectory of these tentacles—they weren't blindly flailing about; all their attacks pointed to one core point: the suppression of the survival instinct. They were driving away, surrounding, and more like... protecting something.

As his gaze passed over the dancing shadows, Li Haotian's heart skipped a beat.

At the very center of the encirclement, Lin Mo stood quietly. She showed no panic, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, her head slightly lowered, her long hair obscuring most of her face. The terrifying tentacles around her became incredibly docile when they came within three inches of her body, as if she were their source, their master.

"This isn't a living being..." Clues flashed through Li Haotian's mind like lightning: the god in the mirror, the deleted history, Lin Mo's unusual pupils. "This is a materialized projection of spiritual power!"

This is the sewers, the city's dark side, and Lin Mo's mental state is currently on the verge of extreme instability. In this suggestive environment, her subconscious has materialized her inner fears into these defense mechanisms. The tentacles are not attacking enemies, but rather attacking "all threats" that Lin Mo perceives—including her teammates standing beside her.

A black tentacle suddenly shot towards Xiao Hei like an arrow. The agility that belonged to the spirit beast was useless at this moment. The tentacle directly passed through Xiao Hei's defensive posture, but did not cause any real damage. It just pressed it firmly to the damp ground.

"Lin Mo!" Li Haotian no longer hesitated and forcefully charged forward amidst the swirling black phantoms. Ignoring the icy, numbing sensation of the tentacles striking his body, he rushed straight to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo showed no reaction, as if his soul had left his body.

"Wake up!" Li Haotian grabbed Lin Mo's shoulder and shook him violently. The force was so great that Lin Mo's head shook violently, his long hair flew wildly, revealing a face as pale as paper.

The surrounding tentacles instantly went berserk, hundreds of dark shadows crashing down on Li Haotian like an angry tsunami. The oppressive feeling seemed to suck the air out completely, making one's lungs feel like they were filled with shards of glass.

Li Haotian gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and slapped Lin Mo hard across the cheek with his backhand.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the deathly silent sewers, sounding particularly jarring.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible wave suddenly erupted from Lin Mo. The frantically rushing black tentacles seemed to be paused, freezing in mid-air for a moment before rapidly fading and dissolving like broken ink stains, ultimately returning to the void of darkness.

The moss on the wall was still slippery, and the stagnant water was still murky, but the suffocating sense of terror and oppression vanished in an instant.

Li Haotian, panting heavily, released his grip on Lin Mo. Lin Mo slowly raised his head, somewhat bewildered, and touched his burning cheek.

"Captain?" Her voice was weak, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

However, when her eyes met Li Haotian's, Li Haotian's heart skipped a beat.

Those once clear, dark eyes were gone, replaced by a lifeless silver. It wasn't colored contact lenses, nor was it reflective; it was a color as still and cold as mercury, devoid of any human emotion. Like two delicate glass beads set in their sockets, they rigidly reflected Li Haotian's astonished face.

Li Haotian had seen that look before—on the exquisitely crafted dolls in the exhibition hall.

"Lin Mo?" Su Wan cautiously took a step closer, the muzzle of her gun hanging down, but the safety was not off.

Lin Mo, with her silver eyes, did not answer Su Wan's call. She slowly turned around, her movements stiff and mechanical, like some kind of precision instrument in operation. She ignored her teammates around her and the mess on the ground, turning straight into the bottomless darkness ahead.

It was the entrance to a long-abandoned tunnel, the rusted iron gate half-closed, emanating an indescribable chill, as if leading to a fissure in the earth's core.

She raised her hand, her pale fingers pointing straight at the dark entrance. Her lips parted, and the sound that escaped was no longer Lin Mo's, but a cold, metallic chord:

"The entrance is there; it's waiting for me."

"Who's waiting for you?" Li Hao asked subconsciously, his hand gripping the gun handle tightly again, his muscles tense to the extreme.

"abyss."

Lin Mo—or rather, the consciousness currently occupying this body—calmly uttered these two words, then ignored everyone else, took a step, and walked towards the abandoned tunnel without hesitation.

The atmosphere instantly fell into a deathly stalemate.

Little Black scrambled to its feet, whimpered, and tucked its tail between its legs, retreating behind Su Wan. Even this spirit beast instinctively felt fear. Su Wan looked at Li Haotian, her eyes filled with astonishment and uncertainty: "Captain, is she...is she still Lin Mo?"

Li Haotian stared at the mechanically walking figure, his silver eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness. Those terrifying tentacles had vanished too quickly, but that didn't mean the danger was over. On the contrary, the unknown sense of loss of control was even more terrifying than facing a physical monster.

Lin Mo was clearly no longer in a normal state; the "Silver Eyes" personality or will was obviously deeply connected to the city's underground secrets. Following her would be like playing with fire, potentially leading to being devoured at any moment. But if they didn't follow, the earlier explosion had already revealed their location in this intricate sewer labyrinth, and more monsters were gathering.

"She's leading the way, and she's also tempting us," Li Haotian said in a low voice, his gaze dark. "But we have no choice but to believe in this path now."

He raised the muzzle of his gun, not aiming it at Lin Mo's back, but his finger remained on the trigger guard.

"Stay close to her. If she shows any signs of aggression, or if we're about to fall into some kind of irreversible trap..." Li Haotian paused, a resolute ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "I will stop her myself."

The team set off again.

This time, it wasn't Li Haotian leading the charge, but Lin Mo, with his silver-white eyes and ghostly appearance. The long, abandoned tunnel, like the intestines of a greedy beast, silently devoured these tiny intruders.

In the darkness, it seemed as if countless eyes were watching them, mocking these people who were trying to peer into the abyss.

At the very front of the group, Lin Mo's lips seemed to curl into an unnatural smile, which looked particularly eerie in the shadows.