Then, * let out a breath, saying, "Good, that saves us two bullets."

At that moment, Da Xiong stuck his tongue out from above like a cursed kid, followed by three loud laughs, and shouted, "Come and get me!"

Then, with a noticeable sway of his large backside, he slipped through that doorway.

The sight made me utterly nauseous. I shook my head in resignation and followed him in.

We rushed straight down the narrow, pitch-dark steps into the main entrance, suddenly struck by a feeling of vast openness.

Before us lay a wide platform, its floor constructed from segments of broken tree trunks, forming a wooden expanse. When the flashlight beam played across it, we could make out concentric rings—each ring of growth over a meter wide, tightly packed, spiraling inward toward the center of the platform.

However, this cross-section of wood was far from barren.

Countless new, tender shoots were emerging from the surface. These sprouts were already three to four meters tall, and their growth patterns were bizarre.

All of them shot straight up toward the ceiling before bending sharply at the peak, resembling an inverted fishhook.

Suspended from the bottom of each hook was a green, sac-like object, looking much like a flower bud about to bloom.

Yet, strangely, these objects were not flowers; they pulsed with a soft, blue light.

Moreover, with every flash of light from the sac, the woody vascular structures on its surface became perfectly clear, and we could see small, dark shapes writhing faintly inside.

There were at least tens of thousands of these inverted green sacs growing on the wooden plane, resembling countless massive lanterns hanging upside down above us, flickering with an eerie, captivating glow.

Viewed from a distance, they held a strange, almost beautiful quality.

The three of us stood beneath the nearest tree-sac, utterly stunned, our jaws practically hitting the floor.

"Good heavens, what in the world is this..." Da Xiong murmured to himself.

"These are the ancient demons nurtured by the essence of the underground meteorite absorbed by the Fire-Born Wood..." A familiar voice drifted from beneath a tree-sac not far ahead of us.

The three of us immediately turned our gaze there. Behind a sac that nearly grazed the ground, a tall, slender man wearing glasses slowly emerged.

I recognized him instantly: Mu Yun, my childhood best friend.

Mu Yun was clad in a black trench coat and black gloves, holding a pistol pointed at us with one hand while the other remained tucked in his pocket. A hint of a mysterious smile played on his gaunt face.

Seeing him didn't surprise me, as I had spotted him before among my grandfather’s contingent. At the time, I hadn't given it much thought, but looking back, Mu Yun had been heavily influenced by my grandfather since childhood, always staying close to him. It was entirely reasonable that he would become one of my grandfather’s subordinates.

I recalled asking Mu Yun to analyze the specimen I brought back from Black Bamboo Valley; the lab report he provided contained no falsehoods, meaning he had genuinely intended to help me.

But this also meant that Grandpa had learned everything about my activities through Mu Yun.

Consequently, Grandpa knew my entire plan, including my destination to Lop Nur. He must have intended to send people to capture me, but ultimately failed.

Mu Yun adjusted his glasses, sweeping the pistol’s muzzle over us one by one, then said dismissively, "Nie Chuan, coming here was unwise. The old man told me to wait for you. You’d best not take another step, or this gun won't have eyes to avoid hitting you."

I desperately wanted to retort, What kind of demons and monsters haven't I seen that I should fear your cheap pistol?

But that retort was snatched away by Da Xiong, whose neck reddened as he blurted out, "What's the meaning of this! Skinny Yun, you think one handgun can stop your Lord Xiong! Move aside quickly! Now that you know the old man’s dirty secrets, you still intend to work for him?"

Mu Yun glanced at Da Xiong with disdain, then chuckled, pointing toward the inverted sacs above them. "Look at that! Isn't this scene magnificent? Have you ever witnessed such a sight? When all these ancient demons are fully reborn, how spectacular the scene will be. How could I possibly let you ruin such beauty?"

He then turned his gaze back to me. "Remember that substance designated 0017? It’s fortunate you discovered it, giving me the chance to witness its wonder alongside Professor Nie. It is simply a perfect substance created by God. Though you found it, you never realized the ancients could utilize it so perfectly. Look at this living giant tree—it is the perfect product of substance 0017. Next, you will witness its full glory."

Seeing Mu Yun’s expression, I knew then that the man possessed no true concept of good or evil. Since childhood, he had been obsessed with mysterious substances and unknown organisms. Now, seeing all this, it was pure adoration for him—he never considered the potential devastation these things could wreak upon human society.

It was akin to a fetish, something that could drive certain individuals to madness.

By now, Da Xiong had endured enough of Mu Yun's raving. He reached out and snatched the gun from *’s waist, yelling, "You damned Skinny Yun, if you truly stand with the old man, I won't hold back!"

A cold glint flashed in Mu Yun's eyes, and he squeezed the trigger a fraction of a second before Da Xiong could.

CRACK! The gunshot tore through the silent space, aimed at Da Xiong's abdomen.

But Da Xiong lived up to his reputation as the world's most agile fatty; he had anticipated the move and rolled on the ground, dodging the shot.

As soon as he stabilized his position, he fired back immediately.

Da Xiong's marksmanship was incredibly precise. This single, targeted shot struck Mu Yun directly between the eyebrows before he could react, punching clean through.

A chill went down my spine. After all, Mu Yun was my lifelong friend. Even if he had fallen into depravity now, Da Xiong’s response was brutal—killing him with one shot.

Mu Yun’s parents had been so kind to me; I often ate at their house and shared a bed with him as a child. How could I face his aunt and uncle now?

I admit my thoughts became somewhat scattered. Seeing Mu Yun collapse, I quickly kicked Da Xiong from behind and rushed toward Mu Yun.

However, at that moment, the unimaginable occurred.

As I lunged forward, Mu Yun slowly pulled himself up from the ground.

He rose unsteadily, a cold smirk still fixed on his lips, while the bullet hole in his forehead began to visibly heal before my eyes.

Witnessing this scene, I couldn't help but recall Feng Ze from earlier. Could Mu Yun also have been resurrected after death?

Da Xiong and * were equally frozen, Da Xiong cursing under his breath, "Holy hell, what's going on? This... this..."

Before the words were finished, Mu Yun raised his gun while we were still astonished.

reacted with lightning speed, throwing Da Xiong to the ground.

But despite *’s quick action, a ricocheting bullet grazed his shoulder.

Mu Yun raised his weapon for another shot, but I was not about to be outdone. I pulled out my own pistol and fired first.

My aim wasn't great; this shot hit Mu Yun in the right leg, forcing him to his knees instantly.

Then, gritting my teeth, I unhooked the Silver Fish short sword from my belt and charged toward Mu Yun.

Although Mu Yun could self-heal gunshot wounds, the pain of being shot made him break out in a cold sweat, momentarily stunning him.

When he looked up to face me, I was already upon him, raising the short sword to cleave toward his shoulder.

I was certain that with the Silver Fish’s edge, one strike like this would cleanly slice him in half.

When Mu Yun saw the Silver Fish in my hand, the sinister smile on his face stiffened, replaced by a flicker of fear.

I didn't hesitate. This deranged man was trying to kill Da Xiong and *, and if I showed mercy now, I would only endanger everyone.

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