Chapter Eighty-Six: Restlessness

To test his perceptions, Qi Chen spread his arms slightly to both sides to maintain his balance, then, step by step, moved along the branch beneath his feet toward the main trunk of the colossal tree.

Throughout the process, he held his breath and concentrated, paying no heed to the many citizens still climbing nearby. It was as though he neither saw nor heard them; he pressed forward, utterly focused on his goal.

His level of concentration was extraordinary.

The branch, though several meters long, took him only a short while to cross—even moving slowly, it was over in moments. Once he was close enough to the main trunk, he allowed himself to relax just a fraction. He turned sideways and leaned gently against the trunk, pressing his ear to the bark to listen intently to the sounds within.

This time, it was no longer a matter of mere perception—he truly heard it. Inside the trunk, there was a sound like the flow of blood, as if a heart-like engine within the ancient tree was relentlessly pumping, drawing nutrients from below and sending them upward in a constant stream.

And the destination of this flow, without question, was the amber figure at the top—the greatest source of suspicion.

“I need to keep going up!” he said into his earpiece. Glancing up, Qi Chen calculated that he would need Bawang to throw him at least twice more to safely reach the amber figure at the crown of the tree.

Take it slow, he told himself, summoning Bawang once again.

But suddenly, he felt as if countless eyes were fixed upon him.

He could not tell when, but the surroundings had become eerily silent, devoid of the slightest sound. This was completely at odds with the circumstances—so many citizens were still climbing upward on the vines. How could there be no noise at all?

“Deputy Fu... the citizens have all stopped climbing... now, they’re all staring at me.”

...

In an instant, more than a dozen citizens appeared around Qi Chen. These people were suspended in mid-air, their bodies impaled by vines, gazing lifelessly and intently at him.

Those eyes were like invisible hooks, pinning Qi Chen in place.

He sensed that even the smallest movement might trigger unpredictable consequences.

“Mask! Don’t act rashly!” came the urgent warning from Fu Ying, the analyst behind him, who quickly began an assessment with the experienced Warm Man.

Under normal circumstances, the citizens impaled by the vines should have died from blood loss. In reality, only a few had stopped climbing and lost all signs of life.

But the cause was not the wounds from the vines—there wasn’t even a trace of blood around the points of penetration. It was impossible to determine how they had died.

To find out the truth, they would have to examine a citizen up close.

“I told you not to make any unnecessary moves!” Warm Man, sensing Qi Chen’s intention to act, bellowed through the earpiece.

But Qi Chen had already made up his mind to investigate. This was the best opportunity—so many citizens had stopped climbing, making it the perfect moment to inspect them.

After all, Bawang’s range was only five meters.

As long as the citizens were climbing, he had no way to reach them.

“Bawang!”

At his command, Bawang became a gray-white blur, darting to the nearest citizen. Forming a blade with its hand, it pressed slowly against the citizen’s chest.

There was no resistance—the place Bawang touched felt nothing like flesh and blood, but rather an empty shell. Its hardened fingers broke through the skin effortlessly.

In an instant, the citizen’s eyes dimmed, the head drooping to become identical to the many unmoving figures below.

They had long since been hollowed out.

Only now did Qi Chen realize: the vines were like the tree’s straws, drawing not only the citizens’ spirit but also their flesh and blood.

This, perhaps, was why this bizarre tree could grow so tall and lush in such a short time.

It had consumed the lives of more than a thousand people!

“Qi Chen! Get away from the trunk immediately! This anomaly may very well possess its own intelligence!”

Warm Man suddenly called Qi Chen by name. During his ongoing analysis, he had noticed the missing special operatives and security officers who had previously emerged from the mall.

How had they managed to leave the mall? It could only be that the anomaly had let them go, seeking to distract and entangle any threat outside.

He issued the warning, but it was a moment too late.

A rustling sound rose from all directions as more and more citizens appeared in Qi Chen’s field of vision. This time, they neither continued climbing nor simply stared at him. Instead, they shook the vines impaling them with all their might, as if trying to swing closer to him.

In the blink of an eye, several citizens, dangling on vines, swung toward Qi Chen. One hand gripped the vine tightly while the other reached out, trying to seize the intruder who did not belong to the tree.

Bang!

With a dull thud, Bawang appeared at Qi Chen’s side, roaring in fury. Its massive fists struck the attacking figures, shattering these hollowed-out shells with ease.

But for every shell destroyed, more swung closer, intent on pulling Qi Chen from the branch.

All they needed was to grab him and fling him down.

Qi Chen was no stranger to large-scale attacks; not long ago, he had dealt with many citizens affected by the candies. But this was the first time he had faced such a three-dimensional onslaught.

His feet had no reliable ground to stand on—just branches that might snap at any moment under assault. A glance down revealed a height so great it inspired primal terror.

Falling would mean not only death but utter obliteration.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, above his head, there came a sharp whistling sound—the noise of something fast and deadly slicing through the air.

Without thinking, Qi Chen crouched low, locking his arms around the branch beneath him. Several vividly green, almost lurid vines drove into the trunk where he had just been leaning.

The impact shook the tree so violently that the clusters of candies attached to the vines were shaken loose, tumbling down like a rain of color.

Yet the sudden attack of the vines created an opportunity: the citizens, instead of approaching Qi Chen, now stretched their arms toward the falling candies, desperate to seize them.

The joy contained within those candies was still their highest, most irresistible desire.

Seizing the fleeting respite, Qi Chen once again used his practiced method of movement. Bawang lifted him high and hurled him upward toward another branch above his head.

Swish—

He was now closer than ever to the amber figure.

...