Chapter 143
Although the volcano was now dormant, Xing Nuo, looking at the black, scarred earth, could imagine the devastation of its past eruptions.
Lu Qi found a rock for Xing Nuo to sit on and continued:
“Every world has such borderlands. Dangerous and terrifying places…to keep out intruders.”
Xing Nuo nodded, feeling the heat radiating from the volcano, and smoothed down his frizzy hair.
“Should be. Otherwise, monsters come…from scary world.”
Although young, he understood the power difference between humans and monsters.
Lu Qi nodded, familiar with such boundaries, his face serious, his voice a cold monotone as he recited a series of numbers:
“But three years ago…volcano became dormant. Fifty-seven monsters…crossed the border…entered human world.”
“Dozens capable of creating dungeons. Some areas in human world…already occupied.”
Low-level monsters could only claim small territories in the horror world as their dungeons, their control limited, unable to move them.
But high-level monsters were different. They could create unique dungeons within small spaces!
Like Shen Wen’s manors and castles, and Shen Yan’s companies.
These dungeons, although originating from the horror world, were independent, separate realms.
The core monster was the ruler of its own little world, deciding the fate of all its inhabitants.
And they could even move their dungeons to the human world, as long as their true forms crossed over.
“Several high-level monsters…already in human world. Their dungeons…merged with reality.”
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, realizing that, unbeknownst to him, monsters had already infiltrated the human world.
“At first, monsters could only consume small areas.”
“But their true forms remained in horror world. Only after humans in the dungeon died…could the area be permanently merged…and disappear from human world.”
Like when Xing Nuo and his friends had been pulled into the school dungeon.
The kindergarten hadn’t been completely consumed, which was why the monster teacher had been so eager to kill them, to merge that part of the kindergarten into his dungeon permanently.
Back then, the barrier between the two worlds had been strong, the monsters unable to even sense the humans, let alone attack them directly.
But now—
“Barrier weakening. Powerful monsters…can cross with their dungeons…can kill humans inside.”
Xing Nuo, looking at the volcano, his face filled with worry and a growing sense of dread, was silent for a long moment.
He hadn’t expected Lu Qi’s investigation to uncover so much.
He struggled to understand it all, his little mind working, and finally said:
“So…eventually…all monsters come here?”
Lu Qi’s eyes flickered with blue light, his mechanical hand, cold and metallic, twitching slightly, as if calculating.
“Yes. At this rate…within ten years…human world will be invaded.”
Xing Nuo was stunned into silence.
Lu Qi, seeing this, tried to comfort him.
“But many monsters…won’t come. This world scary…full of monsters…but some not violent.”
Like the shopkeepers in the desert town, and the merpeople, a unique and peaceful species.
They kept to themselves and weren’t interested in invading the human world.
But Xing Nuo, thinking about Lu Qi’s words, his heart heavy, said:
“Can’t we…close the gap?”
Monsters stay in their world, humans stay in theirs. Wouldn’t that be better?
Lu Qi’s face turned serious.
“I still don’t know…why barrier weakening. And Xing Nuo…always pulled into dungeons. Not normal.”
Shen Yan and Shen Wen had been investigating ever since Xing Nuo’s first accidental dungeon trip, but they hadn’t found any answers.
It was as if Xing Nuo was being deliberately targeted, but they couldn’t find any evidence.
They could only rule out the usual suspects: the bloodthirsty, power-hungry monsters obsessed with devouring humans.
But the true culprit was hidden, their motives unknown.
Lu Qi’s eyes flickered rapidly, his circuits overloading.
Xing Nuo, afraid he would short-circuit, patted his head.
“Don’t think too much. Everything will be okay!”
He smiled, his eyes bright with optimism, not wanting Lu Qi to worry, and took his hand.
“Lu Qi, let’s go back.”
They had been gone for a while. He didn’t want his dad and brothers to worry.
Lu Qi nodded, and just as they were about to leave, a large, purplish monster with twenty-eight spindly legs and a gaping maw filled with fangs emerged from a nearby rift.
Xing Nuo, startled, pulled Lu Qi’s hand, wanting to run.
But Lu Qi, his eyes flashing, before the monster could even react, lunged forward and kicked it.
His enhanced strength, despite his small size, sent the monster tumbling, knocking it unconscious.
Xing Nuo, his mouth open in surprise, looked up at Lu Qi, who was about the same height as him.
“Xiao Qi, you so stwong!”
Lu Qi, not boasting, but still pleased by the compliment, puffed out his chest slightly.
“Just…normal strength.”
If he wasn’t limiting his power to maintain a normal human child’s growth rate, his true form, unleashed, would be even larger than this monster.
But Xing Nuo had said he wanted Lu Qi to be human.
Not a cold, unfeeling machine, but a human with emotions.
Lu Qi wouldn’t refuse Xing Nuo’s wish. After a long period of inactivity, he had used his remaining energy to create a human-like body for himself.
He was satisfied with his current form, similar in size to Xing Nuo, and almost human-looking.
He walked over to the unconscious monster, his eyes glowing brightly, and absorbed ninety percent of its energy, then kicked it back into the rift.
Xing Nuo, walking over, looked down at the rift and asked:
“It fell down?”
Lu Qi hummed. “It’s okay. Fell back to…other world.”
With its remaining energy, it wouldn’t be able to return for a long time.
Lu Qi, taking Xing Nuo’s hand, led him away from the borderlands.
They returned to the alley, and Xing Nuo, looking at the sun, which was still high in the sky, turned to Lu Qi.
“Lu Qi, wait for me!”
He ran off, and Lu Qi stood there patiently, waiting.
A few minutes later, Xing Nuo returned, out of breath, carrying a jacket and gloves, which he handed to Lu Qi.
“Lu Qi, wear these. I take you to my complex!”
He could sense Lu Qi’s curiosity and longing for the human world, but his metallic arms and legs might attract unwanted attention.
“The uncles and aunties in my complex…vewy nice. But you wear gloves and jacket…then no one will notice.”
Lu Qi nodded, looking at Xing Nuo, a strange warmth spreading through him.
He put on the gloves and jacket, completely concealing his mechanical limbs.
“Okay! I always play in sandbox! Lu Qi, you played in sandbox before?”
Lu Qi shook his head.
“No.”
Xing Nuo, taking his gloved hand, smiled and pulled him along.
“Then you’ll play soon! Vewy easy…and fun!”
Although it would get you dirty, you could build all sorts of things, and all the children in the complex loved it.
Xing Nuo led Lu Qi to his complex, pointing out various things.
Lu Qi, looking around, his eyes wide, taking in the familiar sights and scents of Xing Nuo’s life, smiled faintly.
He enjoyed being part of Xing Nuo’s world, his cheerful energy infectious, making him feel truly alive.
Xing Nuo, having talked non-stop, finally led Lu Qi to the sandbox and introduced him to his friends.
“This Lu Qi. My good fwiend.”
The other children, having never seen Lu Qi before, gathered around, looking at him curiously, noticing his thick clothes and gloves in the summer heat.
“Lu Qi, why you wear gloves? You cold?”
“Black gloves in summer…so cool!”
Lu Qi, not good with other children, glanced at Xing Nuo, his face expressionless, and mumbled:
“It’s okay.”
An awkward silence followed, the other children staring at him, finding him strange.
A little girl, her voice blunt and childish, said:
“Xing Nuo, your friend a dummy?”
