"Boom!" The hall shook, and Fang Ming narrowly dodged the giant monster's massive claw, rolling away to create distance.
"Die!" The monster roared, spitting out a large amount of silk threads that spread out to cover Fang Ming. Fang Ming was horrified; the cocoon silk's range was too vast, and he couldn't possibly escape with his speed!
"Pfft!" Suddenly, a silent blade from the darkness pierced one of the monster's eyes. In excruciating pain, the monster instinctively thrashed its body, causing the silk threads to deviate from their original trajectory.
Fang Ming seized the opportunity, leaping up and narrowly evading the guaranteed hit. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Damn you, Number One, it's you again!" the monster roared. This "accomplice" was actually going to fight it to the death today!
Fang Ming was astonished by the monster's words: "What's going on? Did that malevolent spirit make a move?"
He had assumed that guy had already fled, but instead, it had been lurking in the shadows, launching a surprise attack, and even saving his life.
"Heh heh, stupid big villain, didn't expect this, did you? I, Nicholas Andrew, am back!" the unknown malevolent spirit chuckled from the darkness, then muttered to the wailing spirits beside it, "You bunch of idiots, hurry up and sing! My bgm..."
At this moment, the wailing spirits beside it seemed to snap back to reality, and accompanied by mournful cries, they began to sing: "Red cloth shoes, white cloth hat, marrying off a daughter spells doom for the whole family. Ten thousand homes weep, the prince laughs, the sun rises and the rooster no longer crows..."
Fang Ming: "..."
He couldn't help but want to complain about this incredibly annoying malevolent spirit. Where did it learn all these strange phrases, even having background music?
"Curse you!" The monster was furious, its fleshy body trembling. If Fang Ming's attacks were physical, then the unknown malevolent spirit's attacks were purely mental.
"Don't let me catch you, or I'll tear you to shreds!" the monster raged. But the unknown malevolent spirit wasn't fazed, and stealthily crept behind it to stab it again.
"Pfft."
Humiliation. Utter humiliation.
The unknown malevolent spirit's attacks were like pinpricks to the monster, causing little damage but immense insult. The monster was teetering on the brink of losing its mind.
"Pfft." Fang Ming couldn't hold back his laughter. This guy was too wicked. If it were him, he would have been furious. Let alone this dim-witted monster.
"Damn, damn, damn!..." The monster lost its sanity and began to charge around indiscriminately, its massive body ignoring Fang Ming, its only goal being to kill Number One!
Seeing this, Fang Ming seized the chance to slip away, hiding back in the corridor. Fighting the monster in the wide-open hall was clearly not a wise move. He needed to find a way to lure it back into the corridor, restrict its movement, and then he might have a chance to finish it off.
Number One (the unknown malevolent spirit) saw Fang Ming sneak away and followed him out, leaving the monster to vent its rage aimlessly in the hall.
"You're out too? Weren't you so brave just now?" Fang Ming stared at the corner and said with a smile.
"Hmph, I wouldn't bother with that slow-witted fat worm. Easily toyed with by me, fighting it is beneath my dignity."
Fang Ming pushed open a room door and stepped inside, saying to Number One, "Since we're allies now, shouldn't you reveal yourself so I can see your true form?"
Number One sighed, "It's not that I don't want you to see, but this is my initial form. Professor's modifications to me were like this, and I can't change it."
Professor... Fang Ming stroked his chin. This Number One kept mentioning this "Professor." What kind of person was he?
Fang Ming asked, "Who is this Professor? From what you're saying, is he artificially creating malevolent spirits?"
Number One thought for a moment and replied, "Professor is the actual ruler of this building. Everything in this building was made by Professor, including me and Wang Quan. I was just an early test subject, barely having any presence."
"Where is Professor now?" Fang Ming pressed.
"Normally, Professor hides in the eighteenth floor laboratory, creating all sorts of new malevolent spirits. He rarely comes down. Even when he does, it's only to capture 'primates,' like those gray wailing dolls, for experiments," Number One explained, then frowned and asked Fang Ming, "Why are you asking? You're not thinking of killing Professor, are you?"
Fang Ming looked at the ceiling and chuckled awkwardly, "How could I? I don't have that kind of strength." Well, Fang Ming did have some thoughts about this Professor. He couldn't defeat him, but perhaps Nannan could. If he could devour a malevolent spirit, wouldn't he soar?
Number One stared at Fang Ming with disbelief for a while before continuing, "You'd best abandon that idea. Professor's strength far surpasses mine and Wang Quan's. Killing us would be as easy as crushing ants."
Number One's tone was unusually serious, indicating deep reverence for Professor.
"You're my ally, Elizabeth Dracula. I don't want you to die here with no one to collect your body."
Number One continued to ramble, "We just need to go upwards, evade Professor's surveillance, and quietly pass through the junction to leave this eighteenth floor. During this time, you'd best not have any strange ideas."
Fang Ming nodded, "Don't worry, I won't mess around."
How could he not mess around? Fang Ming smiled faintly. He was here to find clues about his parents' disappearance, not to play a battle royale adventure. Otherwise, he wouldn't have entered.
"You're smiling creepily," Number One said with disgust. "What do we do next?"
"Aren't you the local guide here? I'll listen to you."
Number One thought for a moment, leaned closer to Fang Ming, and whispered, "Why don't we find a way to kill Wang Quan?"
Fang Ming gave it a strange look. Didn't this guy just say not to have any strange ideas? And now, he wanted to kill his former accomplice right off the bat.
"What's with that look?" Number One asked, annoyed.
"No, I'm praising your intelligence," Fang Ming waved his hand. "Then do you have a good plan?"
"We do this, this, and this..." Number One whispered, its plan so meticulous that Fang Ming suspected it had been planning this all along.
"Okay, no problem. I think it's an excellent plan!" Fang Ming praised. "Should we implement it now, or what?"
"Hahaha, of course! What do you think I, Nicholas Andrew, am capable of? Taking down a pig teammate is easy." Number One gloated. "There's no time to lose, I'll go and provoke it."
"Okay, no problem."
Number One's figure phased through the wall and left. Fang Ming, after confirming there was no one nearby, carefully took out his diary from his backpack and began to read.
No matter how meticulous Number One's plan was, it couldn't match the security of the diary's prediction of the future half an hour from now.
"Number One lures the giant monster, using the terrain to trap it in a room. I appear from the shadows and unleash a barrage of attacks on the monster's backside. The monster is heavily injured, its internal organs shredded by me. At the same time, I encounter that group led by 'Old Six' again. They don't dare to linger and rush past me as they flee."
"It seems there are no unexpected events," Fang Ming mused. However, that group... Fang Ming had some thoughts about them. Those guys almost shot him dead. How could he just let them escape?
He might not actively seek trouble with others, but since those people wanted him dead, he couldn't just let them leave swaggering.
However, it would be somewhat risky for Fang Ming to act alone. Firearms, as modern weapons, posed a significant threat to him. Perhaps he could let that foolish Number One try later?
Fang Ming didn't know that Number One had already clashed with this group, and even the giant monster was awakened by Number One to deal with them.
Suddenly, just as Fang Ming was contemplating these matters, a loud rumble came from outside, accompanied by the monster's roar.
"Number One, you bastard! I'll kill you!"
"You scoundrel, how dare you attack me there! May you die a terrible death!"
...
Fang Ming felt a chill in his lower body. Could it be that Number One had attacked the monster's private parts? No wonder the hatred was so intense. It was even more hateful than avenging a parent.
"Heh heh, do you think you can catch up to the great Count Andrew the Mad, Dracula? Dream on." Number One said smugly.
"Boom!" The monster crashed through a wall, half of its body stuck inside.