“These eyes are indeed quite nice.”
Eight Evils clicked its tongue.
Those dark, translucent eyes…
Mother in its memories seemed to have eyes just like these.
In the darkness, they were the brightest, most searing existence.
The tentacle finally left her eyelids and continued to slither downwards.
Bian Ying was completely bewildered.
Summoning her courage, she opened her eyes.
The tentacle suddenly slapped her cheek twice in displeasure.
Eight Evils’ displeased voice followed, “Simply swallowing you whole seems like letting you off too easy…
How about I ruin this face of yours first?”
It had changed its mind.
Although it didn’t care about the Deceit Domain being destroyed, this human’s attitude made it exceptionally bothered.
She didn’t seem to fear it at all, nor was she affected by it.
Bian Ying was rendered speechless.
She thought, “Psycho!
Absolute psycho!” Her face remained expressionless, but she cursed profusely in her heart.
The next instant, a sudden sting erupted on her cheek.
A black barb sliced her skin, splitting the fair, tender flesh and leaving a faint, shallow streak of blood.
As the blood dripped onto the tentacle, a faint, almost imperceptible scent of iron diffused into the air, and all eight tentacles froze.
In the High-dimensional space, Eight Evils’ main body was so terrified that it practically exploded in shock.
It wondered frantically, “Mother?
No, no, no, no, no!
That’s impossible…
This ins— No, no, no, how could she be Mother?!”
The tentacles that had been scolded earlier were finally cleared of their grievances and turned around to furiously berate the main body.
They chanted, “Trash, trash, trash…
Mother, mother, mother…”
Eight Evils’ Brain domain was a chaotic mess, rendering it completely unable to respond to the tentacles.
It wasn’t until its eyes reflected the sight of more blood oozing from the scratch on Mother’s cheek that its instincts made a choice for it amidst the panic.
SMACK.
The tentacle clamped over the bloody scratch like a suction cup.
Bian Ying’s expression froze, and she narrowed her eyes.
She wondered if this was meant to humiliate her.
That familiar gaze…
A faint, persistent throb pulsed from the depths of her soul, and a corner of her fog-shrouded memories seemed vaguely dispelled.
When Eight Evils thought of the stupid things it had just done, it felt suffocated.
It screamed internally, “What in the world am I doing?!
Mother was right in front of me, and not only did I fail to recognize her, but I also wanted to swallow her whole, and now I’ve even hurt her…” Terrified, Eight Evils released its grip.
“Mother?”
For a moment, its voice was incredibly raspy, and its tone revealed cautious fawning and joy.
Bian Ying was completely dumbfounded.
Was she, an ordinary wage slave, getting scammed by a Deceit?
It felt as if it were lying in Mother’s warm embrace—cozy, warm, and filled with a scent that put it completely at ease.
It thought, “There is no mistake.
She is Mother…
But why has she become so weak?”
Deeply confused, Eight Evils asked out loud, “Mother, why have you become so weak?”
The tentacle pressed affectionately against Bian Ying’s cheek.
Eight Evils’ voice had completely lost its previous sinister arrogance, leaving behind only a deep, dependent yearning.
Time, to it, was a meaningless concept.
However, Mother’s departure had made it profoundly realize just how torturous that endless, boundless time could be.
Bian Ying’s mind exploded.
She was totally numb.
She screamed internally, “Shut up!
I am a one hundred percent pure human!
I can’t give birth to a Deceit!”
BOOM!
Eight Evils was still immersed in the overwhelming excitement of finally finding Mother, so it completely failed to notice Tan Linyan’s attack.
Or rather, it simply didn’t care.
As the tentacle was severed, Eight Evils coldly cast its gaze downward, glaring at the human man who had yanked Mother away.
It thought, “What an eyesore.”
“Don’t touch her.”
The Deceit concentration surged to fill the space the moment its words fell, and the Deceit concentration detectors on their wrists emitted terrifying alarms.
“This is bad!
It’s about to break through to the ultra-high-risk level!”
“Prepare for forced containment!”
“Teams Three and Four, follow up!
Team Five, continue search and rescue for survivors!”
Containment devices dropped one by one around Eight Evils.
The Operations Department members quickly activated the equipment, and a pale blue fluorescence lit up.
“Turn on the jammers!”
HUM.
The pale blue radiance swept over them.
The principal’s entire body began to convulse, yet the tentacles behind him remained completely still.
Tan Linyan couldn’t help but frown.
“Increase the output.”
HUM!
The blue light intensified brilliantly, and everyone stood ready for a tough fight.
This Deceit was far too unusual.
Not only had the Deceit concentration skyrocketed in a short period, but the shattering of the Deceit Domain hadn’t caused it any harm.
They had never encountered such a unique case before.
Eight Evils sneered.
Did they really think they could capture it with such petty gadgets?
It was omnipresent.
But…
Eight Evils’ gaze fell upon Bian Ying, and its movements hesitated.
It wondered if Mother was with these people.
It decided to let it be.
Since these people couldn’t cause it any harm anyway, it might as well be obedient and leave a good impression in front of Mother.
Thus, while everyone was tense and solemn, the tentacles voluntarily detached from the principal’s body.
“Contain!”
Xiao Zhibing immediately opened the containment vessel.
The tentacles, as if powerless to resist, were sucked right into the container.
The dust settled.
Their expressions were dazed.
They couldn’t help but wonder if that had been a little too easy.
Bian Ying also couldn’t resist asking, “Is this situation normal?”
Tan Linyan shook his head.
“…In any case, it has been contained.”
*
The Deceit incident was over.
However, there was still a lot of logistical work to handle at the scene.
Especially with such an event breaking out in a university, the Deceit Investigation Bureau still needed to give the public an explanation.
Standing at the school gate, Bian Ying watched her team leader being carried out on a stretcher and couldn’t help but step forward.
“Bian Ying.” Zhou Haizhi had resumed his usual composed, authoritative air, perfectly playing the part of a superior.
“You did well.”
Bian Ying chuckled dryly.
“Thank you for the praise, boss.”
Zhou Haizhi lifted his chin.
“Rest well this weekend…
but on Monday, I want to see your work report.
Understand?”
“…Understood.” Grinding her teeth, Bian Ying watched as Zhou Haizhi was loaded into the ambulance.
While personnel from other departments were coordinating with the Operations Department to handle the aftermath, Bian Ying, a mere temp worker, found herself with nothing to do.
Since she wasn’t really injured, she decided to just go home.
The subway passed through the Upper City District with its towering skyscrapers and pristine streets, eventually entering the more remote and gloomy Lower District.
The buildings here were short and covered in moss.
Garbage piled up along both sides of the road, and the old streetlamps flickered on and off, making it look like a desolate, forgotten wasteland.
Bian Ying got off the subway and walked for another half hour before finally arriving at the entrance of the residential complex where she currently lived.
She didn’t enter the complex right away, but instead walked into the 24-hour convenience store at the entrance.
“Welcome.” The store manager behind the cash register glanced over, then motioned for Bian Ying to look at the shelf near the door.
“Everything’s over there.
Pick what you want.”
Per her usual routine, Bian Ying grabbed a sandwich.
She then spotted a braised chicken leg surprisingly still left on the shelf.
Pausing for a moment, she picked it up and placed it on the checkout counter.
“How come there’s still a chicken leg left today?”
“There wasn’t any left; I saved it specifically for you,” the store manager said without looking up from inventorying the goods.
“It’s been a month since you started your job.
How does it feel?
Get promoted to a full-time employee soon and get out of the Lower District.”
“…It’s alright.
I know.”
Bian Ying didn’t mention what she had encountered today.
She paid for her food and took it to the microwave to heat up.
After the Deceits descended, many people scrambled to flee the Lower District, which offered little to no safety guarantees.
Following several Deceit incidents breaking out in the area, the population had dwindled even further.
There was only one reason why Bian Ying still stayed here: the rent was cheap.
It couldn’t be helped.
Before becoming a full-time employee, Bian Ying couldn’t live in the Investigation Bureau’s staff dormitories, nor did she receive high overtime pay and compensation bonuses.