Chapter 50: Eating People
The Seer, Wang Lili.
Luo Ling had read her file. The Awakened organization, the Speaker, claimed she was an Awakened One on the Other Shore path, but Qingshan Hospital had diagnosed her as an ordinary mental patient.
Her “premonitions” were chaotic, yet strangely consistent with a certain pattern.
Only now did Luo Ling realize that the Seer had truly seen something with her ability…
Weren’t the white reishi mushrooms covering the subterranean cavern the “big mushrooms” she had described?
And these white reishi, growing by consuming flesh and blood… were indeed “eating people.”
Unfortunately, no one had believed her.
Perhaps the Speaker had, but judging by how they had allowed the Seer to wander into this dangerous place, and from what An Yu had said about them making the Seer even crazier… Luo Ling didn’t think the Speaker was a trustworthy organization.
At least less trustworthy than the Patient Exchange Group.
Wang Lili’s head lolled to the side, her eyes rolled back, her tongue sticking out, her broken glasses hanging empty on her face.
Her messy hair was scattered on the plump, white reishi mushroom, and traces of her former prettiness could still be seen on her dirty face, but her contorted posture was a gruesome sight.
…She seemed to be quite dead.
However, perhaps because she was lying on the largest white reishi mushroom, Wang Lili’s body hadn’t been completely consumed like the other corpses, her flesh and blood not yet fully absorbed.
Luo Ling sighed inwardly.
If… Brother Liu had found this place when he investigated Baiyan Village a few months ago, perhaps everything could have been salvaged.
But now, it was too late to do anything.
Just then, Grandpa, seemingly finished inspecting his “specialty product,” picked up his hoe and turned to leave.
At that moment, the Spore detected a slight movement, startling Luo Ling, who had been about to sever the connection.
Had the Seer’s eyes just fluttered open?
Although barely perceptible even with normal vision, Luo Ling had definitely seen it through the Spore.
A Spore’s perception was different from ordinary vision, more comprehensive and detailed… although for Luo Ling now, this detail was excessively gruesome.
She experienced the horrors of the subterranean cavern more intensely than an ordinary person. If she weren’t emotionally detached due to the Puppet Ballad’s influence, she would have broken down long ago.
“Could it be… that the Seer is still alive?”
This incredible thought crossed Luo Ling’s mind. By “alive,” she meant truly alive, not controlled by the Puppet Ballad, living a fate worse than death.
But… how was that possible?
Even if the Seer had somehow escaped being consumed by the white reishi, how could she have survived in this dark, subterranean cavern?
There wasn’t even any food here… wait?
A terrifying possibility struck Luo Ling.
However, if the Seer was indeed still alive, perhaps her premonitions contained more information…
Without much time to hesitate, as Grandpa hummed his tune and left, Luo Ling gritted her teeth, and the Spore detached itself from Grandpa, slowly drifting towards the Seer.
Without the Meat Puppet’s cover, the Spore was as weak as a candle in the wind. It was instantly assaulted by the terrifying, grotesque mental pressure within the cavern, the backlash hitting Luo Ling directly.
“Ugh…”
Luo Ling couldn’t help but groan, blood trickling from her eyes, her pupils trembling.
The sound finally attracted Grandma and An Yu’s attention. They looked at Luo Ling with concern and saw the small, pale girl lying with her back to them, her head resting on the lap of the girl in the wheelchair.
“Shhh.”
Elsa held a finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet.
“Is Xiao Bai… tired?”
An Yu looked at the small figure, her chest rising and falling slightly as if she were asleep.
She must be tired, after everything that had happened…
Xiao Bai didn’t seem very old and probably hadn’t experienced much hardship like this.
Grandma smiled and nodded, putting a finger to her lips and turning down the volume of the TV.
Only after the two turned back to the TV did Elsa breathe a sigh of relief, looking at Luo Ling with concern.
She had seen Bai trembling suddenly, blood trickling from her eyes, as if on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Although Elsa didn’t know what Bai was experiencing, she realized that An Yu and Grandma had almost noticed.
No matter what, she couldn’t let them find out…
With this thought, Elsa quickly pulled Bai into her lap, shielding her tear-stained face.
Now that there was no risk of exposure, Elsa carefully examined Bai.
Luo Ling’s eyes were closed, two lines of blood and tears staining her delicate cheeks, a gruesome sight.
Not only that, but her frail body was still trembling slightly, as if enduring unimaginable pain.
“I should be the one protecting everyone…”
Elsa looked at Luo Ling with heartache, picking up Bella and gently wiping away the blood and tears from her face.
Although she wanted to help, all she could do now was watch.
Interfering during a confrontation with a Grotesquery would only make things worse.
Meanwhile, the Spore finally landed on the Seer’s body. The moment it attached itself, Luo Ling’s suspicions were confirmed.
The Seer was still alive!
Although her life force was weak, like a flickering candle in the wind, it was still burning stubbornly.
But how had she survived these past few months…?
Could it be… that she really…
“Mm…”
A soft moan escaped the Seer’s lips, like a girl stretching after waking up.
Her eyes fluttered open, and her protruding tongue retracted.
Her fingers twitched, and she slowly, with great effort, turned her body.
Luo Ling then noticed that the Seer’s flesh hadn’t been completely untouched. Part of her body had fused with the largest white reishi mushroom, yet her consciousness remained.
Then, something happened that, while Luo Ling had suspected it, still shocked her.
The Seer turned her head, opened her mouth wide, revealing her dirt-stained teeth, and bit down hard on the enormous white reishi mushroom, tearing off a large chunk.
“Chew, chew…”
She chewed on the Grotesquery that fed on human flesh and blood with all her might.
The Grotesquery was eating people.
And the person was eating the Grotesquery.
The Seer’s survival wasn’t just a miracle.
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