I'm Trapped in the Block

Chaos.

The Vibrating Beasts that had gathered here from all directions had evolved into a wide variety of forms.

None of them looked normal.

The most common mutation was the growth of extra limbs.

Three-legged ones, four-legged ones, centipede-like ones...

The limbs themselves also took on various forms; some had webbed feet, others had hooked barbs.

This was the result of divergent evolution from having come from different places.

Some even had the spherical metal mesh on their bodies stretch out, their limbs shortening as they transformed into an avian structure capable of soaring.

These Vibrating Beasts, having just arrived at the great pit, quickly had their paths blocked by their own kind.

The vermin had unleashed the Vibrating Beasts’ instinct to attack their own species.

These misshapen Vibrating Beasts began to fight amongst themselves in a chaotic free-for-all.

A centipede-like Vibrating Beast relentlessly pushed toward the depths, charging recklessly.

The frequent vibrations it caused drew the attention of its brethren, who began to swarm it.

A companion with hooked limbs jabbed them into the centipede’s body, pinning it in place.

An avian Vibrating Beast glided down from above, attacking the centipede’s head.

It was then snared by the metal mesh on the centipede’s head, flailing helplessly on the spot.

In the end, this group of Vibrating Beasts became a single, madly twitching ball.

Their limbs locked them tightly together, neither side letting go, trapped in an eternal stalemate.

The small vehicle had just driven into the deep pit when its path was blocked by various balls of tangled limbs.

Fortunately, these Vibrating Beasts were focused on attacking their own kind that produced larger vibrations, and they paid the vehicle no mind.

It carefully maneuvered around the battle zone.

It arrived in a slightly quieter area.

But this "quiet" was merely the absence of clashing metal.

A huge, muffled, vibrating rumble was continuous.

It was coming from underground.

In Mo Ling’s field of view, the underground was filled with balls of limbs formed by the Vibrating Beasts.

The limb-balls created by the free-for-all didn’t just vanish into thin air.

Instead, they kept vibrating nonstop, eventually sinking into the earth.

But the evolution continued.

The strongest among the Vibrating Beasts would forcibly break free from the cages of limbs.

After another period of evolution,

they would burst forth from the ground.

Some of them had changed into the form of moles, their limbs turning into sharp claws.

Others had discarded one leg, the remaining one transforming into a squirming, earthworm-like appendage.

But most took on various insectoid forms.

Cicadas, centipedes, ants, cutworms.

Mo Ling was profoundly shocked.

’This is convergent evolution.’

They had no connection to the creatures far away on Earth, but because of the similar environment, they had coincidentally evolved similar morphological structures.

At the same time, these creatures that tunneled out of the ground shared another common feature.

They were enormous.

A huge, monstrous, ant-like Vibrating Beast burst from the surface and headed toward the center.

It blotted out the sky. The small vehicle was instantly covered by the shadow of the ant’s body.

The terrifying creature paid no attention to the stir beneath its feet, or perhaps it no longer considered such things an obstacle.

The vibrations forced Li Luo to stop the vehicle, staring blankly as the ant walked on.

Meanwhile, Mo Ling was tossed about inside the metal Block, feeling completely disoriented.

He only recovered from the tremors after the ant had moved far away.

’That was terrifying.’

The space inside the Block was limited; Mo Ling was helpless against such a colossal creature.

Li Luo’s face was also filled with fear, but after the ant passed, she started the vehicle again without a moment’s hesitation.

The small vehicle drove toward the center, and from a distance, a mountain came into view.

A mountain made of metal limbs.

Countless enormous Vibrating Beasts stopped at the edge of this mountain, becoming part of it.

Their colossal size meant immense weight.

The ant from before reached the foot of the mountain and tried to climb it with great difficulty, but its body was too large, and it slid back down.

Loose metal limbs tumbled down with the ant, piling on top of it.

Similar things were happening elsewhere on the mountain; the gaps between the metal limbs snagged their steps toward the center.

At this point, their massive bodies had become an impediment.

Finding the empty husk of an earthworm-like Vibrating Beast, Li Luo managed to drive the small vehicle up onto it.

Bumpy.

The hard inner walls of the metal Block made Mo Ling’s entire body ache.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the small vehicle reached the top of the mountain.

It was a flat-topped mountain. Broken pieces of metal filled the gaps on its surface, and the vehicle could finally drive without so much effort.

The sounds of vibration continued to come from off the mountain, but the plateau itself was very quiet.

There was only a rustling sound from beneath their feet. Listening closely, it was the sound of scraping metal.

Mo Ling saw countless rolling balls of metal mesh squeezing toward the center through the mountain’s crevices.

These rolling balls had abandoned their massive bodies, but they hadn’t expected the crevices to get narrower and narrower, leading to a dead end.

Instead, they ended up filling the gaps themselves, becoming the mountain’s support.

Li Luo got out of the vehicle and also saw the inside of the mountain through a gap.

After taking notes, she slowly drove forward again.

As the small vehicle drove on, Mo Ling’s view also arrived at the edge of a red pool.

What looked like a perfectly calm lake from a distance was revealed to be anything but up close.

The Flesh Slimes had abandoned their metal shells and squeezed with great difficulty through the crevices to reach the center.

The pool was like a single living creature, constantly writhing and churning.

The edges of the Slimes were indistinct, blended together, heaving and spinning within the pool to form countless vortexes.

As they reached the edge of the pool, the black horn, enveloped in red waves, appeared in Mo Ling’s field of view.

’It’s not a trick of the light, it’s really pure black!’

Mo Ling had never seen an object so black.

Other black objects he’d seen would still have a slight sheen, and any stains on them would have color.

But this black horn, surrounded by Slimes, seemed to absorb all light.

While marveling at the strangeness of this abyssal creation, Mo Ling also recalled Li Luo’s plan.

She had braved immense danger to come here just to get the black horn.

’The distance is close enough. I’ll try to pull the black horn in now.’

Mo Ling focused on the black horn, and with a mere thought, it appeared inside the metallic space.

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

The moment Mo Ling pulled the black horn into his space, the vibrations stopped.

’What happened?’

With his limited vision, Mo Ling didn’t know what had happened.

He only noticed that within his range of perception, the muffled rumbling had ceased.

The constantly churning red pool had suddenly become stagnant.

The Flesh Slimes froze, as if they had died.

Deep within the mountain of limbs, the constantly rolling metal balls lost their momentum and, under the pull of gravity, rolled into the deep crevices.

Li Luo also looked bewildered.

The moment the black horn disappeared, she had already gotten into the vehicle, ready to flee.

The current situation was clearly not what she had expected.

Mo Ling stared at the black horn lying quietly on the floor, not daring to breathe.

He felt the air suddenly grow heavy.

Fortunately, the Young Lady reacted quickly.

After being stunned for only a moment, she started the car and drove away from the center.

The outskirts of the mountain were still shrouded in an endless, dead silence.

Mo Ling had grown accustomed to the sound of vibrations; now that it was suddenly quiet, he couldn’t help but feel it was strange.