I'm Trapped in the Block

Mo Ling watched as the Primordial Cell and the Sheep-headed Man struck a deal.

Then, the Primordial Cell on the shelf slowly broke free from its restraints and floated back into the sky.

This time, the Sheep-headed Man didn’t stop it, though its expression seemed somewhat regretful.

It casually swung its saw, cutting its own shelf in half, then ran off and vanished from sight.

The Primordial Cell didn’t linger, either. The bubble retracted into the cell, which then slowly vanished, making it impossible for the Transparent Race People’s stones to hit it.

The cell floated through the air once more, disappearing into the darkness high above, its destination unknown.

’What an incomprehensible creature.’

After a moment of silence, the Transparent Race People began to cheer wildly.

"We defeated the Blasphemer!"

Cheers and laughter echoed throughout the area as everyone celebrated another victory for their faith.

"This is another great victory for the Transparent Race! In a few days, we’ll hold a celebration, repair the Temple, and make an offering to the Goddess. Maybe we’ll even receive a blessing!"

"I think we should carve the story of this battle onto a stone tablet and place it at the Temple entrance for future generations to admire! That way, everyone who comes to our village will see our wisdom and courage!"

They congratulated one another. The Transparent Race person who had climbed onto the roof earlier was lifted up by his companions, who cheered, "Hero!"

...

Mo Ling watched for a moment, then sighed and returned to the Divine Hall through the cave entrance.

In contrast to the cheers and laughter outside, the atmosphere among the human squad in the Divine Hall was palpably tense.

Liang Zhi was already in custody, his spine locked in place by a mechanical device on his back, yet his face was full of relief.

Just then, Mo Ling suddenly recalled something the Primordial Cell had said.

"The little chicks will not come to this world again."

’Does that mean the passage is about to close?’

Mo Ling quickly told Li Luo, who in turn immediately informed Captain Su, telling him to evacuate with all possible speed.

Captain Su hurriedly ordered everyone to leave the Divine Hall and head back the way they came.

"What about these spines, Captain?"

"Just grab a few. If we can’t carry them, just leave them."

After leaving the Temple, the group saw the Transparent Race People cheering wildly outside.

"What’s going on? Are they this happy because their leader is dead?" a soldier asked in confusion.

Captain Su punched him on the shoulder. "Don’t worry about it. Let’s move out."

The Transparent Race People were all gathered in the square. They paid the human squad no mind as they ran out of the village, continuing to celebrate with abandon.

After passing through a dense forest of ferns, the group finally reached the camp in front of the passage.

"Get everyone back through the passage! Now!" the captain ordered urgently.

And so, in a well-organized manner, the investigation squad began to exit the Underworld through the mushroom passage.

The ascent was much slower than the descent, but thankfully, the passage hadn’t closed. Only after everyone had returned to the surface did the fleshy nodules inside the passage begin to slowly wither away.

The last few soldiers burst out of the passage, carrying research equipment.

"Is anyone still down there?" Captain Su asked urgently.

"No, sir, but a lot of samples from the Underworld were left behind. We didn’t have time to bring them back," the soldier replied.

Captain Su let out a sigh of relief. "It’s fine. As long as everyone made it back, that’s what matters. Let’s pack up and head back to the outpost."

...

Inside the station, personnel were taking inventory of the haul they had brought back.

Captain Su said to Li Luo, "I’ll have to make a trip back to the monitoring station myself this time. We need to escort him back."

He gestured toward Liang Zhi, who was standing nearby.

Liang Zhi gave a bitter, apologetic smile. On the way back to the outpost, he had seen the many facilities destroyed during the riot.

Now that he was clear-headed again, he seemed to be gradually realizing the extent of the damage his actions had caused, and his face grew increasingly pale.

After a period of rest, the group set off for the monitoring station.

They traveled away from the high walls, and two days later, they were back at the Seventh Monitoring Station.

The news of Station Chief Liang’s arrest caused a huge uproar, and discussion about it spread throughout the monitoring station.

Soon, Dawn City sent its own people down to investigate.

Meanwhile, Li Luo took Block and began feasting in the monitoring station’s canteen.

Du Kang stood to the side, sizing up the floating Block.

"You really went through a lot this time," Du Kang said. "If anything like this happens again, just run."

"I can’t believe that bastard Liang Zhi was hiding such a secret. I’ve dealt with him for so long and never saw a thing."

At this, Du Kang slammed a fist on the table, gritting his teeth.

"He was replaced the moment he arrived in the Abyss. Of course you couldn’t have known," Li Luo explained.

"That’s true." Du Kang nodded, then frowned. "So where did the original Liang Zhi go? He couldn’t have just vanished into thin air, right? You don’t think he was... killed?"

The words hung in the air, and the two of them fell silent.

Anything was possible.

"I was just rambling, don’t mind me," Du Kang said quickly. "Maybe the original Liang Zhi just ran off to another world, too."

"Speaking of which, does that Anti-Cell World even exist?"

"Maybe."

After Liang Zhi was escorted back to the monitoring station, an official Hunter Squad was dispatched to the restricted zone to investigate the Big Tree Cave.

If there really was a gateway to another world there, another ring of high walls would likely be built around it.

"I guess we really can’t get rid of our prejudice and hostility. So what if Liang Zhi found the Primordial Cell?" Du Kang sighed, a note of resignation in his voice.

When it came to otherworldly beings, no one dared to make a definitive judgment and take responsibility for the consequences.

Sensing the topic had grown too heavy, Du Kang quickly changed the subject to Li Luo’s points.

"About your assigned mission... since there was a problem with the person who issued it, you won’t be getting those points. However, Captain Su said he’ll credit you for the biological samples from the Underworld, so keep an eye on your notifications for the next few days."

Li Luo was a little surprised to hear this, but she nodded.

’Captain Su is a really stand-up guy.’

The two chatted a little longer about the mission before saying their goodbyes. Du Kang mentioned that many people had come from Dawn City recently, and he was exhausted from receiving them all, so he needed to get some rest.

「A few days later」

True to his word, a flood of point notifications appeared on Li Luo’s datapad.

The points for the submitted biological samples from the Underworld were all credited to her account.

Even the bounty points for helping to resolve the riot were added.

Amid the stream of incoming notifications, Li Luo’s point total broke the ten-thousand mark.

But then, a strange red message pushed itself to the very top of her message list. It was an official notice:

"Lady Li Luo, please report to the Seventh Monitoring Station’s interrogation room to assist with an investigation."

The message was brief, but forceful.

Li Luo, accompanied by Block, went to the Seventh Monitoring Station’s interrogation room.

An investigator from Dawn City amicably asked Li Luo some questions about Liang Zhi and the recent mission.

"Don’t worry, your record is perfectly clear, and Captain Su has already told me your side of the story. This is just a confirmation," the investigator said gently.

"How is Liang Zhi now?" Li Luo asked curiously.

Unexpectedly, a strange expression came over the investigator’s face.

After a moment of thought, he said, "There’s a problem. Something strange has come up."

"What kind of strange thing?" Li Luo pressed.

The investigator rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "We had him use the Druid’s Spine to revert to his true form, but... his true form is what he looks like now."

"Which is to say, he isn’t a Theseus Cell Life at all, like he claimed."

"There is no Anti-Cell World in the Big Tree Cave, and he’s not some traveler from another world."

Liang Zhi... is just an ordinary person.