Virus King - Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Face of ???! SSS-Rank Item Fragment?

TL: Yang

“FUCK!”

Even Chen Bai couldn’t help but curse at that moment. Almost instinctively, he pushed himself away from the incinerator above him, his body shooting out through the incinerator’s duct in an instant.

In a split second, he emerged from the roughly ten-meter-long duct.

While in mid-air, Chen Bai twisted around, his gaze snapping back toward the pitch-black duct, which looked like the lair of some savage beast.

What the hell was that?!

Chen Bai was one hundred percent certain—what he had seen was a human face!

Those eyes were staring right at him, meeting his own gaze!

Could it be that this dungeon really had some hidden boss? But if that were the case, shouldn’t the conditions be met by now? Why hadn’t the Cosmic Will provided any hint!?

Chen Bai looked back into the dungeon with lingering fear.

From the depths of that pitch-black tunnel, a pair of terrifying eyes was fixed on him!

The feeling was chilling, but Chen Bai quickly forced himself to calm down.

He kept his gaze locked on the entrance. If anything happened—any movement at all—he was prepared to escape or fight immediately.

But after three full minutes passed…

Other than his own breathing, the incinerator room remained dead silent.

“Huh?”

Chen Bai frowned slightly, slowly lowering his guard and retracting his Zombie Claws.

Could he have imagined it?

He shook his head. Impossible!

Even though the tunnel was extremely dark, Chen Bai was absolutely certain he hadn’t been mistaken.

Those were definitely eyes!

But why would there be a face—eyes—in an incinerator?

Had it somehow fallen in during the burning process?

Obviously not.

And more importantly, Chen Bai could swear that the thing had definitely seen him.

What exactly was going on!?

Staring at the dark incinerator, Chen Bai found himself hesitating.

What was that thing?! He’d practically jumped out of there in fright without getting a good look.

Should he go back in for a closer look?

But if that thing was waiting for him to approach, wouldn’t he just be walking into a trap and getting himself killed?

On the other hand, judging by the current situation, it didn’t seem like it had any intention of coming out either.

Chen Bai crouched in front of the incinerator and called into it, “I see you! Come out!”

Obviously, such a childish tactic had no effect on whatever was lurking inside. (LOL)

After waiting a few more minutes with still no response, Chen Bai finally steeled himself, lying down and crawling back into the pitch-black duct.

As he moved, black and red mycelium carpets and tendrils appeared around his hands. If that thing made a move, he’d be able to respond instantly.

The silence was just as absolute as when he’d entered the first time.

At last, he reached the end once again, and after waiting for a while and hearing nothing, he finally let out a long breath.

Then he leaned forward to take another look.

There it was—still the same face, still staring back at him. Those eyes were still locked with his.

But this time, the initial terror had vanished. Chen Bai steadied his pounding heart, focusing intently on that face.

In the darkness, it was wedged into a crevice.

Just by looking, it was impossible to tell if it was the face of a man or a woman.

Yet, as Chen Bai made even the slightest movement, the focus and pupils of those eyes shifted to follow him.

With his fear now gone, Chen Bai’s curiosity was piqued. He began examining the area around the face.

It was simply lodged in a small recess. Behind the face, there was no skull, much less a body—it was merely a face, like a mask, though far more lifelike and solid.

Narrowing his eyes, Chen Bai decided he wouldn’t hold back just because the thing didn’t speak. He extended his hand, and the black and red mycelium tendrils slowly grasped the sides of the face.

As expected, as Chen Bai made his move, the pupils of the face shifted, focusing intently on the tendrils on either side in an eerie, unsettling way.

In that instant, the face emitted a strange wave of energy, though it vanished almost as soon as it appeared, before Chen Bai could even think to release his grip.

It was as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, the long-awaited feedback from the Cosmic Will finally appeared before Chen Bai.

[Face of ???]

[Primary cause of incinerator damage. Unknown exact nature, but appears to be a face belonging to some kind of entity, possibly possessing extraordinary functions and effects.]

This thing…

Chen Bai’s eyes narrowed. He could now be one hundred percent certain: this was the ultimate secret hidden in the cooled incinerator!

Though he didn’t know precisely what that secret was, one thing was clear.

Those double question marks, along with the cryptic description, were more than enough to show that this thing was extraordinary!

Suddenly, Chen Bai recalled something critical.

How had he died in his previous life?

It had been during a fierce fight over a fragment of an SSS-Rank item in a secret realm dungeon. After failing to obtain it, the Dark Mother Goddess had, in her fury, shattered his soul with a contract.

While he hadn’t managed to seize that SSS fragment, he had at least caught a glimpse of it once.

It was an umbilical cord, charged with dark power.

High-level equipment fragments never appeared as straightforward shards; they could look like almost anything. Only after assembling all the pieces would the true form of the item reveal itself!

Just as that B-Rank had, could this mysterious face also be part of an SSS-Rank item?

With that thought, Chen Bai’s eyes glinted, casting intense rays even in the darkness of the incinerator duct.

If this really was a fragment of SSS-Rank equipment… it was beyond imagination!

The gap between SSS and SS rank was vast.

In fact, the jump between any ranks above S was monumental.

And if that so-called God of Trade, who had gone to such lengths and even agreed to Chen Bai’s terms with a Dual-Profession Scroll, was truly seeking this very item…

Then Chen Bai was sure of it: either this was something he hadn’t heard of, or it was an SSS-Rank supreme item or equipment fragment, without question.

In that instant, Chen Bai’s breathing grew rapid, his chest heaving uncontrollably.