In an instant, Aurora felt darkness engulf her sight, rendering everything invisible.

The searchlights Jack had purposely left in the mine pit were swallowed by shadows.

The girl found herself in a helpless predicament.

Initially startled, she then attempted to resist.

Aurora knew the fate of being consumed by shadows and wanted to escape the same end as those townsfolk.

But her legs felt stiff, preventing her from moving.

In the darkness, time passed quickly; after just a few breaths, Aurora lost control of her body, and even her consciousness rapidly blurred.

Despair surged like a tide, washing over her already fragile spirit.

She was powerless to act, forced to watch as the force within the shadows controlled her hand, slowly... unbuttoning her shirt, picking up a shard of rock, and reaching towards her soft abdomen...

Aurora possessed a strong will, but no matter how formidable, she was ultimately just an ordinary person.

Even Shen Donglin, the captain of Hammer Vanguard, couldn't resist the shadow; how could a twelve-year-old girl stand her ground?

Her spirit crumbled in despair... and the consciousness she had fought to regain faded away.

The shard grazed her skin, leaving a shallow scratch.

But just as it was about to go further, to disembowel Aurora...

The girl suddenly opened her eyes.

The golden hue in her pupils vanished entirely, replaced by a deep blue, akin to the two-headed monstrous bird.

She looked down at her own hand.

The remaining right hand, still under shadow's control, held the stone, swaying back and forth over Aurora's belly.

"Troublesome..."

Aurora... or rather, the two-headed monstrous bird that had taken over Aurora's consciousness, scoffed lightly.

"The little girl spent too long here, breathing in too much air tainted by [Taisui]; her right hand has been completely altered... even though I've overtaken her consciousness, placing her in a state of complete logic, I can't reclaim control over the right hand."

"It would have been better if the left hand was still there; that way, it could temporarily suppress the right hand, avoiding greater costs."

"But... it doesn't really matter."

"Aurora" looked at her right hand with a faint smile, then suddenly turned her body, aiming her right arm at the wall.

"Watch carefully, little girl. Learn well."

"If you can remain entirely logical, never swayed by emotion, then no one in this world can threaten you, nor can any difficulty obstruct your path."

"Think about it!"

With that, she suddenly crashed her right arm against the wall—

Crack!

With all her might, plus her own weight, "Aurora" broke her own right arm.

The ulna suffered a comminuted fracture, and the radius snapped in two.

The breaking of the arm immediately incapacitated the girl's right hand, unable to grip, and the stone in her palm naturally fell.

"You see, often times, things are really quite simple."

"Aurora" shook her right hand, satisfied after confirming it could no longer move independently.

"We're just panicking, fearing potential risks."

"But the more fear humans feel, the less likely they are to make correct decisions... thus, always remaining logical is the key to survival."

"Well... but admittedly, you might not understand my words just yet."

"No matter, now this body belongs to me; you can just stay by and learn... watch the demonstration I give you."

With that, she wasted no more words, kicking away a townsfolk pleading for help, slowly climbing upward, blowing the shadow away with slight disdain as she ascended.

"What a thing, daring to snatch people from me..."

"Aurora Miles belongs to me; want to take her? Not a chance!"

...

Simultaneously as the two-headed monstrous bird shattered Aurora's arm, Yun You and the others were also shrouded in shadow.

The trio immediately felt a bone-chilling coldness and a tingling sensation in their toes.

However... unlike Aurora and the other townsfolk, the "loss of control" sensation on the trio only lasted a few seconds, then dissipated, with no further consequences.

"What's going on?"

Yun You moved her ankle, only feeling her body suddenly turning colder, her world darkening, even the flashlight flickered out.

But to speak of problems... there seemed to be none too significant.

Except for a faint metallic smell.

"Jack! Frost Moon! Aurora!"

She lowered her head, calling into the mine behind her.

"Are you all okay?"

"Hmm!"

Frost Moon answered, followed by Jack... though his tone seemed a bit somber.

"Both Aurora and I are still here, but it seems like Aurora's hand is injured; I'm not sure if it's from a fall, it's a comminuted fracture..."

Hearing this, Yun You's heart clenched, and she hurriedly asked, "Is it that serious? Can she hold on?"

"More or less."

Jack nodded.

"I applied some medicine to her, but it's too dark here; I can't set her bone."

"We should head out soon; find a prosthetic body doctor to set her bone, perhaps even reattach that severed arm..."

"Alright!"

Yun You clenched her teeth and grabbed a piece of rock, desperately climbing upward.

"By the way... Jack, Frost Moon, do you smell blood?"

The little girl asked loudly as she climbed: "Is this smell coming from Aurora?"

"No..."

Frost Moon shook her head solemnly.

"I analyzed the smell samples; it's not Aurora's blood at all, but the blood scent of those townsfolk."

"Moreover... the variety of the blood smell is quite complex, with over a hundred distinct types detected!"

"In other words, something must have happened to our team below..."

This statement made Yun You and Jack fall silent.

The idea of saving people inevitably arose.

After all, the three were not pure mercenaries; they harbored rare kindness in Nest City.

But by now, it was evident that something was off.

Rushing down to rescue might invite more trouble.

Yun You didn't mind rescuing those workers, but the prerequisite for aiding strangers was... ensuring her own safety first.

Ultimately, the little girl made a logical choice.

"Let's go!"

Yun You gritted her teeth, not easing her climbing motions.

"We must first ensure the four of us get back to the surface safely; nothing else is more important!"

Neither the mercenary nor the hacker had objections, quickening their pace again.

Yet, heaven seemed reluctant to comply; the path in the mine seemed to grow steeper... the angle increasingly acute.

The rock wall under their feet, nearly vertical with the opening above, left no foothold or handles.

Yun You had to clench her fist, punching into the rock wall to leave shallow pits, barely helping her climb.

But this also slowed her climbing speed drastically.

The exit felt infinitely far.

At this difficult moment, Master Zero, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

[Yun Cub...]

For some reason, Master Zero's voice seemed to tremble slightly.

[I think I know what's happening now...]

[The event you encountered is called the "Taisui Rite," which in essence refers to monsters' hazardous actions for a grand feast]

[And this monster's name is... Taisui]

[It's the root cause of all tragedies in Yangshan Town and the source of immortality!]

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