Shackles of Humanity

The lake water was much deeper than he had imagined, churning with undercurrents. It was clearly connected to more than one subterranean water system. He followed the strongest of these currents and swam on.

His growing affinity with the Water Element allowed Luo Kai’s senses to expand almost without limit. His consciousness continuously processed and organized the intricate network of subterranean waterways, forming a three-dimensional map in his mind. Suddenly, he felt that something was off. The map in his mind was far too orderly—one level, a second, a third—resembling a massive underground architectural complex!

Not every area was submerged; many places were empty. After swimming through a long, watery tunnel, Luo Kai leaped from the water and landed his feet on solid ground. Before him lay a vast Underground Space. He took a tentative breath. The air was fresh, indicating that this place was not completely cut off from the outside world.

In the Darkness, his eyes glowed with a faint green light, but his surroundings remained pitch-black. Night vision was merely an enhancement of one’s ability to perceive light; without a single source, one was still blind. Fortunately, Luo Kai didn’t rely too much on his vision nowadays. His all-perceiving Spiritual Power acted like a radar, constantly feeding him information about his surroundings as he felt his way forward through the gloom.

After walking for about an hour, the air grew slightly drier. A faint phosphorescence appeared ahead, allowing him to vaguely make out his surroundings. The light was a chemical reaction generated by bone matter—the ground was covered in skeletal remains. Most were human, though some belonged to animals.

The human skeletons were so decayed they were barely recognizable, crumbling to dust at the slightest touch. The animal bones, however, were far more durable; many of them even gleamed with a jade-like luster.

In a clearing up ahead, a massive skeleton stood four or five meters tall, resembling that of a dinosaur. Luo Kai approached to examine it more closely. The skeletal structure was incredibly dense, its hardness rivaling metal. An unknown number of years had passed, yet it showed no signs of decay. Its sharp claws and fangs still radiated a cold glint.

RUSTLE RUSTLE… The sound alerted him that he wasn’t the only living being in this Underground Space. There were also many bizarre snakes and rats. In front of him, a massive rat was gnawing on a thigh bone as white as jade. Its sharp teeth could only manage to scrape off a fine powder with each bite, yet it chewed on with great relish.

Luo Kai paid it no mind and continued his exploration. He saw many collapsed buildings, shattered bones, and rusted-out firearms and automatic cannons scattered everywhere. It looked as though a massive battle had taken place here. He wandered into a relatively well-preserved metal hut, and the items inside sparked a sense of familiarity: a control console decayed beyond recognition, and a shattered LCD screen.

This must have been a large-scale underground bunker, likely a place where humans took refuge from Fierce Beasts after the Great Cataclysm. But one day, the Fierce Beasts must have broken in, sparking a fierce battle. Judging by the outcome, the humans lost, and this underground fortress was destroyed.

This was his first encounter with the remains of his own civilization. Though most things were decayed beyond recognition, he could still make out what they were. He saw cell phones and computers. A thousand emotions welled up inside him, and at the same time, profound questions surfaced. ’What exactly was the so-called Great Cataclysm? What created the Fierce Beasts? And what made electricity vanish? And why have I appeared in the future?’ He was now certain this body was his own, not the result of some kind of Reincarnation.

’Is it possible I never actually died, but was instead Frozen by some force until I regained consciousness? Or maybe I did die, but the memories of my past life were converted by some Power into genetic memory, which then awakened in this body?’

’And then there’s the concept of Reincarnation, which has existed in human civilization since ancient times. It basically says that a soul is immortal, like a piece of code, just constantly going through cycles. Each cycle involves a complete reformat. Did I just get lucky and dodge the last one?’

While Luo Kai was lost in his thoughts, numerous rats and bizarre snakes appeared around him. Creatures that should have been sworn enemies, they didn’t attack each other. Instead, they turned their attention to Luo Kai and attacked him.

Luo Kai drew his Military Dagger and impaled several of the strange rats charging toward him. With a swift movement, he broke through their encirclement and sprinted deeper into the Darkness. ’These rats will just call for reinforcements. The more I kill, the more will show up. I can’t waste time on this.’

Luo Kai was incredibly fast and lost them in short order. Hiding in a small stone hut, he wrapped his Snake Skin clothes tighter, lowered his heart rate, and sealed the pores of his skin. Vision was nearly useless in this Underground Space; the creatures here relied on scent to find and lock onto their targets.

As expected, when he emerged again, neither the snakes nor the rats paid him any mind. He let out a sigh of relief and pressed onward.

The rats and snakes ahead grew more numerous and larger. They weren’t the only creatures, either. There were many other strange life forms: centipedes over a meter long, giant cockroaches, and toads the size of a grinding Pan. The ground and the surrounding rock walls were covered in all kinds of plants. This Underground Space seemed to have formed its own closed ecosystem.

Luo Kai discovered these creatures had one thing in common: they all thrived in darkness.

His arrival caused no commotion. The recent baths in medicinal herbs with the Yin Attribute had made his aura somewhat similar to that of these creatures. On top of that, by actively lowering his heart rate, he had also reduced the intensity of the Magnetic Field his body emitted. Vision was almost useless in the darkness of this Underground Space. Without looking at him directly, no creature would realize he was human.

For the most part, these creatures remained motionless, as if they could survive and even obtain some kind of Power simply by staying still.

Luo Kai could feel the Magnetic Field’s Energy growing stronger up ahead. Even the cells deep within his body seemed to become more vibrant under its stimulation. He now understood why so many creatures had gathered here—they were all basking in this Energy.

Most of these creatures were in a state of hibernation and would not awaken under normal circumstances. He hesitated for a moment, but his curiosity won out. He began to carefully weave his way through the gaps between the various venomous beasts.

Before long, he saw what the creatures were gathered around: a massive skull. It was the skull of some unknown creature with enormous horns. A single glance sent a chill down his spine. The creature had been dead for an untold number of years, yet its skull still radiated an unparalleled, intimidating pressure that inspired awe and fear.

Of course, some creatures did not hibernate. Standing beneath the massive skull was a white-furred rat, roughly the size of a normal human. It was crouched in a human-like posture with its forepaws crossed over its chest. Its eyes were narrowed, and its long, murine face wore a faint smile, as if it were immersed in a state of pure bliss.