Chương 2065: Chapter 1389: Calling of the Stars (XV)_2

"I believe that the key to unraveling your strange condition lies in uncovering the truth," Jarvis analyzed rationally. "Odd things had assaulted your minds. There must be a way to counteract these attacks."

"I have searched our databank for information about all mutants and superpower users, including Professor X, who possess psychic abilities. I found no techniques for constructing mental barriers," he added.

"This isn't an attack," said the Scarlet Witch, who had shrouded her hollow eyes with a piece of cloth, as she tightly gripped Jarvis's hand, "I find it hard to explain, but I don't think I've been attacked."

"On the contrary," Riley's slightly raspy voice entered the discussion, "Facing the truth head-on is exactly what got us into this state."

Xu Shang-Chi hadn't forgotten the central theme of his proposal. He said, "Sitting here debating our course of action won't do us any good. Either way, the night will fall. I noticed some strange slime traces on the first floor of the bar yesterday during the day. I think we should go investigate, perhaps it could hint at what happened here..."

He didn't wait for a response from the others before he turned around and started to move. Jarvis looked at Riley and Wanda, both of whom had partially lost their mobility. The group then proceeded together to the first floor of the bar.

The ground floor of the bar reeked horribly. The complex structure of the human body emits a complex and severe stench when it decays. Xu Shang-Chi covered his nose with his sleeve and stooped down to look for the traces he had noticed the day before.

Many people perceive fear as a continuous emotional state and think that being thrown into a horrific situation would incite constant terror, preventing them from doing anything.

In reality, however, the human brain has its own protective mechanism. After intense emotional experiences, an extreme sense of fatigue sets in. This fatigue isn't meant to incapacitate humans. Instead, it prompts a temporary shutdown of the brain, allowing the instinct to take control and maintain functional abilities, hence increasing the chances of survival.

After multiple frightful encounters, this period of exhaustion lengthens, usually resulting in a state of numbness. No matter what terrifying sights or unthinkably horrid scenery they might encounter, their responses would be considerably muted.

Xu Shang-Chi is not immune to fear or repulsion from the corpselike bodies. He is also not able to bear the stench. It's just that his brain, like those of most humans, is numb to these realities, forcing him to come to terms with them.

Luckily, this state of numbness helps him overcome most of his physical discomfort. It also allows him to remain calm and approach things logically.

"These monsters crawled out of human bodies," Xu Shang-Chi revealed, drawing on the scant evidence left on the walls, "They drilled their way out of various parts of the humans, consumed some part of the bodies, and then left in a hurry."

Jarvis too looked around. His scanning functions confirmed that Xu Shang-Chi was right; there were too many outwardly stretching stains of slime.

Despite bouts of fear, Xu Shang-Chi endeavored to recall his previous encounters with the monsters. The one that held aloft the lower body of a woman didn't seem to regard the human body it had devoured as a part of itself.

Every creature has instincts to shrug off burdens. For that particular monster, the human body was more of a burden than a benefit, thus making it something to discard. But it didn't get rid of it, which indicates that it's not that it didn't want to discard it, but more likely that it couldn't.

"The incubation failed," Xu Shang-Chi murmured a few words. He furrowed his brow in contemplation and then explained, "If monsters are hatched from within human bodies, then their bodies should no longer bear traces of the shells that provided nourishment at the start."

"The two monsters we encountered could have been failures, unable to break free of the shells during incubation. These bodies could just be shells discarded by the successful ones."

Xu Shang-Chi had to supress his revulsion and instead, took a more objective, even cold and stoic, view of the issue, describing his fellow humans as inanimate matter.

But his conscience told him that once upon a time, these were living individuals who might have danced joyfully in this bar, only to be ruthlessly devoured by these monstrosities the next instant.

The circumstances compelled him to remain rational, although his morale took a huge blow. Xu Shang-Chi took a deep breath and chanted the Clear Heart Mantra several times in his heart. However, by the final round, he found himself chanting aloud, as if the sound could provide some comfort.

The others couldn't understand Chinese, they thought he was praying. But after Xu Shang-Chi regained his composure, he said, "If the monsters that failed to fully incubate are still out on the streets, where then are the ones who successfully hatched? I think that's potentially the crux here."

"We can't just sit here and wait for darkness to befall us, regardless of whether there's any truth up ahead, we must press on. Let's go."

Xu Shang-Chi turned towards the exit, with the other three trailing behind him. Though he lacked strong investigative abilities, luckily for them, the numerous slime trails on the street and scarce number of monsters provided ample space for further investigation.

As they followed the trail to the end of the alley, repeatedly stopping to check the traces' direction to ensure they were not led astray, they ran out of time. They had not yet managed to cover a few kilometers before daylight began to fade.

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