Chapter 37 The Infinite Boss Invites Everyone to "Eat Melon" 37. Since...

Almost simultaneously, Lu Yu also received a message from the intelligence team, alerting him to unusual player activity in the vicinity.

He and Pei Yanzhi exchanged a glance.

As expected, Ji Chengchuan wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

"Heroland Island's 'Garden of Eden' is one of the oldest existing primeval rainforests on Earth, filled with many mysterious legends. This expedition will only take us through the outer, open perimeter of the rainforest, not venturing deeper. But even the outer perimeter is not without its dangers, so please stay close to me..."

In the sweltering jungle, the guide's voice came from ahead.

Lu Yu and Pei Yanzhi trailed at the back of the group, walking forward with normal expressions while looking around curiously.

To be honest, Lu Yu's curiosity wasn't feigned. It was his first time visiting a place like a tropical rainforest.

The stuffiness was a very strong first sensation. As soon as I entered, a layer of moisture, almost like solidified paste, rushed onto my face. It was thick and sticky like pus, and it clung to my respiratory tract with the airflow, making it difficult to breathe.

The further you go in, the more humid and stuffy it becomes.

Above, the sky was blocked out, countless tree canopies forming a giant green net that blocked out the sun. Underfoot, the thick layer of humus meant that each step would cause you to sink deep into it with a strange, crackling sound, requiring some effort to pull yourself out. The air was filled with an indescribable, sweet-smelling odor, mingled with spores and dust—a truly primal scent.

As you walk, beams of light occasionally shine down, illuminating the rainforest and making it seem like a vast and ancient jungle kingdom belonging to giants.

The adventure route their team chose took three hours in total and included four checkpoints.

The team members were all in good physical condition, and by noon they had already passed the first checkpoint, "Forbidden Eye" lake, and successfully arrived at the next checkpoint, which was also a rest stop: the Stone Statue Forest. Here they had about half an hour of free time, including lunch and viewing the nearby stone statues.

There are at least a dozen stone statues in the Stone Statue Forest.

They are either covered in moss or entangled by vines, gazing at the sky or bowing their heads, with rough lines, ancient and mysterious, and incredibly tall. Surrounded by an extremely rich dark green, they are filled with a very unified, indescribable, and eerie atmosphere, almost blending into the entire rainforest.

Like their three other colleagues, Lu Yu and his companion walked among the stone statues, munching on food, stopping every now and then to listen to explanations and take photos.

As Pei Yanzhi passed by a giant tree, he seemed to see something and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yu turned around and whispered, "Have the fish arrived?"

The jungle adventure was supposed to last three hours, and nearly two hours had already passed. Judging by the time, Ji Chengchuan's men should be making their move soon. If they wait any longer, they'll all be heading out.

“No,” Pei Yanzhi gave a negative answer, his eyes slightly raised, “My spatial power hasn’t detected any approaching enemies yet, but…”

He took a step forward, beckoned with his finger, and gestured for Lu Yu to follow.

The two walked around the giant tree from the front to the back. Pei Yanzhi raised his hand and brushed aside a drooping vine, revealing a dark tree hole inside.

Inside the tree hollow, there was a stone statue. It looked no different from the other stone statues in the stone statue forest, except that it was much smaller. Its eyes were not stone beads, but two amber-like objects. Because it was in the tree hollow and never saw the light of day, it was almost completely covered and eroded by moss and other things.

“I feel like I’ve seen this stone statue somewhere before,” Pei Yanzhi said softly, “but after searching carefully, I can’t recall it. Or rather, I may not have seen it before, but only those that are similar to it. Especially the amber eyes and the expression. Moreover, like the other stone statues, it is also a strange object, only its contamination is far less than theirs.”

Lu Yu moved closer, following Pei Yanzhi's finger to examine the stone statue.

Pei Yanzhi felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't recall where he had seen it before... What could it be? A fragment of divine essence? That seemed unlikely...

Lu Yu looked into the eyes of the stone statue. Perhaps it was the lighting, or perhaps something else, but for a moment, he seemed to see the amber move slightly, as if some kind of insect sealed inside had suddenly come to life and was flapping its wings, or as if the stone statue itself had suddenly come to life and was turning its pupils.

Lu Yu paused, took a half step back, and turned his head to say, "Yanzhi, look at the eyes of this stone statue, aren't they..."

The words were cut short before they could be finished.

The spot where Pei Yanzhi should have been standing next to her was now empty, with no one else in sight.

Lu Yu's face turned pale, and he suddenly looked up at his surroundings. The copied spatial power surged out without reservation, spreading in all directions.

In the stone statue forest, the guide was taking a nap against a tree root, while three colleagues were scattered not far away, some squatting to rest, others taking photos with the stone statues. Overlapping tree shadows, towering stone statues, insects burrowing in the humus layer, giant pythons coiled in the tree canopy, unidentified birds and microorganisms—the power of space instantly reflected back countless silhouettes, but none of them were Pei Yanzhi.

Pei Yanzhi vanished into thin air, less than half a meter away from him!

Was it done by Ji Chengchuan's men?

No, impossible, they can't do it.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lu Yu turned around abruptly and looked at the stone statue inside the tree hole.

"System, a nearby dungeon has opened, and Yan Zhi has been matched into it, right?" Lu Yu tried to deduce with barely any composure. "The key is this stone statue..."

Aside from the rules of the Smiling Game, he couldn't think of anyone else who could make Pei Yanzhi disappear from his side without a sound.

The projection appeared in response: [Congratulations, host, for unlocking new content for the entry "Chosen One Ji Chengchuan," specifically "Ji Chengchuan's Two Special Abilities: Basic Control of Dungeons Below Rank A!"]

Ji Chengchuan, primary control over copies below Grade A?

Lu Yu was taken aback.

Does this mean that Pei Yanzhi really entered a dungeon, and it was a dungeon below rank A? If so, then there's probably no problem. For Pei Yanzhi, even if a dungeon of this rank is difficult, it will only take a little time and there won't be any danger.

only……

Lu Yu's eyes darkened slightly.

Unexpectedly, Ji Chengchuan actually possessed two special abilities.

No matter how skilled a gamer is, they can only have one special ability. Lu Yu thought his copying ability was already quite overpowered, allowing him to acquire multiple special abilities. However, he never expected that Ji Chengchuan would be even more overpowered, possessing not only the ability to devour but also basic control over a dungeon. For Smiling Game, this ability was equivalent to sharing some of its rules.

This ability was not recorded in the intelligence reports of Jiang Yan and others, nor was it mentioned by Pei Yanzhi. It is clearly a secret that Ji Chengchuan has kept hidden until now and has never revealed.

If it weren't for the gossip system, Lu Yu would at most have thought it was Smile Game playing tricks or some other problem, and it would have been difficult for him to suspect Ji Chengchuan's special ability.

Ji Chengchuan isn't very smart, but he's certainly cunning, and he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and a lot of subordinates.

Lu Yu had never underestimated him, and this was certainly not the case now.

With a thought, he was about to click on the new entry to see if he could find clues to find Pei Yanzhi from the description of this special ability by the gossip system, but before he could see the words slowly unfolding in front of him, the surroundings suddenly darkened and fine scarlet rain began to fall.

"What's going on?"

Why did it suddenly start raining?

"It's normal for rain to suddenly fall in the rainforest, but why is this rain red? And it seems to have a strange smell..."

Not far away, the surprised voices of three colleagues rang out, but abruptly stopped after a few words, followed by the sound of a person falling to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, apart from the stone statues and giant trees, only one person remained standing in the stone statue forest.

The players have arrived.

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly and adjusted his glasses.

In the blink of an eye, various mixed and invisible forces surrounded the entire stone statue forest.

Several shadows appeared in their concealed positions, evading the power of space from afar, casting prying glances and aggressive force through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

These players who dared to be the first cannon fodder weren't all fools; they knew they couldn't just rush in recklessly and would first probe and wear down the enemy from a distance.

Lu Yu was not surprised by this turn of events.

He first released some spatial power to protect the other four people and the tree-hole statue, then slowly said as he strolled forward, "It seems you really didn't take what I said last time to heart. It's alright, although I hate flies, I never mind taking some time to swat them and clean up the environment."

"Gentlemen, since you've already decided to come here to die, why not just show yourselves and attack together?"

He looked up, his expression casual and indifferent: "It's better not to waste too much time swatting flies, right?"

Red rain fell from the jungle, and a deathly silence spread; apart from the sound of raindrops hitting the ground, there was not a sound at all.

Microorganisms have vanished, insects have all stiffened, giant pythons have drooped their heads from among the branches and leaves, already decayed, and birds have all become skeletons, falling and splattering among the tree canopy like an increasing rain.

"What does your intelligence report say?"

Lu Yu casually asked, "Was this the reason for suddenly arranging such a move?"

He twirled his fingers and pulled out the team building badge.

No one answered.

On the vast stage, it seems that only Lu Yu is an actor, wandering among the tall and mysterious stone statues, conversing with the invisible shadows.

In the shadows, deformed tentacles spread, but before they could touch him, they turned to ash. The trembling earth cracked deeply, stopping precisely at his feet before closing up again. Giant trees wildly flung their branches, lashing out wildly, but before they could even touch the hem of his clothes, they withered and died.

The invisible toxins, the strange curses, and the painful interference seemed to have no effect on him.

Or rather, they had all been "destroyed" long before he felt the harm.

The actors on stage continued walking leisurely, seemingly oblivious to the eeriness around them.

He didn't get an answer, but he wasn't discouraged. Instead, he thought for a moment and dismissed his guess: "Actually, it doesn't seem like it."

He waved his name tag between his fingers: "To fall for a work badge once and then fall for it a second time is just too stupid."

"But if not for it, what else could it be for?"

He raised an eyebrow slightly: "It can't be for me, can it? One fragment of godhood is nowhere near as tempting as the two I have. Are you trying to start the boss battle early? You're so confident, unlike your previous self. So, is it purely a gamble, or have you gotten some interesting information?"

"Players are all wicked, so don't believe everything you hear, and beware of traps."

Lu Yu was polite and earnest, speaking as if he were chatting with a close friend rather than an enemy: "Some traps, once you fall into them, will kill you."

It seemed like a prophecy.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than something suddenly broke through the tall canopy and rolled down from among the layers of branches and leaves.

A patch of even darker red rain was swept away.

With a thud, the thing landed on the ground.

A hazy light flashed by, illuminating a fresh head.

Look.

Lu Yu stood to the side, smiling gently. He didn't look like he was killing someone; he looked more like he was giving a lecture at a company meeting. His demeanor was calm and mature, and the case was real and clear: "This is the first one."

After five years of working as a corporate slave and living a peaceful life, he thought he would need to mentally prepare himself before committing murder again. But in reality, he killed with ease, without feeling any sense of unease.

Looking at the head half-buried in the humus layer, his heart barely skipped a beat. He only casually thought that it was fortunate that there was the spatial power that had been created to block it, otherwise, given the blood splattering, it would definitely have landed on him, which would have been too dirty.

There was still no movement in the woods.

Lu Yu didn't mind and continued forward: "This is the second one."

He declared.

The next second, there was a loud noise, and another head rolled down, hitting the stone statue and staining a patch of moss red.

"The third one."

"Bang!"

The head fell off, but the eyes still moved.

"The fourth one."

"Bang!"

Blood was dripping, almost spilling onto Lu Yu's boots.

"The fifth one... How many people came in total?"

Lu Yu politely asked, "Is that enough?"

Another loud bang.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, and the atmosphere within the stone statue forest was already at its most oppressive.

Among the communication contraptions, the hidden consciousnesses could no longer contain themselves and began to communicate chaotically: "How were they discovered?"

"According to the vice president's intelligence, the Boss's ability is replication, and it is very likely that it has replicated the spatial power of the World Lord. But even if it is the World Lord, it would be impossible for them to detect us from this distance!"

"What force killed them? Mayo was right next door to me, but he didn't put up a single resistance!"

"Range attacks can indeed make the monsters and special abilities work and prevent their effects from being erased, but these attacks can't even get close to the Boss! We're doing a waste of time!"

"We cannot sit idly by and wait to die!"

"Is it true that the Boss hasn't fully recovered? Could it really be a trap...?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Do you believe the Boss or the Vice President? The more the Boss says this, the more likely it is that he's bluffing and trying to scare us away! Continuing to hide will only lead to being picked off one by one. Since ranged attacks are ineffective, we have no choice but to activate the second phase of the plan... Ready, move out!"

At the same time, Lu Yu suddenly turned his head.

Eleven figures appeared, descending from all sides to form an encirclement, rushing towards them in an instant.

A strange and bizarre object was thrown out, and the spatial power that had been spreading around it suddenly sank and went out of control!