Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Flesh

Before Xia Xiu stood an iron cage. Through the bars, he could clearly see a cube of flesh squirming inside.

The mass appeared to be over two meters tall. The fat and muscle on its body constantly rippled, morphing into numerous tentacles until it soon resembled a centipede. It attempted to turn into a fluid state to slip through the gaps in the bars, but every time it touched the metal, the symbols engraved upon them would flare with light, delivering a jolting surge of golden electricity that sent it reeling.

[Level 1 Distortion Phenomenon Detected!!!]

A faint warmth spread across Xia Xiu’s left hand, but under his control, the Red Book did not manifest. He had set his Heavenly Kingdom interface template to "brain-transmission mode," so as long as he did not summon the book physically, outsiders could not see the interface.

"This is the boundless flesh He covers, only..." Xia Xiu turned to look at Harry.

"Only, it does not obey us. It is like an untamed beast, lacking all sense of hierarchy or respect," Harry finished for him.

Within the Flesh-Craft lineage, there existed a rigid system of power and hierarchy. The caste system of the Flesh-Craft was more severe than that of any other lineage; a higher tier possessed immense suppression authority over the lower, and acts of insubordination were nearly unheard of. This law held even more strictly for Flesh-Craft constructs; they possessed an absolute submissiveness toward those who held the lineage. This was precisely why Xia Xiu had been able to master the three BIO-202s on the Cladathia pendant with such ease.

Yet, the bizarre creature before him now refused to obey. It was, to say the least... quite interesting.

"This one isn't the one that escaped from the 'Cage,' is it? While such constructs are rare, they aren't worth keeping in a cage," Xia Xiu asked Harry.

"The Cage" was the collective term used by all heterodox lineages and anomalies for the containment rooms established by the Sanctuary. The very name made it clear how much they loathed these places.

"Indeed. That is why I can be fairly certain that the Adapos construct that escaped the Cage possesses intelligence. You should be able to tell from the lineage sharing—other than ours, the fields at all other shared locations are incredibly weak, almost as if they are trying to mislead us. It seems it does not want us to find it," Harry continued.

It was worth noting that lineage location sharing was not like the satellite-based positioning of mobile phones on Blue Star. Instead, the Think Tank used special methods to tune a lineage holder’s "field" to a specific frequency, allowing their individual field to be queried by others of the same lineage, with the intensity of the response depending on the strength of the field.

Xia Xiu had seen several location shares from the Flesh-Craft lineage, and the reason he had come here was that this was where the reaction was most intense; all other shared locations showed abnormally weak fields.

"We found it in a sewer in Lambeth. When we discovered it, it was busy gnawing on sewer rats," Dorn added, looking at the mass of flesh with unconcealed disgust.

"We sent people to the other locations as well, all in remote areas. The target is likely doing this to keep us from finding it, scattering these smelly scraps as decoys." Harry also seemed repulsed by the creature; a construct that could not be used by the Flesh-Craft was a useless one.

"You are keeping your location sharing active to lure it here, though it seems it has no intention of coming," Xia Xiu observed.

"It matters not. Keeping the sharing active holds a natural attraction for Flesh-Craft constructs. Furthermore, for a construct, our open fields amplify our presence and pressure twofold."

"Hey kid, why is your field closed? Did you get your rear kicked out there, so now you’re too scared to open it?" Dorn sneered at Xia Xiu again.

*Is that so? Then I hope your field stays open forever.*

Behind his mask, Xia Xiu’s eyes narrowed, while Dorn stared at him with a mocking smirk.

The Flesh-Craft lineage was, in fact, exceptionally unified; they did not prey upon their own kind, far more cohesive than other heterodox lineages. Dorn’s provocation was rooted in the aforementioned hierarchy. A higher-tiered individual held relative authority over a lower-tiered one, and thus, the lower would generally submit. Within the same tier, dominance was determined by overall strength. Dorn believed Xia Xiu was below him, and therefore, he had the right to demand Xia Xiu’s submission. To Xia Xiu, however, Dorn’s behavior was nothing short of moronic, and he had little desire to associate with such an imbecile.

*If you’re so brave, why don’t you provoke the old man over there?*

For treating him like a soft target, Xia Xiu silently made a note of Dorn. People who ended up on his mental list rarely met a good end.

"Has the target always stayed in remote areas?" Xia Xiu asked Harry, seeking more intelligence on 4-331.

"Yes, it has always kept its distance from crowds. It is likely afraid of being discovered by the Clock Tower, hence its timid behavior," Harry replied.

"Its intellectual level is quite high..."

"A high level of intellect means it contains a greater essence of the [Way of All Flesh]. If we can find it, it will be of immense help to our path of ascension." Harry turned his head, his dim eyes opening wide, filled with a sudden, fanatical fervor.

"You have a way to find it," Xia Xiu said, watching the fervent Harry.

"The reason we keep our fields open has one more purpose." Harry walked toward an empty space in the inner courtyard, and Xia Xiu followed him tacitly.

"Do you know the titles of Nadox, one of the Four Saints?"

"The Tongue-less Orator, Lord of Secrets, The All-Seeing, and—the Hope of Yaan," Xia Xiu replied.

"Look at my feet." Harry tapped the ground with his wooden staff.

A bright red circle, ten meters in diameter, surrounded them. Inside the circle was a hand of the same vibrant red color, and on the back of the hand appeared a hollow mark, with an eye embedded within it.

"The Seal of Nadox..." Xia Xiu said, looking at the ritual circle beneath his feet.

"Yes. Nadox possesses the authority of [All-Seeing]. I happen to know a ritual called the [Eye of Omniscience], and this ritual requires the fields of three Flesh-Craft lineage holders to be activated," Harry explained.

"I see." Xia Xiu nodded in understanding. This was the second reason for keeping the sharing active: to attract other holders of the Flesh-Craft lineage.

"My young brother, I need your help. I am too old. If I cannot advance further on the [Way of All Flesh], death will consume me. My brother, I fear death! I need your help!!!"

Harry gripped Xia Xiu’s arm like a madman, his wrinkled face contorting as he stared at Xia Xiu with terrifying, desperate eyes.

"...Calm yourself, my pathetic brother." Beneath the mask, Xia Xiu watched the frantic old man with a calm gaze, firmly prying the bony, withered fingers off his arm.

"Forgive my loss of composure. I hope you will assist me in capturing the Adapos construct. As a price, I will give you this." Harry reached into his robes and pulled out a sealed jar, inside which lay a white worm, pure as paper.