Chapter 25: First Steps into the City of Malignance

Chu Feng looked in the direction Feng Yao was pointing—toward the city. Darkness seemed poised to swallow it whole, with the ruins looming in and out of sight. The shattered city walls resembled the fangs of a giant beast, tearing hideously into the night sky.

Deep within the city, a dense, roiling darkness pulsed like a lurking titan, radiating a suffocating pressure. The air was thick with the stench of decay and blood, a sensory assault that set everyone’s nerves on edge.

Chu Feng took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the unease in his heart. He knew this city would be their greatest challenge yet. He couldn't help but clench his fists until his knuckles turned white. The Shadow Curse mark on his palm throbbed faintly, as if sensing its master’s agitation, and emitted a cold, eerie glow.

He looked at Feng Yao beside him; her clear eyes reflected the flickering firelight, steady and composed.

"Everyone, be careful!" Chu Feng lowered his voice, cautioning his teammates. "This city is even more dangerous than we imagined."

Pan Yue gripped her weapon tightly, her face pale, yet she managed to force a smile to encourage the others. Liu Yong silently checked his equipment, his naturally reticent demeanor now focused into intense concentration. Sun Yue, agile as a cat, scanned the surroundings, observing every detail of the environment. Chen Qiang stood at the front of the formation, his massive frame like an unbreakable wall, shielding his companions behind him. Wu Xia busied herself gathering information, seeking any clues she could find about the city. Officer Fang wore a grave expression, his hand tight on his sidearm, his gaze sweeping over everything with sharp vigilance.

The adventuring party approached the city’s edge with extreme caution. Underfoot, broken rubble and rotted wooden planks crunched, producing teeth-grinding friction. A cold wind howled, whipping up dust and dead leaves that blotted out the sky, adding to the grim atmosphere. In the distance, faint, chilling roars echoed, as if warning off intruders.

Chu Feng’s heartbeat quickened involuntarily. He felt an inexplicable pressure, as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching them. He worried that his own abilities might not be enough to protect his teammates, and he worried even more for Feng Yao’s safety. But he knew there was no turning back; they could only press forward. The resolve to explore steeled his gaze, and the power of the Shadow Curse surged within him, as if yearning to break its bonds.

"Wait!" Officer Fang suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Something's wrong..." Before he could finish, a dark shadow lunged from the ruins.

The shadow moved with incredible speed, reaching the front of the party in the blink of an eye. It was a humanoid fiend—its body rotting, reeking of decay, with hollow eye sockets glowing a faint, sickly green and sharp claws glinting with cold light.

"Watch out!" Chen Qiang roared, raising his shield to block the path.

With a deafening *thud*, the fiend’s claws slammed into the shield, producing a jarring screech of metal. Chen Qiang’s hulking frame swayed, and he was forced back half a step.

This was only the beginning.

More shadows surged from the ruins, surrounding the adventuring party like a tide. Roars erupted one after another, deafening in their intensity. The air grew thick with a nauseating, putrid stench that made it hard to breathe.

"It’s a horde of lesser fiends—there are too many of them!" Sun Yue’s expression was grim, his voice tinged with a tremor. While these fiends were not powerful individually, they were overwhelming in number and utterly fearless of death.

***

The team was immediately plunged into a bitter struggle. Blades flashed, and the power of curse-marks collided in the air, erupting in brilliant light. However, the sheer number of fiends began to wear the team down.

"We can't keep this up!" Chu Feng shouted, slashing with his dagger while observing the situation. He realized that although the lesser fiends attacked with ferocity, their movements lacked strategy and were easy to predict.

"Sun Yue, find their attack pattern!" Chu Feng yelled.

"Understood!" Sun Yue dodged a strike with nimble grace, carefully watching their trajectory. He quickly spotted the flaw. "Their attacks are all linear and their speed isn't high. We can exploit that!"

Chu Feng immediately understood. "Everyone, pair up! Cover each other and use their blind spots to counterattack!"

The team adjusted their tactics instantly, pairing off back-to-back and coordinating their strikes during the gaps in the fiends' attacks. Chu Feng’s Shadow Curse proved vital; he used it to teleport behind the fiends, delivering lethal blows.

The tide of battle turned instantly. The adventuring party cut through the enemy ranks like a blade, carving through the lesser fiends. Rotting corpses piled up like a mountain, and the scent of blood grew thick and heavy. Watching this, the team’s admiration for Chu Feng deepened. His calm, decisiveness, and immense power gave them immense confidence.

"Chu Feng, are you alright?" Pan Yue asked with concern, gently smoothing his slightly disheveled clothing.

Chu Feng gave a faint smile. "I'm fine..." His gaze, however, remained fixed on the depths of the city, where even greater challenges awaited.

As the smoke of battle gradually cleared, the ruined streets were left in disarray, filled with the pungent scent of blood. Pan Yue’s fingertips brushed gently against the sweat-dampened locks on Chu Feng’s forehead. Her amber eyes held a flicker of soft affection, like a clear spring reflecting his weary face. Her touch was light and careful, as if handling something precious and fragile.

Chu Feng felt the warmth of her touch, and a wave of emotion surged within him. Feeling slightly awkward, he scratched his head and looked away. A faint smile played on Pan Yue’s lips, her eyes deepening with warmth. The atmosphere between them was subtly intimate, a rare and precious thing in this cruel, dying world.

"Thank you," Chu Feng said softly, his voice carrying a rare, hidden tenderness. He knew that Pan Yue was not just his teammate, but his most reliable pillar of support in this apocalypse.

After a brief moment of respite, everyone turned their attention back to the grim city. Liu Yong silently packed away his tools, but instead of starting his usual reconnaissance, he turned to Officer Fang. The silent man’s eyes flickered with hesitation before returning to calm.

"Officer Fang, you are more familiar with this city. Should we find a temporary base before we continue our exploration?" Liu Yong’s voice was low and magnetic, surprising the group. He had always been a technician obsessed with the act of exploration itself.

Officer Fang gave Liu Yong a long, searching look, a hint of approval in his eyes, then nodded. "I agree. Pushing deeper blindly will only lead us into greater danger."

The other members agreed; the recent battle had exhausted much of their strength, and no one could guarantee that even more powerful fiends didn't lurk in the city's heart.

***

Just as they were preparing to look for a base, Sun Yue, who had been keeping watch, suddenly spoke up: "There—it seems like something is moving over there..."

As soon as he spoke, the group caught sight of a dark shadow flashing rapidly past the end of the street. A faint, strange, and elusive fragrance drifted through the air...

The setting sun looked like blood, plating the ruined city in an eerie, scarlet hue. Officer Fang frowned, his eyes scanning the broken walls and ruins, as if searching for something specific. Finally, his gaze locked onto a relatively intact abandoned bank building.

"There," he said in a low voice. "That should serve as our temporary base."

The group followed Officer Fang, carefully picking their way through the rubble-filled streets, while the lingering stench of decay hung heavy in the air. When they finally stepped into the bank building, an indescribable wave of exhaustion hit them.

The lobby was in shambles, littered with shattered glass and toppled furniture, the walls covered in cobwebs and grime. Yet, compared to the treacherous streets outside, it felt remarkably secure. Chen Qiang leaned against a wall, a rare look of relaxation crossing his rugged face as he shed his heavy armor. Liu Yong sat in a corner, silently checking his mechanical devices as if the world around him didn't exist. Sun Yue remained alert, pacing like a wary cat and missing nothing. Pan Yue leaned gently against Chu Feng, a look of relief on her face. Wu Xia continued gathering intelligence, trying to piece together more information about the city.

After a brief peace, the group began to organize their base, the short rest doing much to restore their spirits. However, just then, Sun Yue let out a low exclamation: "Wait, do you smell that?"

The group held their breath, carefully sensing the air. A faint, strange fragrance drifted through the room. It wasn't strong, but it carried a hint of unsettling, bizarre mystery. The scent seemed to come from the depths of the lobby—a space that should have been empty, yet now seemed to harbor a massive secret.

Officer Fang’s face grew grave as he walked slowly to the center of the lobby, observing the surroundings. On the floor, faint, strange markings were visible. These were not natural; they were carved by hand, like mysterious symbols, and they radiated an unsettling aura.

"This... looks like some kind of mechanism." Liu Yong broke the silence, slowly walking over to the markings to examine them closely. His slender fingers traced the patterns, his brow furrowing deeper. He could sense a potent, latent power hidden within them.

Pan Yue moved closer to Chu Feng, whispering, "Chu Feng, something feels wrong here. We should be careful."

Chu Feng nodded, sensing the same ominous aura in the air. He gripped his dagger, watching everything with heightened vigilance. The Shadow Curse on his palm throbbed with a cold, ghostly light.

Just then, Sun Yue cried out in alarm: "These markings—they seem to be moving!"

Everyone turned their eyes to the floor. Indeed, the patterns that had been stationary were now shifting slowly, intertwining to form a complex, ancient puzzle.

"What on earth is this?" Chen Qiang growled, tightening his grip on his shield, ready for battle.

Liu Yong didn't answer; he remained focused, studying the ever-changing patterns.