Staring at the twisted fleshworm before her, Yun You felt a chill run down her spine, a trace of dread rising in her heart.
"Is this the true face of a 'Death Domain creature'?"
On instinct, she picked up an object from beside her foot to use for self-defense, but realized it was just a brick, quickly discarding it for a steel pipe.
Yun You could faintly sense the monster's animosity, a bone-chilling aura of murderous intent...
"Nnn..."
The fleshworms let out a few strange cries, then straightened their heads, squeezing out two large orange eyes from their "faces."
They wobbled slightly, shaking off the filamentous mucus from their eyeballs, and fixed their gaze on Yun You, revealing the silver fangs hidden in their flesh seams, as if eyeing their prey.
But suddenly, they froze in their tracks, their gaze falling on the girl's hand.
More accurately... it fell on the "Red Curved Scale" embedded in her wrist.
"...!"
In that instant, the fleshworms lost their will to kill, and a hint of fear appeared in those large eyes.
They seemed to be afraid of this Red Scale, as if encountering a "natural enemy."
Thus, after a brief silence, all the fleshworms wilted, retracting their fangs and mouthparts.
They stretched their bodies out, forming them into thin strands of flesh, expanding in a circular fashion, quickly coalescing into a blood-flesh ring resembling a "door" at the alleyway's exit.
As the circle fully formed, a dense black fog suddenly emerged from the shadows all around, filling what was previously an empty central space.
Then, the Deductive Robot, already blown to char by a grenade, slowly opened its mouth, speaking in an emotionless mechanical voice, "You have fulfilled the passing conditions, please leave this alley immediately... proceed to other areas."
Upon hearing this, Yun You sighed in relief.
She didn't notice the slight fear in the fleshworms' eyes, nor did she realize it was her hand's Red Scale that frightened them.
From her perspective, the fleshworm just got hit by a grenade and immediately backed down.
However, Yun You felt things might not be so simple.
What the robot referred to as passing, might not mean she could leave the [Death Domain], but merely indicates she passed a minor test.
If that's the case, then there's a big problem.
Perhaps behind this newly opened portal, lies something even more challenging to deal with.
Realizing this, the excitement that just bubbled up within Yun You evaporated like a mirage.
But then again, she didn't have a better option than to head through the door.
In order to survive in the Death Domain... to return home, she must press onward relentlessly.
Even if the path ahead is fraught with danger, she cannot stop.
With that thought in mind, the young girl decided without much hesitation.
After tossing a few stones into the gateway... confirming the portal itself held no imminent danger, she bravely stepped into the blood-flesh door.
"Swish—!"
At the moment she touched the fog within the door, Yun You's vision was shrouded in darkness.
Her senses quickly vanished, as if her entire being sank into the void.
After approximately ten breaths... the sensations that belonged to her finally returned.
She opened her slightly blurred eyes, attempting to discern everything before her.
However, her hearing returned first.
Soon, a cacophony of noise emerged around her, boring into her ears.
"Where is this? Hey...! I'm talking to you!"
"That thing hanging on your head... is it... a pair of tumors?"
The stuttering slurs carried the unique impatience and unreasonableness of the Nest City residents.
The speaker seemed to be drunk, probably very drunk, or they wouldn't have asked such a foolish question.
Thinking of this, Yun You subconsciously opened her eyes, looking toward the scene before her.
What met her gaze was another dim alley, littered on both sides with discarded robot debris and household refuse.
But unlike the alley Yun You had just traversed, here, apart from the decaying machines, were a few scattered "people" standing.
Let's say they could be described as people...
On top of the highest garbage pile on the left side of the alley stood a man wearing a fur jacket.
He wore cheap sunglasses, his short hair dyed yellow in a Mohawk style, with numerous micro LED lights embedded in the hair roots, the glaring colorful light illuminating his hair and even his entire head.
Across his chest, three laser-etched blue artistic letters glowed faintly.
[Witch Demon Gang]
"This is a gang member... and the one who just shouted profanities should be him."
Judging from his staggered steps and the beer can in his hand, Yun You immediately deduced his identity.
The target of the man's insults was a middle-aged woman carrying a purse.
Although her figure was somewhat out of shape, her translucent pink face... and purple electronic contact lenses were rather pleasant, aside from having a bit too much "technological flair"... looking slightly unnatural.
Beside the trash can behind the middle-aged woman, a child smaller than Yun You sat, with long black hair covering their face and expression, making it unclear if they were male or female.
They didn't speak, merely bowed their head, hugging their knees, sitting quietly like a caged bird.
And in the alley's most inconspicuous corner, a shadowy figure stood against the wall, silently observing the alley's occupants.
Due to the dim light, Yun You couldn't make out the figure's features, only discerning that he was probably a man, about one meter seventy-five in height, with an average build, barely noticeable.
As for other locations, like the corners and beside the robot debris, a few individuals stood.
But those people were mostly workers in cheap uniforms, disoriented, stumbling, with nothing notable about them except for the mechanical prosthetic bodies attached to their arms and legs.
"It seems... they should be fellow unfortunate souls like me, who were unknowingly drawn into this dreadful place while walking."
With that thought, Yun You quietly tiptoed to another secluded corner, disinclined to be noticed by anyone.
Fortunately, the people in the alley seemed accustomed to the sudden presence of others, so no one cared about Yun You's whereabouts.
Thus, Yun You successfully blended into the alley, hiding among the machinery debris.
Meanwhile, the gang member and middle-aged woman's argument escalated beyond mere "provocation" to the level of a "conflict."