Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Fang Zheng felt like he was just traveling all over the world without doing anything in this world: the ocean, the swamps, Antarctica, and now he was in the desert... Hmm, considering that without those messy alien life forms, this did seem like a honeymoon trip with the Little Angel.

But the desert wasn’t much fun.

”I’m so bored, Master.”

Nymph swung her legs, sitting on Fang Zheng’s knee, and Fang Zheng yawned.

”It is quite boring... well, endure it a bit, it’s not Antarctica, after all...”

To be honest, Antarctica at least has penguins and seals to play with, but in the desert, there’s really nothing at all. Although those workers and explorers all seemed busy, Fang Zheng found it very boring, and so did Nymph. After all, there’s nothing to see in the endless yellow sand, and going out just leaves you covered in sand. Also, Fang Zheng couldn’t use Magic or Summon the Mage’s Mansion to slack off in this world.

By the way, that old man seemed to avoid Fang Zheng like an old mouse seeing a cat after their last meeting. Fang Zheng didn’t mind much about it. Perhaps for that old man, his voice was enough to change the other’s life, but for Fang Zheng himself, it was just a sentence.

While everyone was bored and playing chess, Nymph suddenly looked up.

”Master, that old gentleman left the camp.”

”Oh?”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng became attentive.

”Is he alone?”

”No, there’s another person.”

”Let’s go take a look.”

Anyway, there was nothing else to do. The whole day, those explorers commanded workers to dig up some statues, but that didn’t interest Fang Zheng unless they could dig up a mummy or something... And now, that old man unexpectedly left the camp in the dead of night?

Maybe he just went for a stroll.

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng slipped out of the tent with Nymph and quietly followed them.

Soon, in the moonlight, Fang Zheng spotted the old man’s figure without much effort. He was stumbling around the desert as if enchanted by something, and by his side was a young man who looked like he was sent by Miskatonic University as an assistant, quietly speaking to the old man.

Not Professor Allen after all.

Seeing this, Fang Zheng frowned. He knew that the old man was mentally unstable. Initially, he thought Professor Allen would be accompanying him, but unexpectedly, it was a young assistant... Could this lead to a murder case?

Thinking too much, thinking too much, this is Cthulhu’s world, not Conan’s world, where would so many murder cases come from?

Anyway, let’s go over and check it out.

So both parties proceeded into the depths of the desert, with the old man appearing aimless but drawn by something, stumbling forward. Before long, they came to the heart of the desert, where distinct rectangular black buildings without windows could be clearly seen, buried in sand. They were like stone blocks, with nothing but a few entrances almost filled with sand.

The young man supported the old man and reached out with a smile, saying something ahead. The old man screamed and brandished his flashlight, seemingly wanting to leave. But the young man held onto the old man’s arm tightly, continuing to whisper in his ear. After a moment, the old man finally calmed down, resumed his previous frenzied state, broke free from the young man, and scrambled towards the ruins.

At this moment, Fang Zheng finally got a clear view of the young man beside the old man.

”Hmm?”

Under the moonlight, Fang Zheng squinted his eyes and scrutinized the young man. He was a black man with dark skin and a bald head, dressed in a black suit and coat, with a faint smile on his face. Yet, Fang Zheng could be sure that he hadn’t seen this person in the Miskatonic University expedition team before...

”Nymph.”

”What is it, Master?”

”Perform a headcount of the expedition team immediately.”

”Yes...”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s command, Nymph’s eyes began to flicker. After a moment, she swiftly responded.

”Reporting to Master, the number of members in the camp should be forty-nine, with forty-six actually present.”

”Does that include us?”

”Yes, it does.”

”Good.”

Hearing Nymph’s answer, Fang Zheng nodded. He could now be certain that this person was not normal. Because logically, if that young man were part of the expedition team, there should be forty-five people now. Among the forty-nine people, only Fang Zheng, Nymph, and the old professor left the camp. But now, besides the old professor, there was an extra person, and yet the number of people in the camp hadn’t decreased.

In other words... this person appeared suddenly!

Who is he, exactly?

”Can you scan what’s beneath here?”

”Yes, Master, there’s a large complex below, originally a city, built around...”

At this point, the Radiance in Nymph’s eyes flickered slightly.

”Six hundred and fifty million years ago.”

It can’t be the Ancient Ones...oh no, this is the desert, and those guys froze to death.

”There’s a large amount of abnormal life signatures below, seemingly in slumber.”

”Since they’re asleep, they should stay that way. Let me take a look.”

Saying this, Fang Zheng lifted his head and then stepped forward.

The next moment, he reached out, placing his hand on the old man’s shoulder.

”Alright, Professor, it’s late. You should go rest.”

”Uh... ah?”

Feeling the sudden hand on his shoulder, the old man turned around in confusion, gazing at Fang Zheng beside him. He widened his eyes, opened his mouth, his hands trembling constantly; then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Seeing the unconscious old man on the ground, Fang Zheng nodded, then turned around to face the young man behind him. The young bald black man also looked at him with a smile, completely unsurprised by Fang Zheng’s sudden appearance.

”I really didn’t expect something like this to happen...”

”I also didn’t expect someone to pull tricks right under my nose...”

Fang Zheng stared at the bald man, snorting coldly.

”You’re not human, are you.”

It’s important to know that Fang Zheng, although still maintaining his usual appearance, had already released his Dragon Might. The old professor fainted from being unable to gaze upon this Dragon Might. However, for the bald black man in front of him, Fang Zheng’s Dragon Might seemed non-existent, having no effect on him.

”Aren’t you the same, sir?”

The bald man chuckled, spreading his hands.

”Honestly, this surprises me. I didn’t expect there’d be someone like you... well... this really surprises me.”

”I’m surprised too. So, what are you here for?”

Fang Zheng glared at the man, asking lowly.

”Though I don’t know who you are, you brought the professor here late at night, surely not for sightseeing.”

”You’re wrong about that.”

The bald man chuckled, rubbing his hands.

”I just wanted to help him resolve a few questions, his confusion, his problems, and the nightmares troubling him. You see, I’m simply here to help, nothing else.”

”But I don’t think so.”

Fang Zheng shook his head.

”Honestly, I think you’re up to no good; the scent you emit resembles certain folks I’ve encountered... hmm, I don’t like this smell.

”Is that so? That’s a shame.”

They faced each other with smiles, for a moment, even the howling desert winds seemed to quiet down, the surroundings deathly silent.

Then, in the next moment, Fang Zheng moved his right hand, and the Pitch Black Greatsword suddenly appeared. Simultaneously, the sandy ground beneath his feet caved inward, and suddenly, a gigantic worm-like creature burst forth, its maw wide enough to swallow a container, snapping at Fang Zheng!

”Humph!”

Facing this massive bug comparable to a truck, Fang Zheng snorted lightly, bringing fire to the Pitch Black Greatsword in his hand, cleaving the bug in half from its middle. Flames erupted and then vanished in an instant, leaving only a pile of black ash swirling in the wind. Then Fang Zheng stepped forward, the greatsword in his hand piercing straight towards the bald man’s chest.

”Gah—!”

Just then, another monster resembling a pterosaur descended from the sky. Its body was like a pterosaur, but the head was a horse’s, sharp claws flashing in the darkness, then instantly exploding into scattered bloody chunks. The horse head even maintained its open-mouthed front-facing expression, yet before it could touch the ground, it was burned away by consuming flames.

Simultaneously, Fang Zheng thrust his sword at the bald man before him.

”Pfft!”

The sharp greatsword pierced through the man’s chest, yet even faced with a mortal wound, the man smiled.

”Interesting, seems you truly are an intriguing existence...”

As the man spoke, Fang Zheng soon saw the bald man’s body swell suddenly, then explode with a ”bang”, followed by a massive shadow emerging from within!

This was a being resembling a human, but its arms lacked palms and fingers, only smooth tentacles. Moreover, notable was its head, a long trunk-like tentacle!

”———————!”

”It’s you!?”

Seeing the monster’s true form, Fang Zheng was greatly surprised. If the bald black man earlier was somewhat unexpected, then the monster now unmistakably revealed its true identity!

It was Crawling Chaos, one of the Three Pillar Gods—Nyarlathotep!