I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 329: Chapter 326: Nest Builder

”How can it create a safe house?” Jin Lou was clearly stunned. Staring at the slowly healing wall, it muttered to itself.

”How could I have been so careless? Why didn’t I test it before coming in?”

Its mechanical arm tapped weakly against the wall, making a dull thud.

Jin Lou looked extremely remorseful.

”If only I’d knocked first. How could I have let my guard down like that?”

”Is this a trap set by a Nest Builder?”

Li Luo was also starting to understand. This ”Fire Thief Studio” wasn’t the real one. The room she had just left was the actual safe house.

”Yes.” Jin Lou nodded and said helplessly, ”It mimics buildings to lie in wait for its prey. It usually sets up a fake fork in an alleyway, and anyone who walks in gets trapped. I just never thought it would mimic a safe house. It’s never done that before...”

As it spoke, Jin Lou tapped the wall again in self-reproach.

”Or maybe it has done this before, and I just never knew...”

After listening, Li Luo also walked over to the wall and tried to cut it with her small knife.

Cutting into the wall felt like slicing through a tough piece of rubber; it was incredibly difficult. She had barely made a gash before the black substance inside healed rapidly. A layer of white camouflage grew over the surface, and in the blink of an eye, it looked exactly as it had before.

”It’s no use. We’ve tried many methods, but nothing can destroy these traps,” Jin Lou said in despair.

Li Luo, however, wasn’t concerned. After putting her knife away, she turned to look at the Block.

”You want to give it a try?”

Mo Ling was already itching to try. He had yet to encounter something he couldn’t destroy.

This time, he expanded the teleportation frame to its maximum size, enveloping an entire wall.

’There should be enough space in the Block.’

’I’ll have to be quick about throwing it out later.’

Once he was ready, Mo Ling initiated the teleportation.

Jin Lou was still confused when the wall beside it simply vanished. It stared blankly at the scene outside. The street was empty and pitch-black. A slight breeze washed over it. It was somehow standing ”outdoors.”

”Where’s the wall?”

”Where’s the Nest Builder’s trap?”

In disbelief, it took a step forward, its foot landing softly on the stone pavers. Nothing happened.

”We’re out?”

Jin Lou turned and stared blankly at Li Luo, at a complete loss. Its two right arms rose to scratch its head, while its two left arms unconsciously rested behind its back.

Li Luo simply shrugged at it, then turned her gaze back to the Block.

Meanwhile, inside the Block, Mo Ling was staring intently at the rapidly dissipating wall.

Once Mo Ling had pulled the wall into the Block, it began to melt as quickly as a candle. It dripped onto the metal floor and vanished into thin air, just like the black sand from before.

In just a few moments, it had melted away until only the very base remained, and even that was disappearing quickly.

Mo Ling had planned to quickly eject the wall to avoid it taking up space inside the Block, but now it seemed that wouldn’t be necessary.

The base of the wall soon dissipated as well.

’This wall is just like the black sand from before. It’s a byproduct, not the source,’ Mo Ling quickly realized.

’The true source is somewhere else.’

With this thought, Mo Ling quickly extended his field of vision, enveloping the entire building.

From the outside, this fake ”Fire Thief Studio” showed no signs of being anything but genuine. It had even perfectly mimicked the ”awakening measures” Li Luo had prepared earlier.

But the inside of the walls was pitch-black. In those unseen spaces, a black, gelatinous liquid was constantly churning.

The edge of the wall Mo Ling had just torn away was also healing rapidly. Seeing this, Li Luo quickly ran out.

Mo Ling carefully searched the entire building, trying to find the Nest Builder’s true form. When they dealt with the Night Watcher, they had to find its true form to completely eliminate it. He guessed the Nest Builder would be the same.

Sure enough, he soon found a black cup at the very top of the building. Black liquid was constantly overflowing from it, seeping rapidly into the structure below.

The liquid inside the cup seemed endless. When Mo Ling submerged his field of vision into the cup, he could only see the writhing fluid.

’So this is where all that black liquid comes from.’

The cup was small, like an ordinary glass for drinking tea, but its surface was covered in a layer of black grime, making it look incredibly filthy.

Without hesitation, Mo Ling teleported the strange cup directly into the Block.

CLANG.

The cup clattered onto the metal floor and rolled to Mo Ling’s feet.

Black flakes kept chipping off it as it rolled.

After a moment’s thought, Mo Ling bent down and picked up the strange cup.

Another wave of memories washed over him...

...

The owner of the memory stood at the top of a high tower, looking down through a floor-to-ceiling glass window.

It was a view that made all else seem small. From this vantage point, Dawn City, with its forest of skyscrapers, seemed to lie crushed beneath his feet. The flying cars moving through it were like busy ants, and the people were too small to be seen at all.

Clouds drifted by in the distance, making it feel as if he were standing in the heavens. Sunlight struck the glass and fractured into a rainbow of colors, creating a dreamlike, almost surreal, atmosphere.

However, a sweet voice from behind interrupted his thoughts.

”Mr. Guo, Yuanxin Technology has agreed to your partnership request. They’d like to schedule the meeting for Saturday morning.”

”I don’t work on Saturdays.”

”Shall we move it to Friday afternoon, then?”

”Today is Friday, isn’t it? I have a personal appointment this afternoon. Reschedule it for next week.”

”Very well...”

Mr. Guo turned around. Standing before him was his secretary, a woman with a stunning figure.

”How many times have I told you to knock before entering? For the salary you’re paid, you shouldn’t be making such a low-level mistake.”

Mr. Guo said flatly. Though he was reprimanding a subordinate, his voice held little authority.

The secretary chuckled softly and walked to Mr. Guo’s side, trailing a cloud of perfume.

”Mr. Guo, I’ve made another mistake. How would you like to punish me?”

Her fingers rested lightly on the buttons of Mr. Guo’s suit.

Mr. Guo watched as her slender fingers closed around one of his buttons.

Just as the button was about to come undone, Mr. Guo sighed and slapped her hand away.

”This suit is very expensive. Don’t ruin it.”

He then reached out and pushed the secretary aside.

He walked slowly to his desk and pressed a button.

”Inform the personnel department for me. I need a new secretary. As soon as possible.”

”The requirements are: someone who knows to knock, corrects their mistakes, doesn’t wear perfume, doesn’t have long fingernails, knows how to maintain a professional distance, and doesn’t grab people’s clothing.”

He glanced back at the bewildered secretary, then turned away and added one more thing.

”And also, tell them in advance... I don’t work on weekends.”