Shen Lu: I've Mutated into Multiple Game-Breaking Abilities

Chapter 44: Shock, Doubt, and Speculation

“I think we should head deeper into the canyon to see if the Gale Manipulator is still there!” Someone voiced his idea. This suggestion quickly drew agreement from others. “Right! We have to go check it out! Maybe the Boss is gone too!” “Holy crap, I’m afraid the third stage might be like this too.” “I don’t think so...” “Hurry, hurry, let’s go check it out!” The crowd clamored and rushed rapidly toward the depths of the canyon. Spreading out in a massive formation hundreds of meters wide, they resembled a vast army. Other players recording videos, taking photos, and streaming live quickly followed suit. Although the canyon was flat and stretched as far as the eye could see, that didn’t mean there were no trees, rocks, or other objects that could block their view. On the contrary. This landscape was dotted with numerous low-lying trees and towering boulders. They were scattered haphazardly, making it impossible to see the distant landscape at a glance. Unfortunately, none of the players in this group currently possessed flight or long-range scouting skills; otherwise, they would have quickly discovered that the second-stage Boss, the Gale Manipulator, had also vanished! But it didn’t take long. About five minutes later, the players at the very front gradually caught sight of the distant landscape. At the end of the canyon, where the two hills met, there wasn’t a single monster in sight! “What!? The Boss and the elite monsters around it have all vanished!” Gentle Breeze Canyon is an area enclosed by two hills, each three to four hundred meters high. The two hills converge at this end, forming a large “U” shape when viewed from above. Under normal circumstances, players must defeat the Gale Manipulator to safely ascend the mountain and proceed to the third stage. Otherwise, with it blocking their path, it’s nearly impossible for players to move forward. Now. Before the players lay nothing but an unobstructed, yellowish-brown, semicircular expanse of land. Just like the previous area, the ground felt damp, as if it had been soaked by water, and a cold, white mist lingered in the air. At the far end of this area lies a lush, green mountain peak, with a winding trail running through the center—a bare, vegetation-free section of the mountainside. That trail leads straight to the summit and serves as the entrance to the third level. “What on earth is going on…” Before long, the other players who had been trailing behind arrived one after another. Seeing this scene, the group began to discuss it heatedly. It was the same topic as before. “Why did it turn out like this?” “What on earth happened?” However. Just as many people were beginning to think this might remain an unsolved mystery, a turning point emerged! Whoosh—! Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the sky. It sounded as if something heavy was plummeting rapidly! Hearing the sound, the thousand people present quickly looked up. And there it was. That “meteor”—so familiar to everyone, ablaze with golden flames and with a crimson sphere at its core—was hurtling at high speed toward the mountaintop ahead! And as everyone knew the third stage was right there on that mountaintop! The moment they saw this, all thousand people present widened their eyes and cried out in shock. “What!? So it was him!” “That mysterious person who summoned the meteor is right at the third stage!” “No way! That’s impossible! He’s just a player like the rest of us—it can’t be!!” “Did he cause the anomaly here??” “Could it be that the monsters in the second stage were gone because he defeated them?” “Do you believe it? I don’t! I’ll never believe it, not in a million years!!” “......” The Flame Star streaking across the sky left everyone completely speechless. Just moments ago, many had assumed it was a glitch in Shen Lu—some major anomaly unseen in decades. They were still excited and thrilled to be part of such a “major event.” But then. Now they’re being told it was all the work of a rookie from their own intake? In those few brief breaths, some were stunned, some jealous, some resentful, and some skeptical. “I won’t believe it until I see the results with my own eyes. Come on! Everyone, follow me up the mountain!” “Let’s go, let’s go!!” With the truth right before their eyes, these more than a thousand people simply couldn’t wait. They rushed up the mountain in a frenzy. Luo Yao was among this crowd of over a thousand. After gathering materials a moment ago, she hadn’t gone far when she heard the players’ shouts and followed them. She’d followed all the way here. Now she, too, was climbing the mountain. “So it was actually the players who pulled this off?” She furrowed her delicate brows slightly, and deep confusion flashed in her pale golden eyes. Deep within her soul, Qin Mengya—in the form of a “tiny little person”—lay on her side in the void, propping her head up with one hand as she drifted leisurely. She muttered to herself in confusion: “That’s so strange,” “That doesn’t make sense,” “How is that possible?” Ever since they’d seen that there were no monsters in Breeze Canyon, the two had engaged in a heated discussion. In the end, they’d reached the conclusion that “this must be an anomaly caused by Shen Lu itself and has nothing to do with players.” The current situation was something neither of them had anticipated at all. “Sis Ya, we’ve confirmed there’s a player up on the mountain now, but suddenly there are so many questions.” Luo Yao curled her delicate, pale little fingers and began counting them off one by one: “That person is currently on the mountaintop. Is he fighting the monsters in the third stage?” “Did he defeat the monsters in the second stage?” “Is the cold mist spreading throughout the canyon related to him? Could he have any accomplices?” “Oh my, my head feels so confused.” Luo Yao’s delicate, pretty face was filled with a look of worry. Seeing this Qin Mengya smiled and reassured her, “Actually, if you think of him as a high-level powerhouse who can use ice, summon meteorites, and teleport, then everything makes sense.” “That expert simply entered the second stage, used the power of ice to slay the monsters there, then moved on to the third stage, where he used his meteor skill.” “It seems like a very simple sequence of actions.” Hearing this, Luo Yao shook her head. Just as she was about to object, Qin Mengya continued, “Don’t be so quick to argue.” “Think about it: since I was able to enter the beginner’s map by inhabiting your body in spirit form, other powerful warriors could theoretically do the same.” “Just because I can’t unleash my power doesn’t mean others can’t.” “Who knows? Maybe a powerful player capable of unleashing their power is inhabiting a newbie player’s body?” Qin Mengya’s words were a bit far-fetched. But upon closer reflection, there was actually some logic to it. Still, Luo Yao remained skeptical. “But that’s impossible. How could Shen Lu possibly grant such an ability?” “Then do you have a better explanation?” Qin Mengya retorted, “Are you suggesting that a new player could actually possess that kind of strength?” “Come on, that’s a hundred times more far-fetched than my theory.” Luo Yao pursed her lips and fell silent. She thought it over carefully for a moment and realized that, sure enough, Qin Mengya’s guess was the most plausible. After all, the phenomenon of a powerful player possessing someone had already happened to her. If there were any items that allowed a possessing powerful player to unleash their full strength, then achieving something like this wouldn’t be surprising at all.