Chapter 135: Shadow Form (Part Two)

Blood flowed like a river from Qin Fei’s neck. He felt his consciousness gradually fading. At the same time, the corruption eroding his mind and the whispers at his ears began to vanish along with the onset of death.

[Effect of the Doll of Substitution triggered. The carrier is respawning...]

When Qin Fei opened his eyes again, he was lying on the sleeping bag he had laid out beforehand. He stood up and carefully checked his physical condition. After his resurrection, his state had completely recovered, and his mind was crystal clear. Even his right arm, which had lost all sensation after being bitten, was as good as new. After a quick inspection of his entire body, he immediately walked over to Xie Nainai.

At this moment, Xie Nainai’s entire body had turned pitch black, with only her face still showing features that could vaguely be identified as human. It appeared that she had almost been successfully overtaken by the shadow creature, but it had fallen just short. Seeing this, Qin Fei let out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t been too late.

Qin Fei took the tentacle mace from his backpack and glanced at Xie Nainai’s neck. Then, he swung the weapon with all his might.

*Thud!*

Blood splattered. Qin Fei had successfully killed Xie Nainai with a single blow. Survivors in a party can share beds and sleeping bags, so it wasn't long before Xie Nainai also revived on Qin Fei’s sleeping bag.

"Huh? Did I just die?"

After respawning, Xie Nainai immediately covered herself with her hands—those who have just resurrected are devoid of clothing.

"Here, wear these." Qin Fei pulled a few smaller-sized garments from his backpack and tossed them to Xie Nainai on the ground. Normally, he would have taken this opportunity to sneak a few extra looks, but fearing death as he did, he didn't dare. After throwing the clothes to her, he immediately raised his left wrist to check his data and status on the diamond crystal.

[Sample Implant / Ancient Artifact]
[Sample ID: Ascendant & Controller of the Core Island Space Station]
[Race: Human (Infected) (Shadow Creature)]
[Gender: Male]

After his resurrection, the various data on the sample implant remained largely unchanged. The only difference from before was the addition of the parenthetical note "Shadow Creature" after "Human."

Qin Fei fell into deep thought. The reason he was fine now was that he had interrupted the transformation at the critical moment by taking his own life. While the erosion of his consciousness by the shadow creature had been halted by the resurrection effect of the Doll of Substitution, some form of change had clearly persisted. The "Shadow Creature" label in his data was proof of this.

This was very similar to his mutation after being infected in the world of *Subnautica*. It was precisely because of that previous mutation that he gained the "Infected" attribute, which not only improved his overall physical constitution but also granted him four retractable tentacles. Could this be the same situation?

Thinking of this, Qin Fei jumped in place a few times and exercised his limbs. There was no obvious change in his strength or speed. It seemed that the "Shadow Creature" attribute did not enhance his physique. Perhaps it had evolved some kind of special ability?

With this thought, he focused his attention on his entire body. As he sank his mind deep within, he suddenly felt the colors of the world gradually dim. Qin Fei was startled—this was the reaction one usually experienced when their Sanity dropped!

No... He quickly regained his composure. His consciousness remained clear. He didn't hear the eerie whispering, nor did he have a headache, which meant his mental state was at a normal level. Since that was the case, he began to try and maintain that strange sensation.

Gradually, his entire body began to turn pitch black and blurred. As the blackness on his surface grew denser, Qin Fei transformed into a humanoid shadow. He had actually become something akin to a shadow creature!

It was a shapeshifting ability.

The next second, with a single thought, he reverted to his flesh-and-blood form.

"Whoa... how did you do that?" Xie Nainai, sitting on the ground, stared with wide, incredulous eyes. This guy, Qin Fei, could actually turn into those shadow monsters? When did this happen? She hadn't known at all!

"You can do it too if you tried," Qin Fei replied. He wasn't lying. Xie Nainai had been attacked by the shadow creature just like him, and her condition had looked much worse. After reviving with the Doll of Substitution, she should be capable of entering the shadow form as well.

He shared his insights on how to activate the shadow form with her. After some experimentation, Xie Nainai eventually mastered the ability.

After several tests, Qin Fei summarized the rules of the shadow form. First, using the skill had a cost; he had to constantly consume his own stamina to maintain the state. Once in shadow form, his body became ghostly and could float in mid-air. In this state, he could neither touch objects nor be blocked by obstacles. This meant that once activated, he was essentially immune to all physical damage. However, this state could only be used to dodge attacks; it didn't seem very useful for offense.

Beyond that, Qin Fei hadn't discovered anything else. All in all, this death had been a blessing in disguise for both him and Xie Nainai. They had only lost a Doll of Substitution, but in return, they gained a god-tier skill that could save their lives in a crisis.

The stones in the fissure—the Nightmare Lamp Stands—reverted from dark purple back to gray after spawning that wave of shadow monsters. Gray Nightmare Lamp Stands were in a safe state; they could only generate shadow creatures when they were dark purple. Therefore, this area would be safe for the time being.

After testing his new ability, Qin Fei walked over to the Toad King. He stared at the massive carcass, pondering for a moment. He wondered if this thing was edible. The Toad King was enormous; if its meat was safe to eat, then he, Xie Nainai, and the two pigs would have no shortage of food.

Unsure if it was edible, he walked up to the toad, used his stone axe to chop off a lower leg, and tossed it to the Caesar Pig. The pig-man had a hearty appetite and a strong metabolism, rarely refusing food. Even if you fed them a lot, they could always eat more.

Taking the frog leg from Qin Fei, the Caesar Pig didn't hesitate, throwing it straight into its mouth and chewing.

*Chomp, chomp.*

A moment later, the pig evaluated the frog leg.

"Delicious!"