Chapter 21: Humanoid Monsters

Guided by the flashes of lightning within the mirror, the scientists observed a mountain peak amidst a torrential downpour. Standing tall and imposing were numerous thick, towering sacred pillars, continuously absorbing the thunder and lightning from the heavens. In their center stood a massive, golden, gourd-shaped object, emitting laser-like beams of light as if engaged in some profound exchange with the cosmos.

Within the reflection, an old woman—gaunt and dark-skinned, resembling a witch—was draped in animal hides and adorned with a feathered headdress. She waved a glowing, purplish-red staff toward the sky incessantly. Many others, dressed in strange attire, danced and wove between the stone pillars in rhythm with her movements.

The scene was reminiscent of a primitive African tribe or islanders from the Pacific performing a religious ritual. The modern observers were unaware that these were, in fact, the Longshan people who had accidentally traversed time and space.

At this very moment, Ximolamu and the craftsman Lulong were leading their kin to activate their Heavenly Furnace Golden Gourd, releasing the energy of moonstones to create a space-time wormhole, preparing to ascend and return to their original era. Since the elder tribal shaman, Nisege, had met with disaster, Ximolamu had assumed the role, and her current goal was to return to the past to save her son, Nuka.

Through the space-time mirror, the modern observers could see figures under the firelight—some riding unknown beasts, darting back and forth, while others guided large animals pulling heavy, slow-moving carts, transporting glowing ores into the giant gourd. Molten metal flowed along a groove beneath the witch’s feet, sending plumes of white steam rising into the dim sky.

Ximolamu sensed that today was different; the nether-fire flickering within the golden gourd was a deeper, more ghostly blue than usual. In the distant sky, a force seemed to be coalescing; lightning bolts tore through the dark firmament, and rolls of thunder echoed toward the earth from afar.

The witch’s supplications shifted with the wind and rain—now wildly dancing, now convulsing, trembling, then resolute—like a madwoman commanding the raging lightning.

The lightning from the heavens, like frenzied silver snakes, formed a massive, luminous electric grid through the surrounding sacred pillars, connecting to the apex of the golden gourd. Fireballs rolled chaotically as the infinite energy of the universe was harvested and displaced by this artifact-like wonder.

Suddenly, the golden gourd began to emit black smoke, followed by a deafening roar. Yet, there was no firework-like display; instead, everything plunged into total darkness, leaving only lightning to streak wantonly through the black void.

Soon, all sound was drowned out by the thunder, and fires inexplicably broke out in the distant mountain forests.

In the laboratory, the mirror’s surface flickered intermittently. Su Chunyang and his team scrambled to investigate the cause, tracking information in an attempt to lock onto the image.

Suddenly, the spherical platform erupted with blinding light, forcing everyone to shield their eyes by instinct. In an instant, the space-time mirror and the phantom-like images vanished. All instruments seemed to have exhausted their energy, and silence returned as if nothing had happened—only the wisps of blue smoke rising from the computers bore witness to the anomaly.

The group was left completely stunned.

Su Chunyang immediately ordered Zhou Huifang to restart the detector to see how much data had been recovered. The result was better than the last time: a total of 57 anti-neutrinos had been generated, but only 19 had been fully consumed in the reactor to create the space-time mirror. Many others had simply vanished into thin air.

Su Chunyang knew his precious experiment might have disturbed the flow of time, but he could not foresee the consequences.

Meanwhile, on the snowy mountain, the world remained in chaos. A gale whipped up a blizzard, roaring like a surging white tide. Deep within the snow, a prehistoric giant ape suddenly appeared. It looked around in confusion, pushing aside the thick accumulation of snow and peering toward the source of the sound.

The giant ape possessed a massive head and eyes like copper bells, flashing with wild, alert light as it scanned the swirling snow. Its nose was broad and flat, exhaling hot air that instantly condensed into white mist in the freezing temperature. Its mouth hung open, revealing sharp fangs, and it let out a low roar that echoed across the empty snowfield, shaking the snow from the slopes.

It did not know why it had suddenly arrived in this world of endless snow, having just been foraging and playing with its companions in the dense jungle. Panicked, it began to run across the vast, boundless snowfield, stumbling with heavy strides.

Gradually, the giant ape’s footsteps grew heavy and slow. Each step sent snow spraying, but its towering body was exhausted, its thick, powerful arms hanging low, nearly touching the ground. The boundless plateau made it feel breathless, panicked, and deeply despondent.

It shook the crystalline ice shards from its fur, its eyes filled with anxiety and fear as it descended the mountain. At times it would stop to sniff the air, and at others, it would lift its head and let out a roar, as if calling for its kin across the desolate landscape.

The blizzard ceased. The members of the treasure-hunting expedition emerged cautiously from the ice and snow, looking back at the now-quiet mountain; none dared to shout.

Seeing that dusk was falling, Bao Tianxi ordered the team to move away from the mountain to find a place to camp. Just then, Chen Miaomiao suddenly screamed: "A savage! A savage!"

As she cried out, a tall figure covered in brown fur lunged directly toward the head of Bao’s horse.

Seeing the monster about to pounce, Guo Zhenhu reacted with lightning speed. Like a fierce tiger, he surged from the side, his heavy pipe clutched in his hand, swinging it with a whistling wind toward the creature's head.

Guo Zhenhu had been strong since childhood and had mastered martial arts at Wudang Mountain, complemented by his military training in grappling and combat. He was certain this desperate strike would leave the monster bloodied.

A dull thud echoed as his pipe was deflected by a powerful force, flying far away, while the monster seemed completely unfazed.

Only then did the group clearly see that this was a giant humanoid monster.

It stood three meters tall when upright, its body covered in a thick layer of coarse black fur, each strand as hard as a steel needle. As it ran, the fur danced wildly, and its well-developed muscles bulged beneath the skin, catching the dim light of the snow mountain with a cold, chilling glint, radiating terrifying power.

In their panic, "Rat" Deng Da and "Iron Hand" Gu Dajun opened fire.

The giant, tower-like monster faltered for a moment before immediately turning to attack the shooters. Its palms were broad and thick, its fingers like sturdy stone pillars; each time it struck, it left deep indentations in the surrounding rock walls or tree trunks.

Deng Da, being the closest, was caught instantly.

The monster reached out and effortlessly hoisted Deng Da high above its head before hurling him away. Fortunately, Deng Da had practiced light-foot skills; with his agility, he performed a flip in mid-air and landed steadily on a stone cliff.

Gu Dajun, weighing over 200 pounds, was not so lucky. He was also grabbed by the brute and slammed away, his head striking a rock with a heavy crack, and he immediately lost consciousness.

"Old Cat" Li Yanzhong, "Buddha" Xing Sengfu, "Monkey" Meng Yang, "Gazi" Ye Qing, and the Chang brothers, Chang Xing and Chang Wang, drew their weapons and unleashed a barrage of fire at the monster. However, the bullets hit the creature as if striking a sandbag, having no effect whatsoever.

Fortunately, the humanoid giant finally ceased its attack. It turned, its speed suddenly surging, and it vanished into the gathering dusk in an instant.

"You want to run? Not so easy!" Bao Xiaotong shouted angrily. With a flick of the reins, her horse, Snowy Blue, let out a neigh and bolted down the cliffside path in pursuit.

Guo Zhenhu followed close behind, galloping after them.

The snow mountain was a leaden gray. In the haze, Xiaotong vaguely saw the monster running for its life toward the depths of the glacier. The two chased relentlessly down the steep slope.

Across the vast, endless snowfield, the giant ape’s lonely silhouette appeared increasingly small in the boundless white world, yet it possessed an inexplicable, fearless aura. The only traces left behind were the massive, deep footprints of its broad feet pressed into the snow.

Bao Xiaotong was frantic with anxiety. As she was about to close the distance, a dazzling blue light suddenly appeared ahead without warning. She instinctively shielded her eyes.

In an instant, the humanoid monster vanished without a trace, and Bao Xiaotong nearly collided with a wall of ice that had suddenly risen. She pulled hard on the reins, bewildered, wondering if her eyes had deceived her—how could an ice wall appear out of thin air?

Guo Zhenhu also clearly saw the blue light, which had been surging like the sea, transform in the blink of an eye into a solid, transparent wall of ice.

Both were filled with confusion. Looking around, they saw only the dim twilight; the monster was nowhere to be found.

As an experienced special forces soldier, Guo Zhenhu soon discovered a giant footprint, several times larger than a human's, which ended abruptly before the transparent ice wall.

Guo Zhenhu looked up at the wall, which stood dozens of meters high. It was vertical, smooth, and clean as a mirror, with no traces of climbing, making it nearly impassable. He scanned the surroundings; the ice cliff was hundreds of meters wide, offering no path forward.

Bao Xiaotong stepped forward and touched the ice. The surface was exceptionally smooth, as if it had just been washed, and it felt slightly elastic.

At this moment, Meng Yang, Deng Da, Li Yanzhong, and the Chang brothers arrived. They searched everywhere, pressing their faces against the ice to peer inside, looking for all the world like a group of curious voyeurs.