1. Suspecting Parasitism

Within the perpetual mists of the B-rank Labyrinth Zone, a squad of fully armed warriors advanced silently toward a blood-red plant radiating an aura of danger. Leading the group was Lin Mo, a towering figure over six foot two. Clad in black combat gear, helmet in place, his face was hidden behind a dark mask, revealing only a pair of deep, penetrating eyes that occasionally flashed with a faint crimson light—cold and perilous.

As they drew near the ominous plant, countless branches suddenly erupted with sharp thorns, lashing at the warriors like serpents abruptly roused from slumber. Roots burst from the earth, weaving with the branches into a dense net, intent on trapping the squad within its cage.

“Team One, attack! Team Two, defend!” Lin Mo’s calm command set his subordinates into swift action. This was an S-rank, unidentified mutant plant, responsible for annihilating more than a dozen B-rank mercenary groups. Lin Mo’s squad had staked out this labyrinth for three days, finally tracking it down.

As the S-rank mutant attacked, it released clouds of red poison mist. Though the warriors’ faces were shielded by anti-toxin masks, several still succumbed, falling into hallucinations and turning on one another. Seeing this, Lin Mo retreated a step, and with a beastly roar, a white tiger erupted from within him. In a single swipe, it shattered countless branches, then unleashed a plume of blue fire, scorching the encroaching tendrils and thinning the poisonous haze. Lin Mo’s psychic power was rated 2S, and his physical abilities matched. The tiger quickly reduced the mutant plant to charred fragments.

“General Lin, come quickly! We’ve found a woman!” a soldier shouted, his voice a mixture of panic and excitement.

Lin Mo gazed at the girl lying among the black-red vines. She was very young, perhaps not yet of age, with a cascade of dark hair fanned behind her. Her skin was pale as snow, pure and translucent, lips as red as rose petals, vibrant and dewy. She slept peacefully, eyes closed, as though lost in some deep dream.

“She’s stunning,” one soldier couldn’t help but murmur in awe.

“Black hair and eyes—that’s the mark of pure human lineage. People with these traits are one of two extremes: either ordinary folk with no psychic talent, or high-level Spirit Controllers,” Lin Mo’s deputy, Hu Xia, explained.

“In a place overrun by mutant beasts, she can’t be ordinary. General…” the soldier beside Hu Xia glanced at Lin Mo. Women were protected under Federation law, and female Spirit Controllers enjoyed even higher status. Without orders from above, none of them dared touch her.

Lin Mo, himself a high-level Spirit Controller, had already sensed only the faintest psychic fluctuations from the girl. If she was a Spirit Controller, she was of the lowest rank.

“Hu Yang, check her vital signs,” Lin Mo ordered the medic standing next to Hu Xia.

Hu Yang responded, stepping forward. As he reached out, the black-red vine beneath the girl’s body shot upright, shielding her.

“These vines are from the mutant plant. Could she have been parasitized?” Hu Xia asked, alarmed. If such a mutant infiltrated a human body and was brought into a city, the consequences would be dire.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the girl’s lashes fluttered. She opened her eyes—clear, obsidian-black, gleaming like gemstones.

Ning Xuan awoke to find herself surrounded by oddly dressed strangers. She narrowed her eyes, searching her memory. She remembered battling a level-seven demon beast deep in a secret realm, nearly defeating it when, in its death throes, the beast’s body turned ethereal and a third eye opened on its brow. That eye was like a black hole, exuding a terrifying suction. Sensing the irresistible pull, Ning Xuan hastily wrapped herself in mutant vines and clawed at the beast’s new eye. The beast howled in agony, but the suction only grew stronger. With a burst of strength, she tore the eye from its socket, but could not resist the vortex. The world spun, and she was drawn into darkness, losing consciousness.

Propping herself up, Ning Xuan slowly rose. Her movement sent the men around her backing away in unison. She glanced around, quietly testing her spiritual power—only to find her reserves empty. She inspected her hands, fair and slender, unmarred by calluses, and looked down at the plain white garment on her now frail body. This was not her own body. Reaching out with her mind, she managed to connect to the Ghostface Crimson Vine she had nurtured since childhood. Though her psychic strength was now feeble, the vine responded. She tried to withdraw it into herself, but with a dull bang, the exhausted vine burst apart, transforming into a black seed that burrowed into her palm. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

As the seed merged with her, the vine transmitted a vision: her original body had been irreparably damaged passing through the spatial turbulence of the black hole. Despite the vine’s desperate protection, only her soul and the vine itself slipped through the unstable dimensional rift, finally merging with this frail vessel. The previous soul had vanished, leaving no memories behind. The Ghostface Crimson Vine had wrapped this body, reconstructing it with its own energy. It was at this moment the squad had discovered her.

Ning Xuan closed her eyes. She had once been a level-seven cultivator on Earth, daughter to the two city lords of Tianhe City, a master of alchemy and talismans, owner of countless magical treasures—her strength among the best of humanity. Now her body was ruined, treasures lost, and she had crossed into an unknown world, inhabiting a weak shell with no memories from its previous owner. An intense sense of unease settled in her heart.

“Ma’am, this is not a safe place to linger. Do you require assistance?” Lin Mo inquired with a courteous bow.

“Yes,” Ning Xuan replied, feeling a measure of relief upon understanding his language despite the strangeness of this world.

Lin Mo stepped forward, knelt beside her, and carefully, avoiding any impropriety, supported her by the waist, lifting her up. “Ma’am, are you injured?” he asked, having seen the vine’s sudden explosion and something burrowing into her.

“No,” Ning Xuan answered with a gentle smile, gazing into his deep eyes, her voice steady and sure.