Gold turns lethal, no longer enticing, the golden statue of the companion is lifelike, yet utterly lifeless.
Tsuchigumo observes Standing Black Hat, the once mighty Society President, now just a mere golden statue.
A creepy aura spreads at the bottom of The Scar of the World, five thousand meters below ground. It’s pitch black, illuminated only by the gleaming golden statues of companions and the scorching air searing the flesh.
It is at this moment Tsuchigumo sees a golden afterimage!
The afterimage is shaped like a "giant" about 4 meters tall, glowing all over, with a body riddled with holes, like a mummy woven from hundreds of strands of gold leaf.
What... what is this?
In all her life, Tsuchigumo has never seen anything more terrifying than this.
Her appendages are deeply embedded into the cliff face, daring not to fall to the bottom, and even less to attempt rescuing her companions turned into golden statues.
The Hollow Gold Man moves slowly like a corpse, its posture rigid and bizarre as if without a fixed destination.
It moves without a sound, and the silence is deafening. All Tsuchigumo can hear is her own heartbeat, thumping loudly, as if it might burst out of her chest with each pump.
Sweat drenches her entire body.
All she hopes for is this eerie Hollow Gold Man to leave quickly, not to come any closer to her side.
At the bottom of The Scar of the World... exists such a creature made of gold?
Standing Black Hat was a genuine Dominator Witch, yet turned into a statue in an instant!
This means that this being’s power far surpasses that of the Dominator Witch, to have silently turned all of Renwang Security into gold.
Only the Supreme Witch might be able to confront it, but where to find the Supreme Witch here?
Tsuchigumo feels oppressed, as if sealed inside a coffin, almost suffocating.
Facing the Hollow Gold Man, she does not dare to move or speak, only feeling the weight of her body hanging from the rock face.
And the searing heat all around.
She looks up, but all she sees is darkness. To return, she would have to climb 5000 meters up to reach the surface, which is impossible. Tsuchigumo lacks the strength to climb vertically such a distance on this sheer rock face, even 1000 meters would be extremely difficult.
"Cyber Specter," whispers Tsuchigumo’s voice in her ear.
She is both surprised and too afraid to make a sound.
Tsuchigumo strains her eyes, trying to locate Cyber Specter amidst the golden statues of her companions.
As the Hollow Gold Man wanders aimlessly with a hollow core and flashes of light, its gold illuminates her companions, casting reflections.
Yizhen Tian, once powerful and infinite in strength, now a four-winged Golden Angel with body and halo turned into pure gold, lying at her feet.
Behind Yizhen Tian, the Cleaning Robot that Cyber Specter had possessed is also forged in gold, frozen in place.
"You see, before you came down, it appeared suddenly and ’goldified’ everyone. Your President resisted for a few seconds, but ultimately turned into gold," Cyber Specter communicates with Tsuchigumo.
Tsuchigumo fears that her voice might be overheard by the Hollow Gold Man.
She can’t help but raise her hand, inserting her wireless earpiece deeper into her ear with an imperceptible movement, all while watching the Hollow Gold Man, fearing it might detect her.
She really wants to search on her phone "Can wireless earpieces be heard by others?"
If she gets caught by the Hollow Gold Man, she’d become a statue too!
"My outer shell is also goldified, fortunately, its power wasn’t as effective on the mechanical body, leaving many components still usable," says Cyber Specter.
Tsuchigumo listens silently.
She and Cyber Specter might be able to work together to save the others and find a way to defeat the Hollow Gold Man.
Her body suddenly feels extraordinarily strong. Recent events have made Tsuchigumo much braver.
The Hollow Gold Man continues to move between the statues with its rigid movements.
Cyber Specter and Tsuchigumo communicate through wireless technology, a method undetected by it.
"When Standing Black Hat descended, she made a very loud noise upon hitting the ground, and so did the others. It seems to have been attracted by the loud noise they made upon landing, hence it came to attack," Cyber Specter explains.
Yes... the President is a near two-meter-tall violent woman, used to punching monsters and robots sky-high.
But this is The Scar of the World, where supernatural powers are tough to deal with. Charging in like that, falling straight down, was sure to cause problems! Tsuchigumo shudders to herself.
But that’s Renwang Security for you, a company with style... It’s this very attitude that’s brought these like-minded companions together.
"If the Hollow Gold Man’s perception is exceptional, it would have discovered you by now and put you in mortal danger. But it hasn’t. I tentatively conclude that this ancient being collects information through ’listening’ and ’touching’ among other primal means, and it’s not at the stage where it can detect everything. It’s only because your teammates made too much noise that it noticed them," Cyber Specter deduces.
Tsuchigumo ponders deeply.
That is to say, creating a loud noise could divert the Hollow Gold Man’s attention.
But what to do about the President and the others already turned into gold?
"Your Substitution Technique can create a wooden stake at your original location and then switch places with another spot, it’s an excellent trick to shift attention," Cyber Specter suggests.
Indeed. Tsuchigumo agrees inwardly.
To use the Substitution Technique to avoid an attack at the last moment and relocate oneself, is a highly challenging and practical skill in Ninjutsu.