Chapter 53: A Strange Place

The wildcat’s mental power was evidently far superior to Lekai’s—otherwise, it could never have controlled savage beasts like the Ironhide Boar. Yet, when Lekai and King Kong simultaneously burst into its lair, the wildcat was forced to feign authority and punish King Kong, hoping to scare the human off, while also dividing its mental energy to influence Lekai. This gave Lekai the opportunity he needed.

Although Lekai’s mental power had only just begun to develop, his talent had followed him since childhood and was used daily. Not only could it analyze his surroundings and sense threats, but it also amplified his mental abilities. The wildcat did launch an assault on Lekai, but he saw through it, seized the chance, and executed the Returning Step technique, ending his foe with a single blade strike.

With the wildcat dead, its control over King Kong vanished naturally.

King Kong stared blankly at Lekai atop the platform, unsure what to do. This human had just driven away his master—an invincible, colossal being—and saved his life.

Nature is a cruel place where the strong devour the weak; the laws of the wild are even harsher, with strict hierarchies. King Kong hesitated for a long moment, torn between rising to challenge Lekai in a final battle or succumbing to his fear. In the end, his knees buckled, and he knelt with a thunderous crash, bowing as if pledging his loyalty.

Lekai remained wary, not relaxing until King Kong knelt, at which point he finally allowed himself a carefree smile. Though the laws of survival on the wasteland were pitiless, they lacked the deceit and betrayal so common in the human world. Loyalty, once given, was forever—unless the master died or abandoned his follower.

King Kong, originally a mutated gorilla, possessed a humanoid intelligence. He could not speak, but he understood human language and had some capacity for thought. Now, from a survival perspective, he had wholly submitted to Lekai. For mutant beasts, subservience to a stronger adversary was not shameful.

It could be imagined that the wildcat had used cruel means to control King Kong and the boar, methods so ruthless that even when provoked, these beasts dared not disobey its orders. With King Kong’s intelligence, he could not yet realize that the wildcat beneath Lekai’s feet was the very monster that had tormented and dominated him. He simply assumed the beast had been driven away by Lekai, and anyone capable of such a feat was not someone he could hope to oppose.

For the sake of survival, submission was the best choice.

Lekai was overjoyed; such an outcome exceeded all his expectations. The fierce battle he had envisioned never materialized, and instead, he gained the allegiance of a powerful mutant beast—something he had never dared to imagine.

“Stand up! Don’t worry, I won’t treat you like your previous master did. As long as you obey, you’ll live well,” Lekai sheathed his blade, crossed his arms behind his back, and adopted a proud, commanding posture, his expression stern, as if he truly were a master above all others. With a wave of his hand, he declared, “Now, your master has things to ponder. Go out and guard the entrance. Let no creature approach.”

King Kong seemed to understand, pounding his chest with a fist, grabbing his club, and striding out without the slightest resistance to Lekai’s command.

Only when King Kong’s shadow had completely disappeared did Lekai finally come to his senses. He kicked the wildcat’s corpse from the platform and burst into hearty laughter.

The platform, abutting the rock wall, had several archways at the rear.

There were clear signs of human activity here, convincing Lekai that there must be secrets unknown to him—perhaps even the legendary treasures the professor had spoken of. Despite the planet’s irradiation, these spiritual herbs had not been wiped out. With luck, he could still find them; after all, Lekai had tasted one in his childhood.

There were three doors in total. Lekai decided to begin his exploration with the first door on the left.

He stepped inside and found himself in a stone chamber.

The room was not large, but it was packed with strange little cauldrons. Most were bronze, though some were made from unknown materials. Each looked ancient, and most were damaged, with only a handful surviving intact.

Lekai examined them for a while but found nothing remarkable. The stone chamber held nothing else besides these cauldrons.

He exited and proceeded to the central room.

This stone chamber was vast—no less than ten meters wide and thirty meters long. In the center stood a giant, fiery red stone platform, resembling a bed. Against the wall, a row of decayed cabinets stood. Judging by their age, they were over a hundred years old, none of them intact. Yet inside, something caught Lekai’s attention.

Stacks of jade slips lay scattered, likely jumbled by time and perhaps by previous visitors. Some were even strewn across the floor.

Lekai stepped forward and picked up a jade slip from the ground.

Intricate characters were engraved upon it—so complex that Lekai could not understand them.

He searched through the slips and found they were all inscribed in the same script: winding, densely stroked, more pictorial than textual. Though Lekai had studied with his professor for four years, he had little knowledge of such hieroglyphics.

Unwilling to give up, Lekai continued searching. Fortune favored the persistent. In a corner, he finally discovered several small bottles. To his delight, the script on these bottles, though in traditional characters, was familiar to him.

“Bone Regeneration Pill,” “Strength Enhancement Pill,” “Berserker Pill,” “Universal Poison Pill”...

The labels bore names that sent chills down Lekai’s spine. King Kong must have recovered thanks to these miraculous medicines. Yet, his joy quickly faded—every bottle was empty! What a letdown. He had thought he’d stumbled upon a treasure trove, ready to make a fortune.

Lekai, frustrated, gave the wall a forceful kick.

But that accidental kick triggered something unexpected. The spot he struck began to rotate slowly, revealing a hidden door.

Lekai laughed aloud—when luck is on your side, even city walls can’t stand in your way! According to legend, wherever there is a secret door, there must be a wondrous treasure. Otherwise, why conceal it so thoroughly?

He eagerly pushed the door open and entered, only to be dumbfounded. The anticipated scene of riches strewn across the floor never appeared. The secret compartment was just that—a small compartment containing nothing but a single jade slip.

What vexed Lekai further was that, unlike the other slips, which were densely inscribed even with hieroglyphics, this one was blank. Aside from its lustrous color and the comfortable feel it gave when held, it was no different from any other.

Lekai refused to give up. He knocked and tapped every inch of the compartment, listened closely, even slashed at it with his curved blade, stabbing here and there. After a long, fruitless effort, he finally had to admit defeat: the so-called secret compartment contained nothing but this palm-sized jade slip.