Chapter 95

"Jin seems particularly sensitive to sudden rejections... Just now, there was indeed a fleeting impulse to kill me. I need to be more careful in the future and minimize instances of rejecting her." In fact, Yi Chen completely understood Jin's momentary emotional shift. Back when he was at the orphanage, children abandoned by their parents—especially those who were abandoned after becoming self-aware—or those abused by their biological families, often developed certain "psychological barriers." Once those barriers were triggered, their temperament would undergo drastic changes, sometimes leading to reckless actions. There was once a boy who got along well with Yi Chen. One day, another kid casually said to him, "Can you stop acting like a dog?" The boy immediately pounced on the speaker, pinning him to the ground and biting off the other child's nose and ears. He even nearly tore off the entire skin of his face. It was later revealed that this boy had been locked in a dog kennel and raised like a dog by his parents during his childhood. Any sign of disobedience would result in him being hung up and whipped. As for Jin, her situation might be even worse. Yi Chen made a mental note to tread carefully and avoid triggering Jin's "barriers." ... Now, it was interrogation time. This sudden appearance of a talking chicken, with its extraordinary speed, demanded further investigation. Extracting key information from its beak was essential. The chicken was restrained by plant tendrils to prevent it from escaping. Yi Chen held its slightly chubby body in his hands and soon detected pathogenic substances within it. The abnormalities primarily affected its brain. This black chicken's brain extended beyond its cranial cavity, proliferating along its neck and occupying almost half its body cavity. Its brain size was comparable to that of a human. This likely explained why the black chicken could talk and think. Aside from the brain, its leg muscles were exceptionally well-developed, even showing muscle structures resembling flight feathers. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If it weren’t for someone like Jin, whose [Coordination] was at its peak, ordinary individuals would struggle to catch it. Other than its brain and legs, the chicken appeared normal and posed no threat. This marked Yi Chen’s first encounter with a pathogenic animal, and surprisingly, it was relatively safe. “Hey! Spill some more information, or my friend will really kill you.” The black chicken was so terrified that its comb drooped, and its entire body trembled as it struggled to form human words: “Granny knows! Granny wants to talk with you... about the forest, the village, and even the church! Cluck, cluck!” “What granny? Where is she?” “I can take you to her… Granny isn’t under the church’s control. She lives alone in a very secluded place outside the village. Cluck, cluck!” “Has she approached other humans before?” “No~ Granny is very discerning. Those other humans wouldn’t have survived, but you’re different! You killed those… freaks at the village entrance so easily! Cluck, cluck!” ⱤἈΝŐＢЕꞩ Yi Chen stopped asking questions and turned to Jin, who had been waiting nearby. “Jin, let this chicken lead us there... Even if it’s a trap, it should be to your liking, right?” Jin took a quick step forward, lightly touching the chicken’s comb, causing it to nearly explode in fear. “Fine! Lead us to your chicken coop… And don’t even think about lying to us.” And so, the chicken's neck was bound with plant roots like a leash, forcing it to lead the way. Yi Chen also noticed that the direction the chicken was leading them was entirely opposite to where the earlier sense of being watched had originated. This suggested that the person observing their earlier battle might be someone else entirely. As the group moved closer to the "Granny's" dwelling, more chickens began appearing intermittently in the forest around them. Some of these chickens were even capable of short flights, flapping their wings and perching on well-hidden branches. Yi Chen regarded these chickens as "Granny's" eyes and ears. If the black chicken’s words were true, this Granny might lean toward being "Patient Zero," existing beyond anyone's control and occupying a secluded part of the forest. She lived separately from the villagers, silently observing the changes in the forest and the village. Of course, her possible connections to the church could not be completely ruled out. The exact situation would only become clear after meeting her. Soon enough, the black chicken led them to what it referred to as "Granny's dwelling." It was an enormous tree, grotesquely bloated, its surface covered with pustules that oozed fluid incessantly. The tree was at least three times the size of a regular tree. "Granny lives underneath this. Follow me," the black chicken said, flapping its wings. It hopped toward a half-meter-long, wriggling crevice in the tree trunk. The opening seemed to exude a pulling sensation, as if eager to absorb anything nearby. Without hesitation, Yi Chen stepped forward, pressing his hand against the tree trunk. The crevice widened slightly under his touch. Shrouded in his coat, he squeezed through the opening, navigating the sticky, sap-covered passage. Inside the tree trunk was a slippery "slide," its texture somewhere between flesh and plant. It carried Yi Chen down to a mysterious underground space. After approximately fifty meters of spiral descent, he landed amidst a pile of straw. Before long, a swarm of small, yellow chicks surrounded him, as though welcoming this outsider. Using Little Grape’s vision, Yi Chen quickly scanned the environment. It was a fairly large underground space, hemispherical in shape, with walls plastered with feathers of various colors. The feathers seemed to serve as a shield against the outside world. The space was roughly divided into three zones: [Hatchery Zone] Rows of iron chicken coops of various colors were stacked along the walls. Numerous eggs were being incubated within. The chicks now surrounding Yi Chen had evidently hatched from these eggs. [Nutrient Zone] Living roots from the massive tree above extended downward, each root piercing into the body of a larger-than-average chicken. The roots absorbed nutrients from these chickens. Once a chicken was drained dry, the next in line would step up to take its place. This process of self-sacrifice nourished the giant tree, supporting this underground space and ensuring the safety of the chicken population. Meanwhile, the essence secreted by the tree was collected into nutrient troughs. Newly hatched chicks could rapidly grow by consuming this liquid. Chicks that grew to become articulate, swift, and sharp-eyed would earn their "freedom," taking on tasks for Granny outside the forest. Those that proved ordinary and useless would be labeled as "meat chickens" and join the sacrificial queue. [Residential Zone] Located on the other side of the underground area, this zone contained living essentials such as a stove, dining table, fireplace, and bed. An elderly woman with a plump figure sat in a wooden chair. She wore a floral apron, and her short, dark wavy hair showed hints of gray. Her bare feet rested on the ground—though they couldn’t wear shoes. While her soles appeared normal, her toes had mutated, growing elongated, wrinkled, and dark, with sharp, curved claws at the tips. In her arms, she cradled a round, golden-feathered chicken, gently stroking it. Her back was turned, so her face was unclear, but the scene reminded Yi Chen of his encounter in the attic earlier. Just as Yi Chen was about to greet her, "Granny" turned around. Apart from a red, fleshy wattle hanging from her chin, her facial features were human-like, with a kind smile. "Welcome to my chicken coop," she said warmly. "You can call me 'Granny Chicken.' You are truly exceptional, managing to capture —he’s the fastest chicken I have here." Hearing this, Yi Chen immediately released the black chicken Little Pei from the vines that bound it. Trembling, the black chicken scurried back to Granny Chicken’s side.