Deviant: No Longer Human

In the distance, more bizarre creatures appeared—some with spiked armor running down their backs, others with glowing eyes and claws the size of tree trunks.

It was a world out of myth, a land where beasts from a lost time still roamed freely, completely untouched by modern civilization.

"This… this is hollow Earth," Wang Xueying whispered, her breath caught in her throat. "But... it\'s alive not a barren wasteland... More alive than we ever imagined."

Isabelle narrowed her eyes, "This place shouldn\'t exist," she muttered under her breath, but the thrill in her voice betrayed her excitement. "But it does. And it\'s up to us to figure out why."

THUMP!

Suddenly, a loud noise shook the jet, causing everyone to grip their seats.

Outside, a colossal shadow passed over them, briefly blocking out the sun. A massive creature—a cross between a dinosaur and something much more alien—slowly raised its long neck.

Its scales shimmered with an eerie blue glow, and its eyes, glowing like molten lava, locked onto the jet with unsettling intelligence.

ROAAAR!

The beast let out a deafening roar, a sound so deep it made the entire jet vibrate.

"Yeah, that\'s not welcoming," a soldier muttered, gripping his rifle as he eyed the creature.

Isabelle, however, didn\'t flinch. Instead, she stood with a smirk, her eyes glinting with excitement. "Prepare for landing," she commanded. "We\'re going in. And I want eyes sharp—we don\'t know what else is down there."

The jet began to descend, its nose tilting down as it cut through the thick clouds toward the alien landscape below.

The trees loomed larger, the creatures clearer as they neared the ground.

Everyone inside the jet braced themselves, adrenaline surging through their veins.

This was the unknown, an uncharted world full of ancient dangers and mysteries.

As the jet approached the ground, a pack of creatures with glowing eyes and razor-sharp fangs prowled at the edge of the dense forest, watching with unsettling eyes.

Isabelle glanced out the window, her heart pounding loudly in her chest for the first time in a long while.

\'This could be an even bigger discovery than the Eighth Continent!\'

The sheer magnitude of what lay before them—the wilderness, the colossal beasts—was unlike anything she had ever seen.

_____

Meanwhile, back in one of the cabins of the jet...

Wang Xiao shook his head, his dark hair shifting as he moved.

Behind him, both Ericka and Freya lay exhausted, their slender legs gleaming in the dim light.

Their bodies were flushed, too weak to even stand after their heated session.

The cabin smelled faintly of sweat and lust, their breathing still ragged.

[Was this really the most important thing right now?]

A voice echoed in Wang Xiao\'s mind, interrupting his thoughts.

A faint black shadow circled around him, its form shifting and flickering. A ghostly hand, made of black mist, materialized and gently brushed against his face before dissolving back into nothingness.

Wang Xiao nodded slightly, answering the unseen entity through telepathy. \'There\'s probably going to be a battle. I can\'t risk being ejected from my body in the middle of it…\'

The presence seemed to hesitate, its form still swirling around him. There was no immediate response, almost as if the being itself was trying to process his words.

\'How could he predict so accurately that a battle was imminent? Could he foresee the future?\'

But what no one knew—not even the shadowy figure that haunted him—was that Wang Xiao\'s divine sense granted him a limited form of foresight.

His ability to perceive potential threats and outcomes was second nature, making it nearly impossible for anyone to fully understand his thoughts and motivations.

Wang Xiao glanced down at Ericka and Freya, both too weak to move, their flushed bodies draped over the floor.

With a small smirk, he adjusted his posture, already preparing himself for what was to come.

______

At the same time, deep within the looming forest…

In the heart of a pristine patch of grass, surrounded by lush, towering trees, a heated confrontation was ongoing.

The air filled with hostility and mistrust.

"You told us they wouldn\'t invade us!" one voice roared, filled with anger.

"You said they were harmless!" another accused, voice trembling with frustration.

"You protected them! Why?" another growled, his voice almost a snarl.

"What happened to all of that? We are being hunted, killed, and driven from our own land!" A chorus of voices erupted in agreement, their fury mounting.

"We can\'t even trust our own children… or our wives!"

"Either you do something about these disgusting creatures, or we\'ll slaughter every last one of them!"

In that patch of grass, standing slightly elevated above the enraged crowd, a small figure floated with a serene calmness.

Draped in a flowing white robe reminiscent of those worn in rural China, she appeared almost ethereal, her long, silvery-white hair cascading down her back.

A worn bamboo hat sat low on her head, shading her face, but beneath it, her expression was one of absolute indifference—a indifferent, almost god-like authority radiated from her presence.

She was Yuriko.

And as for the ones accusing her?

They were not human.

Each of them stood over two meters tall, resembling dryads more than men. Their skin was like the inner bark of a tree—green, rough, and sturdy—while their faces were angular and broad, like rectangular slabs of wood.

Their hands and fingers stretched out like the roots of ancient trees, and embedded in their foreheads, glowing with a soft, unnatural light, were small green gems, pulsating with life.

The leader of the group stood a staggering three meters tall, towering over the others, his voice booming with authority and wrath.

Yuriko had to hover in the air just to meet his eyes, her serene figure at odds with the raging emotions swirling around her.

Their language was alien, incomprehensible to human ears—guttural and deep, filled with ancient resonance.

But to Yuriko, their words were as clear as daylight.

"You must act now, Eternity!" the leader bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at her, his tree-like hand shaking with anger. "You are the one who shielded them! You vouched for them! And now, we suffer for it!"

Yuriko\'s gaze was calm, almost dispassionate, as she stared at the furious dryads below her.

She remained silent, floating effortlessly as the accusations continued to fly.

Her white robe fluttered gently in the wind, contrasting sharply with the wild, chaotic energy surrounding her.

"I will not let this continue," the dryad leader growled, his green gem glowing brighter as his rage peaked. "If you will not act, we will. We will wipe them out—every last one."

"..."

"..."

"..."

For a moment, there was silence.

The crowd of dryads waited, their breaths heavy, eyes locked on Yuriko. Her lips finally parted, her voice soft yet carrying an undeniable strength.

"I warned you… " she said, her tone neither defensive nor apologetic. "You chose to ignore the signs. Do what you shall..."

The leader\'s eyes narrowed, his massive form trembling with barely contained fury. "If you won\'t protect us, then you leave us no choice."

Yuriko\'s expression did not change, her eyes as cold as the wind that now rustled through the trees. "Do what you will," she said softly, her voice laced with an unspoken threat. "But remember—"

The leader growled, stepping forward, his towering form casting a long shadow over the patch of land.

The crowd behind him stirred, their glowing gems pulsing in rhythm with their rising fury.

Yuriko\'s eyes flashed, an expression of suprise flashing over her face.