Chapter 85: The Wasteland of the Dead

The fog of history has been detected beginning to lift.

Resource recovery begins. Simulation begins.

It is scheduled to complete resource recovery at the YM1876 test site in 1 hour, 47 minutes and 23 seconds.

It is scheduled to cross the fog of history and break through the fault of time and space in 3 hours, 37 minutes and 18 seconds.

Experiments on singularity Z-3000-3 are scheduled to begin in 3 hours, 37 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Experiment Z-3000-3 is scheduled to be completed in 3 hours, 39 minutes, and 00 seconds.

It is planned to eliminate all life forms within the YM1876 test site in 3 hours, 39 minutes and 5 seconds.

The prediction file has been submitted. To complete this special test, we request centralized computing resources and perform an upgrade.

【agree】

Computing resource recovery.

The construction of the lost secret formation.

3000/11/05, 10:23:33, Soul Container S-987572 began to transform.

·

Plop. Plop. The sound of heavy objects falling continued to ring out, and dust flew up from Yingluo Mountain.

The sounds came from the unconscious beasts, from the bodies no longer under control. Lions fell from cliffs, snakes plummeted from treetops, and the monkeys collapsed almost simultaneously, as if in an eternal sleep. The experiment was ending, they were no longer needed. With control reclaimed, the beastly bodies returned to their original form.

Computing resources converged on the distant true machine. The pure white cauldron closed its eyes. A dazzling ring of light emanated from the cauldron, instantly forming a massive magic circle spanning a thousand miles. Three circles converged harmoniously, yet no seals or secret inscriptions were visible around them. A single ancient cauldron sat enshrined in the center, radiant amidst dust, light, and shadow.

It was the most primitive of formations, unprotected by any gods, fearless of invasion, and achieving its "Original Form" through sheer strength and arrogance. A strange roar echoed from Yingluo Mountain, and uncontrolled beasts rushed out of the mountain. Countless corpses transformed into a tide of beasts, seemingly drawn out of the mountain, like a vast, black tide rising through the air. The corpses flew into the light, sinking into the ancient cauldron at the center of the formation, like a faint glow returning to the sun.

Everything was so natural and so smooth, revealing the truth to outsiders in the most ruthless and intuitive way. This was the true appearance of the Shendong Realm, where lives perished in the disaster, their corpses being used as food by the light.

Brother Bernfa nodded slightly, as if paying respect. He glanced at Chu Hengkong and said, "You're lucky, Mr. Chu. Generally speaking, the transformation of a true weapon is over in an instant. I deployed the formation in advance to better observe the fog, so you can witness this amazing sight before I leave."

"Mist?"

"Yes, the fog that protects this town. The peace of this tiny town should have lasted forever, but because of your intrusion, the stagnant time began to move again. From that day on, the fate of Yingshi Town was sealed."

There was no intention of blame, nor was there any mockery or sarcasm. The monk was simply stating the facts. He glanced at the canon and said, "You have three hours and thirty-six minutes to say goodbye. Engraving the end of this place firmly in your heart, if you are lucky enough to meet someone old, tell them your story. This is an incredible adventure. Witnessing the immortality of a true machine is legendary on any island."

Bernfa turned around, hands behind his back, and walked down the steps on the cliff. Chu Hengkong still stood on the top of the mountain, gazing at the ancient tripod in the light, his sight never shifting even when it felt like it was about to be burned.

"How many of them are real?"

"This place is just a small corner of the kingdom of God. One real machine is enough to complete all missions." The monk said, "No need for more. Never need more."

"What mass is that?" he asked, as if grasping at straws. "Ms3? Or even higher..."

The monk didn't answer, only a pitying laugh faded away with his footsteps. Finder extended a tentacle from his pocket, and it spoke in a low voice, almost silently.

"I remember now. That's the cornerstone of the Empire of Truth..." Finder couldn't bear to speak. "Plasma 1, Soul Container."

"Oh," the killer said, "so this can also be considered a mass point."

The glare stung his eyes, and the killer simply closed them. He descended the steps, and in just ten minutes, he was back in town. The townspeople gazed up at the radiance across the mountain, their gaze as unmoved as monks, their emotions unbroken. They knew the outcome, and so felt no sorrow. They simply gazed at him again and again, silently telling the stranger, "Go! Go! Go!"

There really wasn't any conspiracy, nor was it some unique folk custom. He didn't eat or drink because he couldn't eat, and he couldn't gather in groups because he feared his true identity would be discovered. He was sent to church in the hope that the powerful monks would protect him. There was nothing to welcome guests in this deadly place, so they had to ask the guests to scavenge outside of town to barely provide some food and entertainment.

The souls of the long-dead struggled to maintain their final dignity, grateful to the foreign killers because their evil corpses had finally been punished. That was why Xiang Fuzi was so happy. His body was finally dead, and he could close his eyes with dignity as a human, not a beast.

Chu Hengkong returned to the church and sat down in the open space. Fander, hunched over his thoughts in his pocket, held his breath for a moment before trying to break the gloomy atmosphere. "You can't blame Qi Su... This land has been contaminated by outsiders. Directed teleportation is practically impossible. It's almost a miracle that they were able to get us away..."

"Um."

"That... the monk is very powerful." Fander paused, "He had no reason to lie to us. Time is running out. Really not much."

"Um."

Chu Hengkong pulled out his rock knife and placed it on his knees. He ran his fingers along the blade inch by inch, then, applying a little force, began to sharpen it.

His movements were not slow, but careful. His well-trained body was stronger than rock, strong enough to sharpen the blade of a long sword. Seeing this, Fander suddenly became anxious, his tentacles trembling. "Dude! Calm down! Let your brain stop for a moment!"

"I'm calm. I can't go back to the city because the heretic is here." Chu Hengkong said slowly, "Then if I kill the heretic, can I go home?"

Vander became even more anxious: "That's not the problem at all! You! You just arrived and don't know, that's not something you can afford to deal with -

"Fander, you said before that you left your hometown to travel." He suddenly talked about something unrelated. "Why do you want to travel?"

Vander was baffled, wondering what had struck this neurotic wretch. Afraid of saying something wrong and irritating the lunatic, he spoke cautiously, "It's just... I want to get out and see the world. The world is huge, the oceans vast, and life is short. I can go to so many places, but I'm stuck on this tiny island. I feel like my life is a waste... I don't have clear goals like you do, and I don't expect to become powerful or invincible. I'm happy just writing down new and interesting things in my notebook."

"That's great. You have a broad vision and can see much further than I can." Chu Hengkong smiled. "I'm different. I don't like traveling. I once tried traveling on vacation. I took a nine-hour ferry from Italy to a small town in Greece. It was a great place for a vacation. I could spend an entire afternoon sitting in a small tavern. There was so much to see and photograph. A few days there would give me enough to talk about for a whole year. Sitting on the top of the mountain, I could see white roofs and the azure Dead Sea, and tourists walking on the stone pavement, selecting gold-plated jewelry."

"But I didn't do anything. I brought a travel brochure—smartphones weren't that easy to use back then—but I flipped through it for a while before putting it back in my suitcase. There were so many places to go and so many things to do that I was overwhelmed. I spent half a day sunbathing on the top of the mountain, and finally went back to my hotel room to practice boxing." Chu Hengkong put away his long sword. "The next day I took a boat back to the family, ending my vacation early. I killed three targets that day, and in the evening I took my brothers to the old bar for a drink. They were all ordinary and trivial things, but much more enjoyable than hanging out on the beach."

Finder listened quietly. He didn't know where the killer was talking about, but he could hear the helplessness and self-mockery in his voice. Such a person sounded really pathetic. He had plenty of time but didn't know what to do. Even going on vacation seemed like torture.

"Do you understand, Vander? It's just a small coastal town, but it seems astonishingly huge to me. It's like floating on a sea of ​​clouds and looking at a city on earth. The world is so vast, but I feel empty beneath my feet. I walk on the gravel road and feel like a ghost with no feet touching the ground, because no one there needs me. In a place like that, my strength and my personality are meaningless. I am no different from the tourists around me, just a passerby, a phantom." He said calmly, "But when I was in the family, someone would come to me every day and urgently say, Brother Chu, we're in trouble, saying that there's a tough guy who needs my personal attention. Even if I was doing nothing and lying in a daze in the lobby, everyone was happy, because my presence made them feel safe. Isn't that what meaning and value are? We rush around in this world, and all we want is these things."

Fan De hesitated several times and sat on the ground in a daze. Chu Hengkong looked at him and laughed.

"When I first arrived in Yingshi Town, I felt like I was on vacation. I could practice, I could hunt, I wanted to learn your usefulness, and I wanted to find my way home. So many choices before me left me at a loss, just like the list of attractions in a travel guide. It felt like I had to do it, but it also felt like a task. That feeling of emptiness was more torturous than any hunger."

"And now I can finally settle down. I don't have to worry about that travel brochure anymore. I see what I should do." Chu Hengkong stood up. "My purpose has returned."

At this moment, he actually seemed a little happy, no longer the silent and taciturn person. Finder could hardly bear it any longer, twisting his tentacles back and forth: "So this is why you're going crazy? Just for some illusory meaning? I don't understand why anyone here needs you to die..."

"There are hundreds of innocent souls here. They've done nothing wrong and lived peaceful lives, yet they've fallen to this point. Where's their justice?" Chu Hengkong sheathed his knife. "In three hours, all the souls will be dead. After three hours, no one will know there was a Yingshi Town in the Kingdom of God, and those people were killed by the Empire. Bernfa has decided to stand aside and watch, so I must go up. Who else can help them get justice?"

"I could just walk away, but I'll remember this forever. Until I die, I'll remember that one day I turned around and ran, trying to survive on the bones of the dead. That kind of life is so cowardly, like a coward."

The man smiled, his facial muscles flexing, creating sharp lines like knives. "I've been practicing martial arts to this day because I don't want to live a cowardly life!"

Fander was completely dumbfounded. He finally understood Chu Hengkong's thoughts. After spending ten days together, his understanding of this man was not as profound as in these five minutes.

This killer... is an idiot who is extremely harsh on himself!

He forbade wasting time, living a mediocre life. Even if he were trapped in the mountains, he would cling to a meaningless purpose. He would not allow himself the slightest regret or remorse, hence his martial arts training, his thirst for power. This demanding and stubborn nature transformed him into a steel blade, unwilling to remain silent in its sheath, always actively seeking out battles. The blade knew no turning back, and he knew no retreat; he only believed that a step back would lead to lifelong regret! Even if there was an earthquake or a tsunami ahead, he would charge forward, blade in hand, to fight a life-or-death duel against the mighty.

Even his daydreaming needed meaning, which was why he loved fishing so much. If he ran away from here, his life would be ruined, so he had to stand up, even if it meant dying with the dead, rather than living the rest of his life in regret. Dazzling like a giant chasing the sun.

Chu Hengkong put away his sword, strode out of the church, and casually threw the Silver Eye Book. Fander subconsciously raised his tentacles, caught his manual, and got a bunch of beautiful flowing beads.

"I'm going to do what I need to do now. You can go and finish your journey." The killer waved his hand. "I'm sorry for letting you take advantage of me. I'll definitely return it to you when we meet again."

Chu Hengkong was hit hard, and his shoulder hurt a little. He turned around and took the large book that was about to fall to the ground. Behind him, Fander's eyes were red.

"You fucking... you're such a bastard!" Vander was furious. "I tried so hard to make you forget about it. Can't we just laugh it off and let it go? At worst, we can erect a monument for them after we're gone and grieve in secret. Now that you've explained everything so clearly, what should I do? I left you to die alone. Don't I feel guilty? Can I just continue to live my life so heartlessly?"

The Eye Demon glared at him fiercely and said in a bright voice: "You, Chu Hengkong, are a hero, and I, Fander, am not a coward!"

Chu Hengkong stared at it as if they had first met, then suddenly laughed, a hearty laugh. Fan De stared at him angrily, then after a moment laughed too, a helpless laugh. They walked out the door together, laughing like two fools and back to the beach. Qi Su stared at them, the strange look in his eyes turning into anger.

"What's so funny...!" the girl gritted her teeth.

"Hey, Qi Su," Chu Hengkong said nonchalantly, "Are you willing to live this miserable life?"

Fander also laughed: "A good town has fallen into this state, don't you feel ashamed?"

Qi Su was about to collapse. She held her head and cried out in despair: "How could this be possible!!!"

"Okay. Then get moving." The killer patted her shoulder, "I'll help you... kill it!"

(End of this chapter)