Chapter 497 Terrifying Pregnancy

We arrived at the second floor of the safe house.

The second floor had many private rooms connected by a corridor. The cartographer led me into one of these rooms, not the one where his mentally unstable companion was held, but his own bedroom. He said he needed to retrieve his diary first, and then led me to another room intended for confinement.

I glanced at the diary in the cartographer's hand. It was a brown-covered notebook. He had mentioned before that he remembered the name Asaho, but perhaps he would need to look through the diary to recall it. I wondered what exactly was recorded inside. Although it was unethical to covet someone else's diary, I was indeed quite curious about this diary—this "diary of a post-apocalyptic survivor."

The cartographer pushed open the door to the detention room.

The moment the door was pushed open, a violent struggle, as if the carpenter were baring their fangs and claws, erupted from within, accompanied by the clanking of steel chains. The cartographer, unfazed, entered the room carrying the blessing lantern. I followed him in, and Tanxiang, with a determined expression, followed as well.

After the three of them went inside, the cartographer casually closed the door. Whether closing doors was a common practice among post-apocalyptic survivors or not, Sandalwood became even more uneasy.

I looked into the depths of the room.

This room, originally intended as a large private dining room for multiple people, now had its dining table and chairs removed. At the far end, a figure could be seen sitting awkwardly on the floor. The lantern's light wasn't enough, so I summoned a fireball to provide more illumination. This light likely aggravated the figure in the depths, causing pain to his eyes, which were accustomed to darkness. He quickly covered his eyes and let out a frightening, beast-like howl.

He was a man even more unkempt than a beggar, practically a savage. His long, greasy black hair was tangled and covered in dust, and his chin and upper lip were covered in a messy mustache. He wore dark brown, blood-stained hiking gear, without gloves or shoes and socks, and his exposed palms and soles were covered in scars.

His face was covered in blood and dust, and his facial muscles were twisted and grotesque, resembling a zombie that would devour its prey.

As he let out a hoarse roar, his gaze swept over the three of us one by one. The cartographer remained as usual; I met his gaze directly, but when it was Sandalwood's turn, he embarrassed himself again—Sandalwood couldn't help but take a step back, letting out a timid sound.

The zombie-like man stared intently at Tanxiang, like an assassin who had found a weakness in the team. Tanxiang stumbled backward, her back slamming against the door, her legs going weak.

I carefully observed the other person. Could this slovenly man really have any clues about the small bowl?

Where did he come into contact with the small bowl before? And what happened between them?

“He…he keeps staring at me…” Sandalwood said, her voice trembling. “Cartographer…isn’t this your partner? You…you should talk to him…”

"It's because you showed fear that he treated you like a pushover. Can't you learn from Zhuang Cheng? Look how calm he is." The cartographer placed the lantern on the cabinet next to him.

"He's a superhuman, of course he can stay calm!" Sandalwood protested.

"A man can lack ability, but he cannot lack courage."

The cartographer, spouting seemingly plausible words, flipped through his diary, illuminating the text with the white light of the blessing lantern, and continued, "If things continue like this, I can't trust you to take me out with me anymore... Hmm, as a form of courage training, how about locking you up with my former partner..."

"Eek!" Sandalwood was quite startled.

"Cartographer, what's your colleague's name? How should I communicate with him?" I asked.

"Just like me, he has forgotten his real name. Now he is called 'Wandering Soul'."

The cartographer's gaze lingered over his diary, seemingly searching for information related to "Ma Zao" that I had mentioned on the road. "As for how to communicate with him... that's something I'd really like to know too."

“How did he go crazy?” I asked.

“I can’t remember exactly, but it’s probably related to madness. Most of the madness in the post-apocalyptic world is caused by madness. Especially in his case, you can tell at a glance that it’s caused by madness,” the cartographer replied. “Right now, he’ll frantically try to kill any human who gets close to him; his mind is completely blank except for the word ‘murder.’”

"The karmic demon is also a strange creature that only acts on the motive of 'killing,' and this is a sign that he has become a karmic demon. Right now, my two other companions and I—the two children you saw downstairs—can only call his name from time to time to remind him that his name is 'Wandering Soul.' We also talk to him about trivial things from the past to see if we can bring back his original sanity."

"Actually, we were almost ready to give up. Not only did this approach show no signs of success, but we ourselves were also gradually forgetting the things we had shared with him. Perhaps in the near future, we would even forget his name, and then think of him as just a stranger who had inexplicably appeared on the verge of demonic possession in our safe house, and finally coldly abandon him..."

His voice was filled with sorrow.

Based on my knowledge of the post-apocalyptic world, generally speaking, people on the verge of karmic corruption cannot be saved.

Because people in this state are unable to think normally and understand external information, even if someone around them keeps calling their name, it cannot truly reach their hearts.

Asaho's power of return is an unusual case. She can use her power to restore someone on the verge of becoming a demon to normal, but if the person is completely demonized, even the power of return cannot save them.

In the past, when Asaha first met Kobo, she used her power of return to save Kobo from being corrupted by the demon.

Later, Xiaowan met me in the virtual realm as the second persona. When she escaped karmic demonization by retrieving her name, it was a clever trick. Because she possessed normal thinking abilities within the virtual realm, by retrieving her name and reactivating her memories that hadn't completely succumbed, she could avoid the danger of karmic demonization after returning to reality.

“I have a question…” Sandalwood cautiously raised its hand.

"What's the problem?" the cartographer asked.

"How does this person called Wandering Soul usually eat and excrete?" Sandalwood noticed this detail, which was actually crucial. "If he goes berserk and attacks everyone who gets close to him, then even bringing him food would be difficult, right? In the end, does he even know how to eat anymore?"

"As for urination and defecation, we can't just untie him every time he needs to relieve himself, can we? I don't think I've seen any traces of him urinating or defecating anywhere..."

Actually, I think what Sandalwood wanted to ask was a colder question—is it really reasonable to keep such a time bomb with no chance of being saved in your safe house, and to feed and water it, in such a resource-scarce apocalyptic environment?

Although Sandalwood probably didn't know what "karmic demon" and "madness" meant, he definitely sensed the danger emanating from the wandering spirit.

The cartographer replied expressionlessly, "He doesn't need to eat, so he doesn't need to excrete either."

"Huh?" Sandalwood was clearly surprised by this answer.

“People on the verge of becoming demonic will exhibit some of the characteristics of a demonic being prematurely. Having only murderous motives in their minds is just one of them,” the cartographer said. “Demons are bizarre beings that do not need food or water, therefore they do not need food or water.”

"At the same time, they will become incredibly strong, their physical regeneration will accelerate, and they will be able to sense the fluctuations of the soul like a blessed monk... Take a close look at his limbs and torso."

Upon closer inspection, one would find that the wandering spirit was not only bound by iron chains, but the chains had even pierced through his limbs and torso, yet no blood flowed out, as if the blood had dried up.

“If it’s not done to this extent, such iron chains won’t be able to bind him; he might even dig through the floorboards with his hands and run away,” the cartographer said.

“He…he’s not your partner? How could you treat him like this…” Sandalwood murmured in astonishment.

"Yes, he is my partner, but... I can hardly remember who he is anymore..." the cartographer murmured.

His words also answered a question that had been bothering me: how did Xiaowan survive the apocalypse during the period when she was on the verge of being corrupted by demonic energy?

She could be explained by luck that she wasn't killed by the monster, but how did she manage to replenish her food and water while alone and in a state of mental confusion?

Humans will die after three days without water or seven days without food. Although we don't know how long Xiaowan was in her near-demonic state, it was clearly more than just three or seven days. If she didn't need food and water in this state, then everything makes sense.

Suddenly, the cartographer's fingers, which were turning the pages of the diary, paused. He looked at the words on the pages, then turned and glanced at me.

"Zhuang Cheng, I found records related to 'Ma Zao' that you mentioned before in my diary," the cartographer said. "Let me confirm first, do you really know that girl named Ma Zao?"

"Yes, is there a problem?" I asked.

Perhaps the cartographer realized that Asahi was a notorious jinx in the apocalypse, and thus realized that his previous bad luck might be related to me, "someone connected to Asahi." Anyway, I've already arrived at this safe house, so acting is becoming unnecessary, and I might as well admit it.

The cartographer then said something that exceeded my expectations.

"According to my records, this girl named Mazao is a blessed cultivator whose power rivals that of a demigod, but she is also a heartless and ruthless killer," the cartographer said in a deep voice. "Regardless of gender or age, as long as they are human, she will mercilessly and personally kill them."

"Kill the strong, kill the weak, kill the good, kill the evil, kill the fighters, kill the surrenderers, kill the fleeers... Countless lives have been lost under her butcher's knife. She is simply the epitome of terror."

"The very few who were lucky enough to escape with their lives called her the 'witch of the gospel'."

(End of this chapter)