At the edge of the settlement, a few survivors attempting to reinforce the outer defenses seemed to have heard the terrifying announcement. They looked up in horror at the blood-red fungus web that blanketed the sky, then suddenly glanced at the modified RV parked in the Gobi Desert, conspicuous like a target.
"It's...it's them! What was said in the notice! False gods! False gods who bring extinction!" A tall and thin man pointed at the RV, his voice becoming shrill due to extreme fear.
"Run! The Fungus Dome is coming to kill us!"
"They are the ones who brought this upon us! Kill them!"
"Get out! Get out of our place!"
Panic spread through the settlement like a plague! Yellings, cries, and desperate roars shattered the dead silence. Like frightened beasts, some retreated into their shabby shacks in terror, while others seized whatever weapons they could find—rusty iron pipes, sharpened rebar, crude bows and arrows, even simple rocks. Filled with despair and frenzied hatred, they rushed toward the RV! Their eyes held no compassion for their fellows, only fear of impending catastrophe and a raging hatred for the "source of the disaster"!
"Let's go!" Xu Shuangyao grabbed Pei Du's arm, her voice trembling even slightly, even though she herself wasn't aware of it. Being regarded as the source of disaster by the entire world, expelled by one's own kind with the deepest hatred and malice—this icy feeling of despair was more suffocating than facing any other aberration.
Buzz——!!!
Just as the crowd was about to rush to the RV, the shouting and throwing stones were about to hit the car body!
The phantom of the crown of thorns between Pei Du's eyebrows suddenly burst into an unprecedentedly fiery golden light! An invisible, violent energy pulse exploded with him as the center!
“Ugh!” Pei Du roared in pain, his body convulsing violently! He slammed his fist into his forehead, as if trying to push back the soul-scorching crown phantom, but to no avail! Dark golden lines, like an out-of-control circuit, instantly covered his exposed neck and arms, emitting a scorching heat!
The out-of-control energy pulse was like a real shock wave, slamming heavily into the few survivors rushing in the front!
There was no blood or flesh flying.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
At the forefront was a skinny woman clutching half a piece of moldy bread. The desperate wail on her face froze, and her arm, holding the stone high, froze in mid-air. Then, a horrifying change occurred!
The skin exposed outside her tattered clothing, starting from her fingertips that had touched the energy wave, began to fade at a visible rate, becoming as gray and cracked as dried tree bark! Fine, dark golden lines, like thorny branches, crept and bulged beneath her skin! Her body froze completely, maintaining a charging posture. She instantly transformed from a vibrant being into a lifelike, thorn-like, golden sculpture... a mycelium statue! The moldy piece of bread in her hand was also covered in a grayish-white fungal film!
This terrifying transformation spread through the crowd like a plague! In the fan-shaped area swept by the energy pulse, the dozen or so survivors at the forefront, regardless of gender, age, or youth, were instantly transformed into fungus sculptures of varying poses, covered in golden thorn patterns! Their frozen faces still lingered with the fear, anger, and despair of their past lives, forming a silent picture of hell!
Dead silence.
Absolute silence descended again, even worse than before.
The survivors at the back seemed frozen in place, their shouts and movements frozen. They watched the horrific scene before them, their companions, who had been alive just a moment before, transformed into bizarre "artworks" the next. Absolute fear choked their throats, preventing them from even screaming. Only the chattering of teeth and the stench of incontinence from sheer terror escaped them.
"Strange...monster..."
"A false god... a true false god..."
"Curse... He brought a curse..."
Low whispers filled with endless fear and loathing spread through the dead silence. The looks in their eyes, shifting from initial hatred to a deeper fear and rejection, as if they were looking at a demon from the abyss. They no longer rushed forward, but instead retreated in terror, using their hands and feet as if fleeing the deadliest source of plague, away from the RV and away from the man with the ominous golden crown burning between his brows.
Pei Du panted, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in the crown between his brows. The dark golden lines slowly faded, but the soul-searing pain and the emptiness brought on by the loss of control of energy lingered. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the solidified fungus sculptures, the deep fear and hatred in the eyes of the survivors. Deep within his gaze, something shattered, leaving only a cold, heavy silence. He saw the same deep pain and a hint of... a subtle fear in Xu Shuangyao's eyes.
"False God..." Pei Du's lips curled into a cold arc, his voice low and hoarse, as if chewing on this ironic title. "What they said... is correct."
"No! Pei Du! That's not what you meant! It was the crown that lost control!" Xu Shuangyao retorted anxiously, trying to grab his cold hand.
Pei Du abruptly pulled his hand away, avoiding her touch. His gaze was like a frozen wasteland, rejecting any approach of warmth. He stopped looking at the mushroom sculptures and the survivors and slammed the accelerator!
The engine roared like a wounded beast, and the RV turned around suddenly, raising a cloud of dust, and rushed desperately in the opposite direction of the settlement, towards the deeper and more desolate Gobi Desert covered by a blood-colored fungus network!
Behind the car was a solidified fungus sculpture, the unforgettable fearful gazes of the survivors, and the cursed and bloody brand of "false god", which was deeply imprinted on the road of escape and on his and her hearts.
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